JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 38

trend

Fig.3: Wind turbine blades

©Gamesa Corp

automation. Laser projection systems can be used for ply placement, for example. The design process takes into account manufacturing methods. Nondestructive test methods are used for inspecting blades such as DIC, ultrasonics, backscatter X-ray and thermography. Manufacturing Riso-DTU, one of the top universities in the world for wind composites research, has reviewed problems in blades. Various defects may be introduced during manufacturing such as matrix cracks caused by shrinkage, fibre wrinkles and breaks, poor bonding and voids in adhesive layers. Interface defects are a common cause of failure, for example, due to lack of adhesive at bond lines. Some faults are not important, but others should be addressed quickly to prevent blade failure. Riso-DTU is examining crack propagation, buckling-driven delamination, cohesive laws and traction-separation laws to try to determine which issues are critical. Various types of repairs can be used, including plug and patch, or scarf repairs. On the Isle of Wight, Solent Composite Systems is looking at ways to reduce manufacturing costs, such as automation and low-power curing systems. It has tested automated tape laying (ATL) on blade shells, which entailed adjusting the machine to make sure that the leading edge was covered, along with light resin transfer moulding (LRTM). The mould can be heated with insulated water pipes, air or electrical methods. The SmartCure system applies heat in the mould shell combined with zone temperature monitoring to deliver power only where it is most needed. As the exotherm of the cure develops, the power is cut to those areas.

In Ireland and Germany, EireComposites Teo is looking at future blade technologies such as thermoplastics; alternative reinforcements like basalt and natural fibres; and VOC (volatile organic compound)-free thermosets like the polyester and epoxy powders currently used by the paint and coating industries. One of the issues with both thermoplastics and VOC-free resins is that they need to be processed at temperatures above 200°C, which in turn requires tooling that can withstand 300°C for fast heating. The company has experimented with ceramic tooling and embedded electrical heating for moulds up to 12.6 metres long. The UK is preparing for massive growth in its offshore wind industry, and Narec has built new test facilities for static and fatigue testing for 5-MW blades of 60 metres and above. One of the challenges, for example, is handling a 70-metre blade which is predicted to weigh 30 tonnes. Blade deflections during test could be up to 25 metres at the tip for an 80-metre blade. There are several certification bodies including GL, DNV and DEWI and one of the main blade testing specifications is IEC-61400-23. Currently, there are test facilities at Riso-DTU in Denmark, WMC in the Netherlands, Fraunhofer IWES in Germany, CENER in Spain, NREL in the USA, Baroda in India, and at a blade manufacturer in Brazil; others are being built in China. Wind blade service engineers such as CP. Max Rotortechnik have built up years of experience in blade maintenance. The company has seen problems from superficial pinholes and flaking on the surface, to internal defects such as bonding failure at the leading edge and the trailing edge, and loose and cracked web visible as stress

whitening. Some damage is caused during blade transport. Lightning strikes most commonly affect the blade tip and are a problem if the lightning protection system is faulty. Wind blades have to be lightning tested to International Electrotechnical Commission standard IEC 61400-24 (updated June 2010) at facilities like Testinglab Denmark. It is not a matter of whether the turbine will be hit by lightning, but how many times per year. A strike begins with a high electric field surrounding the blade tip when a lightning leader from a cloud comes downward. Tests are carried out to see where on the blade the lightning attachment points occur and whether the design can handle the impact from the lightning current. Lightning protection systems such as receptors are built into blades. Some wind farms in cold regions stop operating for much of the winter according to WindREN, because of the ice that builds up on the blades adding tonnes of weight. Various anti-icing systems have been tested including black blades (not enough sun at the right times), a carbon fibre layer under the coating (WinWind/ Skelleftea Kraft), hot air fan systems (Enercon/Svevind), hydrophobic coatings (Nordex/LM/Dong Energy) and foil systems (EcoTEMP/O2VK/Kelly/ Goodrich). The geographical areas affected by icing need to be mapped so that wind turbines can be specified appropriately. There is vast potential for wind energy in areas such as Canada, Sweden and Russia that could benefit from turbines that operate under severe icing conditions. The International Energy Agency (IEA) is running projects in this area of research, for example measuring icing on wind turbines at different locations. Wind offers a vast quantity of renewable energy across the globe and the composites industry is rising to the challenge to bring new materials and production technology to blade manufacturers worldwide. n
More information: sh@amiplastics.com www2.amiplastics.com

38 jec composites magazine / No70 January - February 2012


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JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012

Cover
Edito
Point of view: Lanxess, the only fully integrated producer of glass reinforced thermoplastic
Contents
Agenda of Events
COMPANY & BUSINESS
- In Brief - Hexcel to commission two new carbon fibre production lines
- Core materials - Celebrating 25 years of ideas
- Fabrics - Diatex, a generation of growth
APPLICATIONS
- Motorbike - Brammo Empulse uses prepreg to drop weight
- Automotive - A revolution e-mobile concept car
- Automotive - Composite manufacturing simulation to drive process and design innovation
- Housing - A school made entirely of composites for 200 children
MARKET
- Wind - Double-digit growth for global wind O&M market
- China - «Companies with weak R&D capabilities will find it difficult to survive in the future»
- Certification - Rescoll qualified by Airbus for tests on composites
- Human ressources - CEO, designing strategy and corporate vision
FEATURE WIND ENERGY
- Resin - Polyurethane composites for wind turbine blades
- Prepreg - New best-in-class 10-kW wind turbine
- Trend - Composites in wind energy
- Design - Innovative design attempts for large-scale wind turbine blades
- Offshore - Vertiwind and Winflo, two projects for floating offshore wind turbines
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
- Thermoplastics - Study of metal replacement with poly-etherimide/carbon fibre compounds in air-craft food tray arms
- Welding - Optimizing ultrasonic welding of carbon fibrereinforced polyetherimide
TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATIONS
- Innovation
- NDT - Health monitoring assessment and non-destructive inspection of composite structures for surface transport applications
- Manufacturing - Composites are the materials for the future
Index
In the world
Asia: 4 conferences
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - Cover
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 2
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - Edito
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - Point of view: Lanxess, the only fully integrated producer of glass reinforced thermoplastic
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 5
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - Contents
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 7
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - Agenda of Events
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - Ad1
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - Ad2
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - - In Brief - Hexcel to commission two new carbon fibre production lines
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - - Core materials - Celebrating 25 years of ideas
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 11
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - - Fabrics - Diatex, a generation of growth
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - - Motorbike - Brammo Empulse uses prepreg to drop weight
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - - Automotive - A revolution e-mobile concept car
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 15
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - - Automotive - Composite manufacturing simulation to drive process and design innovation
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - - Housing - A school made entirely of composites for 200 children
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 18
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - - Wind - Double-digit growth for global wind O&M market
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 20
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - - China - «Companies with weak R&D capabilities will find it difficult to survive in the future»
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 22
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 23
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - - Certification - Rescoll qualified by Airbus for tests on composites
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - - Human ressources - CEO, designing strategy and corporate vision
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 26
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 27
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 28
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - - Resin - Polyurethane composites for wind turbine blades
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 30
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 31
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 32
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 33
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 34
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - - Prepreg - New best-in-class 10-kW wind turbine
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - - Trend - Composites in wind energy
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 37
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 38
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - - Design - Innovative design attempts for large-scale wind turbine blades
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 40
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 41
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 42
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 43
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 44
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 45
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - - Offshore - Vertiwind and Winflo, two projects for floating offshore wind turbines
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 47
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - - Thermoplastics - Study of metal replacement with poly-etherimide/carbon fibre compounds in air-craft food tray arms
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 49
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 50
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 51
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 52
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 53
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - - Welding - Optimizing ultrasonic welding of carbon fibrereinforced polyetherimide
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 55
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 56
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 57
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 58
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - - Innovation
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - - NDT - Health monitoring assessment and non-destructive inspection of composite structures for surface transport applications
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 61
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 62
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 63
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - - Manufacturing - Composites are the materials for the future
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - Index
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - In the world
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - Asia: 4 conferences
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 68
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 69
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 70
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 71
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 72
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 73
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 74
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 75
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #70 - January/February 2012 - 76
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