Experimental and numerical analysis of Carbon/Glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic wind turbine blade prepared by VARIM

The output of wind energy, a vital renewable resource, has increased from 94 GW to 591 GW globally in the last ten years. Weight and cost are important considerations in wind turbine blade (WTB) design, as rotor blades make up 40%–80% of the overall weight, to fulfill the growing need for energy. Ev...

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Main Authors: H N Abhilash, K Raghunandana, Subraya Krishna Bhat, Aruna Prabhu, A Amar Murthy
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IOP Publishing 2025-01-01
Series:Materials Research Express
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1088/2053-1591/adad40
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author H N Abhilash
K Raghunandana
Subraya Krishna Bhat
Aruna Prabhu
A Amar Murthy
author_facet H N Abhilash
K Raghunandana
Subraya Krishna Bhat
Aruna Prabhu
A Amar Murthy
author_sort H N Abhilash
collection DOAJ
description The output of wind energy, a vital renewable resource, has increased from 94 GW to 591 GW globally in the last ten years. Weight and cost are important considerations in wind turbine blade (WTB) design, as rotor blades make up 40%–80% of the overall weight, to fulfill the growing need for energy. Even though thermosetting composites are frequently used to make blades, they have several drawbacks, most notably that they cannot be recycled. As more blades approach the end of their lives and become unreformable once cured, recycling and disposal become more difficult, and environmental concerns increase. The main objective of the present work is to manufacture thermoplastic composites reinforced with fibers using the Vacuum Assisted Resin Infusion Moulding (VARIM) technique and assess their mechanical characteristics. The finite element analysis of the WTB incorporates the material parameters calculated for the thermoplastic resin. Test coupons are produced by shaping thermoplastic resin and fiber reinforcement using VARIM. The mechanical characteristics, including flexural and impact strength, are then assessed utilizing destructive testing techniques. Thermoset resins have good flexural properties while thermoplastic resins have better impact properties. The wind turbine blade (WTB) is simulated in ANSYS ACP based on the designated stacking sequence and fiber orientation. Static structure analysis is performed for the thermoplastic and thermosetting composites under various operating circumstances. Identification and analysis of the critical section susceptible to mechanical failure are conducted under different loading conditions, and the obtained outcome is verified. Based on the results, it is concluded that thermoplastic composites are viable materials for manufacturing wind turbine blades.
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spelling doaj-art-2e1ebe4d40e847d083f416c92f0d169a2025-02-03T14:02:58ZengIOP PublishingMaterials Research Express2053-15912025-01-0112101530810.1088/2053-1591/adad40Experimental and numerical analysis of Carbon/Glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic wind turbine blade prepared by VARIMH N Abhilash0K Raghunandana1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7921-9798Subraya Krishna Bhat2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1798-3480Aruna Prabhu3A Amar Murthy4Department of Mechanical Engineering, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education , Manipal 576104, IndiaDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education , Manipal 576104, IndiaDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education , Manipal 576104, IndiaDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education , Manipal 576104, IndiaDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education , Manipal 576104, IndiaThe output of wind energy, a vital renewable resource, has increased from 94 GW to 591 GW globally in the last ten years. Weight and cost are important considerations in wind turbine blade (WTB) design, as rotor blades make up 40%–80% of the overall weight, to fulfill the growing need for energy. Even though thermosetting composites are frequently used to make blades, they have several drawbacks, most notably that they cannot be recycled. As more blades approach the end of their lives and become unreformable once cured, recycling and disposal become more difficult, and environmental concerns increase. The main objective of the present work is to manufacture thermoplastic composites reinforced with fibers using the Vacuum Assisted Resin Infusion Moulding (VARIM) technique and assess their mechanical characteristics. The finite element analysis of the WTB incorporates the material parameters calculated for the thermoplastic resin. Test coupons are produced by shaping thermoplastic resin and fiber reinforcement using VARIM. The mechanical characteristics, including flexural and impact strength, are then assessed utilizing destructive testing techniques. Thermoset resins have good flexural properties while thermoplastic resins have better impact properties. The wind turbine blade (WTB) is simulated in ANSYS ACP based on the designated stacking sequence and fiber orientation. Static structure analysis is performed for the thermoplastic and thermosetting composites under various operating circumstances. Identification and analysis of the critical section susceptible to mechanical failure are conducted under different loading conditions, and the obtained outcome is verified. Based on the results, it is concluded that thermoplastic composites are viable materials for manufacturing wind turbine blades.https://doi.org/10.1088/2053-1591/adad40finite element analysisimpact analysisflexural analysisVARIMwind turbine blade
spellingShingle H N Abhilash
K Raghunandana
Subraya Krishna Bhat
Aruna Prabhu
A Amar Murthy
Experimental and numerical analysis of Carbon/Glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic wind turbine blade prepared by VARIM
Materials Research Express
finite element analysis
impact analysis
flexural analysis
VARIM
wind turbine blade
title Experimental and numerical analysis of Carbon/Glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic wind turbine blade prepared by VARIM
title_full Experimental and numerical analysis of Carbon/Glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic wind turbine blade prepared by VARIM
title_fullStr Experimental and numerical analysis of Carbon/Glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic wind turbine blade prepared by VARIM
title_full_unstemmed Experimental and numerical analysis of Carbon/Glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic wind turbine blade prepared by VARIM
title_short Experimental and numerical analysis of Carbon/Glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic wind turbine blade prepared by VARIM
title_sort experimental and numerical analysis of carbon glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic wind turbine blade prepared by varim
topic finite element analysis
impact analysis
flexural analysis
VARIM
wind turbine blade
url https://doi.org/10.1088/2053-1591/adad40
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AT subrayakrishnabhat experimentalandnumericalanalysisofcarbonglassfiberreinforcedthermoplasticwindturbinebladepreparedbyvarim
AT arunaprabhu experimentalandnumericalanalysisofcarbonglassfiberreinforcedthermoplasticwindturbinebladepreparedbyvarim
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