Lightweight Wind Turbine Construction

Recovering carbon fiber and glass fiber from composite materials like wind turbine blades and waste composites like automotive parts. The process involves pyrolysis to decompose the materials at high temperatures, followed by separation to isolate the carbon fiber and glass fiber. The pyrolysis is done in stages, with a first pyrolysis at lower temperatures to extract oil, and a second pyrolysis at higher temperatures to fully decompose the materials. This allows recovering both carbon fiber and glass fiber in a single process. The pyrolysis gas is reformed and the oil is separated. The recovered fibers are then carded and pelletized.

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Polymeric composite materials with improved insulation properties while maintaining textural properties. The composite contains a continuous polymer matrix with dispersed aerogel particles. The aerogel particles are organic polymer-based aerogels like polyimide aerogels. Adding the aerogel particles to the composite delays the peak exotherm during curing, increases the deflection temperature, and lowers the composite's thermal conductivity and dielectric constant compared to the unfilled composite. The composite can have applications in insulation for electronics, pipes, buildings, etc.

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Manufacturing wind turbine blades with improved fiber-resin ratio and fatigue strength, especially for pre-bent blades. The method involves dividing the fiber layup into segments in areas prone to high fiber-resin ratio variation. It also uses flow barriers, like resin-impregnated strips or dissolvable substances, to prevent longitudinal resin flow past the barriers. This helps balance fiber and resin ratios in the layup segments. By segmenting and controlling resin flow, it prevents overly high fiber concentrations on the lower mould areas. This improves fatigue strength, particularly on the load-bearing upwind half of pre-bent blades.

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Wind turbine blade design with integrated lightning protection that reduces cost and complexity compared to conventional systems. The blade has carbon internal beams with carbon spar caps. Instead of full-length down conductors, there are partial ones at the tip and root. Carbon plates in the mid-region act as down conductors. This allows lightning to flow through the spar caps without needing a full-length conductor. The tip and root down conductors connect to select plate ends. The blade has a tip lightning receptor and root terminal. The tip and root down conductors connect there. This avoids full-length down conductors while still protecting the blade.

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Method to manufacture thick preform building elements for wind turbine blades that avoids issues like binder diffusion during curing. The method involves laying out fiber mats in sections with overlapping edges on a mold. A separate component is placed on the mold first. As each fiber mat is laid, the edge contacts the subcomponent. Binder is applied to the edge beforehand. Pressure is applied to the edge to secure the mat. This prevents binder diffusion into the core of thick preforms. The components are then cured.

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Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) rigid foam for use in wind power blade cores and boat sandwich composites that addresses the limitations of traditional foams like PET and PVC. The PMMA foam has lower resin absorption, higher glass transition temperature, and allows higher curing temperatures compared to PET/PVC foams. The PMMA foam properties enable better outer layer adhesion, lower total component weight, and faster curing times. The foam is made by foaming a PMMA composition with silicon oxide particles to achieve fine cell structure. The PMMA foam has an average pore size of 50-300 μm.

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High-performance glass composition for making stronger and lighter glass fibers for composites like wind blades. The composition has specific weight percentages of SiO2, Al2O3, CaO, MgO, Na2O, Li2O, and TiO2. It allows forming the fibers at lower temperatures, reducing bushing sag, while retaining favorable properties like high tensile strength and modulus. The composition is essentially lithium-free to enable lower fiberizing temps.

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Automated manufacturing method for wind turbine towers using additive printing to build the tower layer by layer, with integrated reinforcement. The method involves using a movable frame assembly with platforms that are raised vertically. As the platforms move, reinforcement bars are dispensed automatically from a separate assembly under tension. Then, cementitious material is printed onto the platforms to embed the bars. This allows continuous reinforcement as the tower grows. The printed layers are repeated to build the tower. The additive printing assembly has multiple printer heads for outer/inner walls and filler material.

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A wind turbine blade with a shear web that has improved strength-to-weight properties and load distribution compared to traditional blade designs. The shear web uses an open lattice structure made by 3D printing instead of solid materials. This allows customization based on load conditions and reduces weight. The lattice structure connects the flanges of the shear web to the blade spar caps. It provides better load distribution since the lattice spindles intersect at nodes instead of just at the flange edges. This reduces peak stresses and allows a more detailed design for specific loads. The 3D printing method also enables nested connection of blade sections for assembly.

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Abstract This study explores the development and optimization of polymer composite-based wind turbine blades, integrating glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) with shape memory alloy (SMA) to enhance performance in energy harvesting. Advances materials science, aerodynamics, computational modelling, structural analysis have been leveraged improve blade efficiency, durability, self-adaptive capabilities. The research employs finite element (FEA) artificial neural networks (ANN) evaluate mechanical behaviour composite blades under varying loads. A graded beam model was developed assess effects ply drop-off material distribution on integrity. Experimental validation confirmed that SMA integration enhances deformation recovery, mitigating stress accumulation improving aerodynamic stability. results demonstrate GFRP-SMA achieve a coefficient approaching Betz limit (0.5923), reducing deflections load response. Despite these advancements, challenges remain optimizing wire placement, adhesion, actuation efficiency. Future work should focus refining interfaces, developing adaptive control me... Read More

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To bridge the mechanical performance gap between polyethylene terephthalate (PET) foam cores and balsa wood in wind turbine blades, this study proposes a hierarchical groove-perforation design for structural optimization. A finite element model integrating PET epoxy resin was developed validated against experimental shear modulus data ( < 0.5%). Machine learning combined with multi-island genetic algorithm (MIGA) optimized groove parameters (spacing: 7.5-30 mm, width: 0.9-2 depth: 0-23.5 perforation angle: 45-90) under constant infusion. The optimal configuration (width: 1 spacing: 15 65) increased by 9.2% (from 125 MPa to 137.1 MPa) enhanced compressive/tensile 10.7% compared conventional designs, without increasing core mass. Stress distribution analysis demonstrated that secondary grooves improved infiltration uniformity interfacial stress transfer, reducing localized strain concentration. Further integration of machine MIGA parameter optimization enabled reach 150 while minimizing weight gain, achieving balance material efficiency. This strategy offers cost-effective lightw... Read More

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Wind turbine component design for towers and blades that allows prefabrication, easier transportation, and faster assembly compared to traditional towers. The component has a wall element with a corrugated structural element attached to it. The corrugated shape reduces weight and allows compression during transportation. The component segments can be prefabricated and connected together at the tower or blade site. This allows preassembly of larger sections offsite, simplifies transportation, and speeds up installation compared to traditional tower assembly. The corrugated shape also provides strength and stiffness.

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Fiber reinforcement fabric for wind turbine components like blades and spar caps that allows easier and more efficient impregnation of resin during manufacturing. The fabric has tapered edges where the thickness gradually reduces towards the edge. This eliminates dry spots and air pockets by providing a smooth transition of resin fill as the fabric conforms to the tapered mold shapes. The fabric also enables easier layup of tapered fiber layers for components like spar caps by stitching together layers with terminated edges instead of manually arranging terminated plies.

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Floating wind turbine foundation design that reduces manufacturing cost while meeting anti-typhoon requirements. The floating foundation has a main body with an enclosed compartment. During normal conditions, the compartment is filled with water. During typhoons, the water level in the compartment is lowered to provide extra buoyancy to counteract the increased wind loads on the turbine. This allows using a lighter, less expensive foundation compared to traditional hardened foundations for anti-typhoon resistance.

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A system and method for recycling wind turbine blades into usable materials. The system involves scalping, shattering, breaking, screening, and grinding the shredded blade pieces to produce progressively finer fibers and strands. This allows recycling the fiberglass composite into reinforcement fibers and micro-fibers that can be used in new composites. The process stages include scalping off balsa wood, shattering the chips, breaking the fiber clusters, screening the strands, and grinding to micro-fiber size.

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Additive manufacturing (3D printing) technique for reinforcing large-scale structures like wind turbine towers using coiled polymer reinforcement members instead of conventional steel rings. The method involves printing the tower structure layers, unwinding continuous rolls of pultruded polymer reinforcement material into coils, placing the coils on the printed layers, and then printing more layers on top. This allows reinforcing the structure with lightweight, corrosion-resistant polymer instead of heavy steel rings. The coiled polymer members are wound and secured using fixtures to maintain shape during printing.

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Wind turbine blade made from environmentally-friendly material obtained from date palm trees. The blades are manufactured using natural material from date palm trees as an alternative to traditional blade materials. This reduces waste and environmental impact compared to conventional blades that are non-recyclable at the end of their life. The method involves extracting the date palm material and processing it into the blade structure.

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3D printed mold tool for making composite ducts that avoids the hazards and disadvantages of traditional eutectic salt methods. The tool has a sparse infill structure that allows fluid to flow through it. The tool is made of multiple 3D printed parts that assemble into a mold. Fluid is introduced into the sparse infill areas. This fluid permeates through the mold to partially cure a sacrificial fill material. The cured sacrificial mold is then used as a mandrel to shape the composite ducts. The 3D printed mold tool eliminates the need for destructive removal of salt molds and provides a lighter, faster, and safer alternative.

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Carbon fiber-reinforced polyetheretherketone (CF/PEEK) composite offer lightweight, high strength and toughness by combining benefits of resin fiber materials. However, current shaping methods face challenges such as forming difficulties, inconsistent shapes, significant mechanical damage. Herein, a CF/PEEK thermoforming device were designed. Thermoforming employs two heating molds (crimping mold at 310C roll pipe 400C) coiling roller operating 45 rpm to enable automatic efficient continuous production pipes with diameters ranging from 3 5 mm. High-strength retain excellent thermal stability during shaping, commendable properties-tensile 1467 N (decrease 8.8 %) specific stiffness 1.61 10 6 Nm/kg, 35-fold increase. Furthermore, stronger braided winding points introduced into hollow truss enhance their strengths, radial compression node-reinforced structure is 550 (improved 151 % compared that single pipe). This truss, its ultra-lightweight tensile/compressive strength, significantly expands application potential

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Lightweight, high-strength covered foam for applications like wind turbine blades, boats, cars, and buildings that use a renewable and sustainable material for the foam core. The foam is made from a copolymer containing ethylene furanoate and ethylene terephthalate units. It uses blowing agents like HFO-1234ze(E) to expand the polymer into a foam. The foam is covered with a separate material to provide strength and protection. This allows using a lighter foam for weight savings while maintaining strength in critical areas. The foam can be extruded into shapes like wind turbine blade cores, boat hulls, car underbody panels, or building insulation.

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