[PDF] A Carbon Fibre Reinforced Powder Epoxy Manufacturing Process for Tidal Turbine Blades
D Mamalis, T Flanagan, A Doyle, CMÓ Brádaigh - polymer composites
Abstract— Tidal turbine blades pose a range of challenging
material requirements due to the harsh and inaccessible operating
conditions associated with marine environments. Composites
reinforced with carbon fibre are promising materials for marine
applications and it is vital to understand fully both their material
properties and potential failure mechanisms in order to ensure a
robust and cost-effective design. This paper studies the
mechanical and chemical properties of powder-epoxy composites
reinforced with carbon fibres of two different types i.e. T700S
(TORAYCA®) and PX35 (ZoltekTM). Unidirectional (UD)
carbon-fibre epoxy laminates were prepared using a novel powder
hand lay-up process and tensile, flexural and interlaminar shear
strength behaviour based on the fibre orientation, fracture modes and interfacial bonding were assessed. Carbon fibre straightness
was enhanced by using a tensioning apparatus during the fabrication process. The distribution of functional groups of the sizing agents on the surface of the fibre was analysed using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy showing that different surface activity on the interface significantly affected the physicochemical interactions. The analysis of the results showed that the ultimate performance of the UD composites depended significantly on the properties of the reinforcements and the interfacial bonding strength between fibres and matrix. Keywords— Composites manufacturing, powder epoxy, carbon, turbine blades, fibre-sizing, mechanical improvements
was enhanced by using a tensioning apparatus during the fabrication process. The distribution of functional groups of the sizing agents on the surface of the fibre was analysed using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy showing that different surface activity on the interface significantly affected the physicochemical interactions. The analysis of the results showed that the ultimate performance of the UD composites depended significantly on the properties of the reinforcements and the interfacial bonding strength between fibres and matrix. Keywords— Composites manufacturing, powder epoxy, carbon, turbine blades, fibre-sizing, mechanical improvements
