Open AccessMechanical and interfacial characterisation of leading‐edge protection materials for wind turbine blade applications
Author(s) -
Katsivalis Ioannis,
Chanteli Angeliki,
Finnegan William,
Young Trevor M.
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
wind energy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.743
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 1099-1824
pISSN - 1095-4244
DOI - 10.1002/we.2767
Subject(s) - durability , turbine , turbine blade , erosion , enhanced data rates for gsm evolution , leading edge , environmental science , blade (archaeology) , marine engineering , work (physics) , wind power , water turbine , structural engineering , forensic engineering , materials science , engineering , mechanical engineering , geology , composite material , paleontology , telecommunications , electrical engineering
Modern wind turbine blades experience tip speeds that can exceed 110 m/s. At such speeds, water droplet impacts can cause erosion of the leading edge, which can have a detrimental effect on the performance of the wind turbine blade. More specifically, rain erosion is leading to both reduced efficiency and increased repair costs. The industry is using polymeric coatings—leading‐edge protection (LEP) materials—to protect the blades but those are also prone to rain erosion. In this work, LEP materials that are currently used by the industry for the protection of wind turbine blades were selected and their performance assessed. The LEP materials were characterised in terms of mechanical properties by using different experimental methods, and they were also assessed in terms of durability by performing rain erosion testing (RET). Finally, the damage and failure mechanisms observed were further investigated using CT scanning. This paper provides an insight to the properties of LEP materials, their durability, and the damage and failure mechanisms they experienced during rain erosion.