Thermoplastic composite wind turbine blades: Vacuum infusion technology for anionic polyamide-6 composites

Due to the increasing costs of fossil fuels and the improved efficiency of wind turbines in the last decade, wind energy has become increasingly cost-efficient and is well on its way of becoming a mainstream source of energy. To maintain a continuous reduction in costs it is necessary to increase the size of the turbines. For the blades a...

Thermoplastic Composite Wind Turbine Blades: Kinetics and Processability

In previous research, the potential of glass fibre reinforced anionic polyamide-6 (APA-6) composites for use in wind turbine blades was proven. Based on polymer properties, viscosity, processing time, costs and recyclability, APA-6 composites are considered the most suitable reactive thermoplastic material candidate. However, more research is...

Ultrasonic welding of epoxy- to thermoplastic-based composites

Welding is a promising alternative to mechanical fastening, as currently used, to join dissimilar (i.e., thermoset- to thermoplastic-based) composite parts in modern aircraft. Thermoset composites can be indirectly welded through a thermoplastic coupling layer co-cured on the surface of the laminate that needs to be welded. One of the main...