Effects of gelcoat thickness on damage resistance of leading edge gelcoated glass fibre composite subjected to hailstone impact

Master thesis (2021)

Authors

H. Eryörük Aerospace Engineering

Contributors

Julie J.E. Teuwen Aerospace Manufacturing Technologies - Aerospace Engineering (supervisor 1)
Amrit Shankar Verma Aerospace Manufacturing Technologies - Aerospace Engineering (supervisor 2)
Faculty
Aerospace Engineering
Copyright: © 2021 Huseyin Eryörük
Impact Hailstone Gelcoat Glass fibre composite
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Published Date

12-10-2021

Language

English

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Faculty

Aerospace Engineering

Abstract

Green energy is becoming more important over the years in order to reduce CO₂ emission. One way to obtain green energy is transferring wind energy to electricity with wind turbines. The operation life of wind turbines are commonly between 20 and 25 years, but this is reduced by hail erosion. Experimental test have been performed to understand the effect of gelcoat thickness. Glass fibre composite plates with three gelcoat thicknesses (0.15 mm, 0.35 mm and 0.65 mm) are impacted with a simulated hail ice having a diameter of 20 mm and shot with a velocity of 120 m/s. Extra samples of the 0.15 mm coated samples were made to see damage at lower velocities (100 m/s and 90 m/s). The samples impacted at a velocity of 120 m/s showed that the 0.15 mm coated samples have the least amount of gelcoat damage. reducing the velocity for the 0.15 mm coated samples changed the main governing damage mode from gelcoat damage to matrix cracking in the composite.