Mechanical and interfacial characterisation of leading-edge protection materials for wind turbine blade applications

Ioannis Katsivalis, Angeliki Chanteli, William Finnegan, Trevor M. Young

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

10 Citations (SciVal)

Abstract

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.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1758-1774
Number of pages17
JournalWind Energy
Volume25
Issue number10
Early online date13 Jul 2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 31 Oct 2022

Keywords

  • coating characterisation
  • CT scan
  • leading-edge protection
  • rain erosion
  • wind energy

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment

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