Wind Blades
The new composites application that everybody is discussing is composites wind blades. The large, three-bladed wind generators have been around for a few decades, mostly in Europe. The U.S. has been catching on in the last couple of years as a way to make cleaner electricity. These windmills are very tall, and have blades that are 100 to 400 feet long, depending upon output rating and location.
The wind blades use glass carbon fiber, resin, and coring to make a long, stiff and lightweight blade that will attach to the hub of the windmill. These blades are very long, requiring huge manufacturing facilities to make them. The transportation of these blades is important as well, as they require specialized trucks and trailers to handle such large pieces. Large cranse are required to lift them into place at the job site. They are relatively heavy, and must be lifted fairly high, requiring a significant lift capacity.
Resin infusion with epoxy resins is the normal manufacturing technique of which I am aware. They use compsite molds that have a constantly changing surface shape due to the complex geometry of the blade. The holy grail for these blades is to make longer blades at lower weight.
This application again demonstrates the advantages of composites. Complex geometry, high strength to weight ratio, and impact resistance are important aspects of wind blades.
There are several manufacturers of the wind blades in the U.S. MFG is a specialty composites molder that has been around for ages and is in the wind blade market. Vestas is another company with operations in the U.S., along with LM Glasfiber, as well as others.
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