Development of Novel Self-Healing

Polymer Composites for Use in Wind

Turbine Blades
ABDUL SAMI JAVED
MSE-12
REGISTRATION ID-
206776
Outline
Self-Healing Processes
Classification
Scope
Experimentation
Results and Discussions
Conclusion
References
Inspiration
This approach is inspired from nature where the wounds in mammals are healed by bleeding of
vascular network underneath the skin
 History of Self Healing Polymers
The first ever designed self-healing polymer was
called ‘Terminator’
This polymer is made of permanently cross linked
poly(urea-urethane) elastomeric network that
mends itself.
Classification of Self Healing Polymers
Microencapsulation Healing System
Microvascular Healing System
Intrinsic Healing Systems
Autonomic healing
Microencapsulation Healing System
Monomer is encapsulated and embedded within the thermosetting polymer.
When the crack reaches the microcapsule, the capsule breaks and the monomer bleeds into the
crack, where it can polymerize and mend the crack
Mechanism
Ring Opening Metathesis Polymerization (ROMP)
Dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) is stored in liquid form in the microcapsule
Grubb’s Catalyst polymerizes DCPD to poly DCPD which initiates the process of self-healing.
Microencapsulation Healing Mechanism
Listing of capsule-based self-healing
systems
Microvascular Healing Systems
Contains the healing agent in a network in the
form of capillaries or hollow channels, which
may be interconnected until damage triggers
self-healing.
Fabrication difficult
Vascular networks can be 1
dimensional, 2 dimensional or 3
dimensional.
The healing and hardening agents are
present in different capillaries that
react when the tubes break.
Scope
Wind power generation is expanding as a high potential renewable resource, there is huge
technological progress in terms of design and manufacturing of the wind turbines, with shapes
of turbines being regularly updated world over
The wings of wind turbines are made up of fibre-reinforced epoxy.
The wings get damaged due to alternating load caused by variations in the wind
Their lifetime can be extended using self healing materials
Experimentation
PMC were made using Volan finish glass fiber material
The molding procedure employed was vacuum assisted resin transfer molding(VARTM)
Six layers of glass fiber provided the required thickness for testing
VARTM
Six layers of glass fibers over wax coated die/base plate
Over these, a layer of peel ply and breather material was laid and they were then covered and
sealed by a vacuum bag which has provisions for resin-hardener mixture inlet and outlet
The setup was checked for vacuum leakages and the gaps were sealed.
VARTM
Parameters
Materials Commercial grade marine epoxy resin
Medium cure hardener

Mixing ratio 3:1 by volume

Suction pressure 551.58 kPa

Curing Temperature Room temperature

Curing time 24 hrs

VARTM
The samples containing microtubes involved an
additional step of accurate placement of the
microtubes between the glass fiber layers prior
to the molding process
The tubes were made of commercially available
Borosilicate glass capillary tubing.
Sample With-tubes/without- Use of catalyst and Uniqueness in
number tubes healing agent composition
composite of sample
1 Without-tubes No Control sample

2 With tubes No Tubes as a central

layer

3 With tubes Yes Tubes as a central

layer

4 With tubes Yes Tubes as the

penultimate
layer
5 With tubes Yes Tubes as the last layer

List of samples with their uniqueness

VARTM
Results & Discussions

SEM image of the glass fibers reinforcing the composite

SEM of sample prepared by VARTM

SEM image of the fractured mold sample that was subjected

to destructive tensile testing
SEM of sample prepared by Handlayup

SEM image of the fractured mold sample that was subjected

to destructive tensile testing
Tensile Strength Comparison
Flexural Strength comparison
Flexural Strength comparison
Flexural Strength comparison
Healing Efficiency Comparison
 Wind Tunnel testing of self-healing blade
The scaled down wind turbine was for more
than 3 hours, out of which it was run about
2 hours at its maximum wind speed of
16.5m/s through its test section.
Extra weights were added to create
imbalance and stress the self-healing
specimen to impart cracks
Wind Tunnel testing of self-healing blade

Before wind tunnel test After wind tunnel test

Conclusion
Average recovery of flexural strength of 92.12% using the tubes as the central layer, 87.11%
using tubes as the penultimate layer, and 84.52% using tubes as the last layer
A 25% decrease in average tensile strength and 9% decrease in average flexural strength
References
[1] Dan Utech, "The Promise of Wind Energy," The White House Blog, 12 March 2015.[Online]. Available:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2015/03/12/promise-wind-energy.
[2] U. S. Department of Energy, "Wind Vision," American Wind Energy Association, 2015.[Online].
Available:http://www.awea.org/content.aspx?ItemNumber=7300&RDtoken=61421&userID=&navItemNumber=7077.
[3] S. Campbell, "Annual blade failures estimated at around 3,800," WindPower Monthly, 14 May 2015. [Online].
Available:
http://www.windpowermonthly.com/article/1347145/annual-blade-failures-estimatedaround- 3800. [Accessed 2016].
[4] B. S. Nivedh, "Major Failures in the Wind Trubine Components and the Importance of Periodic Inspections,"
www.windinsider.com, November 2014. [Online]. Available:
http://www.dewi.de/dewi_res/fileadmin/pdf/papers/WindInsider_November_2014.pdf.
[5] C. Smith, "Fires are major cause of wind farm failure, according to new research," Imperial college London, 17 July
2014. [Online]. Available:
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/new
s_17-7-2014-8-56-10.