Time-Lapse Helical X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) Study of Tensile Fatigue Damage Formation in Composites for Wind Turbine Blades.

ABSTRACT: Understanding the fatigue damage mechanisms in composite materials is of great importance in the wind turbine industry because of the very large number of loading cycles rotor blades undergo during their service life. In this paper, the fatigue damage mechanisms of a non-crimp unidirectional (UD) glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) used in wind turbine blades are characterised by time-lapse ex-situ helical X-ray computed tomography (CT) at different stages through its fatigue life. Our observations validate the hypothesis that off-axis cracking in secondary oriented fibre bundles, the so-called backing bundles, are directly related to fibre fractures in the UD bundles. Using helical X-ray CT we are able to follow the fatigue damage evolution in the composite over a length of 20 mm in the

SUBMITTER: Wang Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6266001 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature