How It’s Made: Wind Turbine Blades — Giants of Composite скачать в хорошем качестве

How It’s Made: Wind Turbine Blades — Giants of Composite

Utility-scale blades are monumental composite structures engineered for stiffness-to-weight. Production begins with colossal half-molds where dry glass/carbon fabrics are laid over a gel-coated surface. Spar caps (unidirectional reinforcements) and shear webs form the structural backbone. Using vacuum infusion, catalyzed epoxy is drawn through the stack to wet out every ply, ensuring uniform fiber volume. Temperature-controlled cure cycles lock the laminate. After demolding, the two shells are bonded along the leading and trailing edges, then trimmed, sanded, and fitted with lightning protection, root inserts, and balance weights. Non-destructive testing (ultrasound, thermography, tap-tests) verifies bond lines and laminate integrity. Aeroelastic design tailors twist and taper for load control, while materials choices—glass vs carbon, toughened resins, erosion-resistant leading edges—extend service life. The outcome is a 60–100+ meter blade that survives millions of cycles, converting turbulent wind into reliable power with minimal mass.