This technology recovers the glass fibre from reinforced polymer composites while limiting the mechanical degradation of the fibre during the reclamation process. In turn, this allows the recycled fibre to be reused in new composite applications such as vehicle light-weighting, other renewable energy systems components, and performance sports equipment.

Wind power is clean, economical, and readily available in the USA, but to make those giant blades, wind turbine manufacturers rely on advanced polymer composites. These materials can survive some of mother nature’s most brutal forces, but eventually, do wear out and end up in the landfill. As the wind industry grows and waste blade levels climb into the tens, hundreds of thousands of tons and beyond, a better end of life solution is needed.

While the US wind industry has made substantial contributions to America’s renewable energy portfolio, work continues to convert the industry to a more circular economy paradigm. Rather than simply downcycling the blades into aggregates, Researchers at the university are able to not only convert the blades’ organic components into useful petrochemicals for energy production but also able to extract the glass fibre reinforcement and use it to make higher-value recycled composites.

UT has partnered with Carbon Rivers LLC, a start-up company located in Knoxville and owned by alumnus Bowie Benson (’17), to further develop and commercialise the novel glass fibre recovery technology for the purpose of handling retired wind turbine blades.

“Having the opportunity to collaborate with the bright minds at UT, like Dr Ginder, and catalyse new solutions for our country’s plastics waste problem, is a Volunteer’s dream come true,” said Benson. “The year 2020 has been a challenging year all around for our community, but I remain hopeful for the future as long as we keep working together to take on the tough challenges, like making American energy more sustainable. I am especially optimistic for our project’s next phase, and its potential to improve the wind industry’s environmental footprint while creating new, much-needed jobs in East Tennessee.”

Over the next two years, the UT-Carbon Rivers team will collaborate with GE Renewable Energy, Berkshire Hathaway Energy’s MidAmerican Energy Company, and PacifiCorp utilities to develop a pilot scale glass fiber composite recycling system that will serve as the basis for eventual deployment of a full-scale commercial wind blade waste processing plant.

The post University Receives Funding to Recycle Wind Turbine Blades appeared first on Composites Today.

Researchers at the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) have been working with Invent GmbH and the Technical University of Munich on the FlexMat project, which is investigating this question.

Direct transitions between the fixed part of the wing and the moving control surfaces or high-lift devices need to be avoided. Researchers say this could be achieved by adding a flexible skin between the fixed-wing and the moving components, however, things become more difficult when the requirements for such a skin is considered. It needs to be able to withstand extreme aerodynamic loads, but it must not be too stiff, otherwise, the systems driving the moving components would have to be able to exert additional force. Among other things, laminar flow wings result in lower drag, which is beneficial for the environment.

Continuous transitions between flap systems and the main aerofoil would be a huge advantage for future laminar flow wings, which allow air to pass around them without turbulence. This could reduce airflow turbulence and ensure laminar stability.

Martin Radestock of the DLR Institute of Composite Structures and Adaptive Systems

An aircraft configuration based on the Airbus A320 provided the foundation for research on FlexMat. The research team concentrated on the outboard area of the wing and the slat on the leading edge was replaced with a variable-shape leading-edge, referred to as a droop flap, a transition skin between the aileron and the trailing edge of the wing was also installed.

The transition skin tested by DLR has a span of one metre. It consists of a mix of materials, comprising synthetic rubber – ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber (EPDM) and glass-fibre reinforced composites. The rubber forms the basis for the skin, into which the researchers inserted glass-fibre plates at varying intervals, on both the outer and inner surfaces. The deformation properties of the transition skin can be adjusted by means of the soft, flexible rubber and the positioning of the rigid glass-fibre strips. The researchers endeavoured to keep local deformations to a minimum so that the glass-fibre composites and rubber did not separate.

The final tests using a demonstrator showed that the wing skin being tested is very hard-wearing and can be deformed to a large extent, In the event of extreme deformation, the only thing that needs care is the paintwork, to make sure that it does not crack. The use of a flexible skin on wing leading edges has been shown to be feasible. Further testing will be carried out to check the extent to which noise and drag can actually be reduced using this technique and determine the maximum load limit of the skin.

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Materials made of composites are suited for battery enclosures for different reasons: Besides their lightweight, which enhances the electric vehicle’s range, fibre-reinforced plastics offer high stiffness. In addition, they meet high requirements for water and gas tightness and feature excellent fire protection properties. Composite materials can also help to achieve improved structural stiffness of the underbody, e.g. to protect against penetration, as well as optimised thermal management. Carbon fibres are ideal for especially stressed structures or load-bearing elements, such as the underbody panels and side frames. For components subjected to less stress, such as battery box covers, glass fibres or a fibre mix may suffice.

In addition to the new application for the hybrid model battery enclosure, SGL Carbon will continue producing the usual components made of carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic for the BMW i3 and delivering materials for the Carbon Core body of the BMW 7 series and has been nominated as the supplier for all carbon materials – fibres, textiles, stacks – for the BMW iNEXT, set to be launched in 2021.

Over the years SGL has supplied a number of automotive manufacturers with carbon materials and composite components, from sports car parts to large-scale deliveries of leaf springs and structural components.

The post SGL Carbon to Produce Composite Battery Enclosures for BMW appeared first on Composites Today.

An estimated 11.2 billion tonnes of solid waste is collected every year, posing a serious risk to resource depletion, air pollution and water and soil contamination. With the global wind energy market set to grow by an average of 3 per cent per year in the coming decade, Vestas is mitigating its environmental impact by committing to eliminate waste across its value chain. Today, Vestas wind turbines are on average 85 per cent recyclable, however, wind turbine blades are currently comprised of non-recyclable composite materials.

Wind energy will continue to grow rapidly, therefore the time for a conservative approach is behind us. I am proud to be part of an organisation that is making sustainability an integral component in all business operations Vestas interim Chief Operations Officer, Tommy Rahbek Nielsen

The company will consider all aspects of the turbine lifecycle, aimed at improving the recyclability rate of blades and nacelles. As a first step, Vestas will be focusing on improving the recyclability of all wind turbine blades. Incremental targets will be introduced to increase the recyclability rate of blades from 44 per cent today, to 50 per cent by 2025, and to 55 per cent by 2030.

Several initiatives designed to address the handling of existing blades after decommissioning will be set in motion. These will cover new recycling technologies that are optimal for composite waste, such as glass fibre recycling and plastic parts recovery. Vestas will also be implementing a new process around blade decommissioning, providing support to customers on how to decrease the amount of waste material being sent to landfill.

The post Vestas Announces Plans to Produce Zero-Waste Wind Turbines by 2040 appeared first on Composites Today.

The serial production of the components will start at the end of 2020. The carbon fibres and fabrics, as well as the assembled components, come from SGL Carbon. On top of this order, there is the potential for more significant extensions with further substantial volumes for the shared platform business of the manufacturer.

In addition, SGL Carbon has won a smaller volume contract from a European sports car manufacturer to serially produce bottom layers made of composites as of mid-2020. The company is additionally in talks with further automakers to develop and manufacture battery enclosure solutions for its e-car platforms.

Driven by the increasing need for e-cars worldwide and thus for new flexible chassis platforms, our composite battery enclosures are a very promising new application in our product portfolio. Sebastian Grasser, Head of Automotive Segment at the business unit Composites

A key part of any e-car chassis platform is the enclosure of the battery which usually occupies most of the space in the underfloor of the chassis and has various very specific requirements far beyond low weight. The battery cases also need to be very stiff to support driving dynamics. In addition, the material has to protect the underbody against impact, enable optimised thermal management and offer excellent fire protection as well as complete water and gas impermeability. All these requirements are met by composites much better than by any other material. With these advantages, composite battery enclosures perfectly fit e-car-specific and highly flexible chassis variants, so-called “skateboard” platforms, to be used as a basis for a great variety of different e-car models.

The post SGL Carbon to Begin Production of Composite Battery Enclosures for Electric Cars appeared first on Composites Today.

The company say that the North American composite market needs a strong and reliable supply of glass fibres to translate innovations into steady market growth. Johns Manville’s operations in North America are ideally located to serve customers across the growing compounding base in the Midwest and Southeast.

Brian Sapp, Global Fibres Business Director for JM Engineered Products said;

The composites industry is growing steadily and we are convinced that current and future industry trends will continue to drive increasing demand for glass fibre products. We are making this investment to support our customers’ plans for growth, and we will continue with innovations in technology and product development in fibres to support our customers.

The planned expansion in Etowah includes a new furnace which is due to start-up mid 2016. The new expansion will allow for production growth and flexibility within the company’s product families for polyamides, polyesters and polypropylenes that are used in automotive, electrical and consumer applications.

The post Johns Manville Expanding U.S Glass Fibre Operations appeared first on Composites Today.

GlassFibreEurope represents the interests of European glass fibre manufacturers and their 5,000 employees. The European Commission initiated an interim review of the existing anti-dumping measures on glass fibre imports from China on 18 December 2013, and a new anti-subsidy proceeding on 12 December 2013. After a thorough investigation, the European Commission established that Chinese manufacturers dump glass fibre at predatory prices to seize EU market share, and receive illegal subsidies from the Chinese government.

Therefore, the European Commission notified parties of its intent to impose new anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures in early October 2014. The final proposal to impose total duties which are generally up to 25–30% on imports from Chinese producers was supported by EU Member States on 26 November 2014.

Mauro Malanchini, President of GlassFibreEurope commented:

We welcome the decision by EU Member States to support the European Commission’s proposal to impose trade defence measures against Chinese glass fibre manufacturers. Unfair competition from China has caused considerable injury to European industry, with the loss of European factories and jobs in an important strategic sector. We hope the new measures will restore healthy competition in the EU glass fibre market for the benefit of producers and downstream users alike.

The organisation say that the new EU measures will help avoid a situation where important European industries like the automotive and renewable sectors would become increasingly dependent on Chinese State-controlled glass fibre supply.

The post New Glassfibre Anti-Dumping Legislation Welcomed in Europe appeared first on Composites Today.

The Raptors head body and legs was made from large blocks of styrofoam that were hand-carved to get the required shape. This was then covered with epoxy glue and glass fibre before painting in the dino colours and adding the finer details like teeth and dripping saliva.

Once completed the Cretaceous critter was then fitted to the vehicle’s frame which was welded together from three different bicycle sections. Moestue told designboom The trike was created for a trip across the bible belt in Norway to protest against the dogmatic religious education of children.

The post Commute in Prehistoric Style on This Homemade Raptor Trike appeared first on Composites Today.

The material which was developed by AGY, will be produced by Taishan Fiberglass to fill the cost and performance gap between traditional E-Glass products and higher performance glass products.

Taishan Fiberglass is a subsidiary of China National Material Co., Ltd., Major products from the company include E-Glass rovings, TCR roving, chopped strand mat, yarn, chopped strands, multi axial fabrics, knitted fabrics, woven roving, etc.

The new glass was developed primarily for the wind energy market with input from blade and turbine manufacturers. While AGY and Taishan are targeting the wind energy market with S–1 HM, they both believe the material has potential for many other industrial applications. The company say that the new glass is mechanically superior to E-Glass, but less expensive that the high end glasses on the market.

The post AGY and Taishan Begin Production of New Glassfibre appeared first on Composites Today.

Designed by young Milan designer Luca Schieppati and manufactured by the Lamiflex Group based in Bergamo, the bike features a unique unicycle style frame made from carbon fibre and steel, the carbon fibre handlebars and saddle are adjustable with the peddles placed closer to the saddle for increased biomechanics performance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LL0byy1vMOU

At the Milan Design Week this year the company has announced two new models, a red version dedicated to the famous lifestyle brand “Tonino Lamborghini” and the line of Ciclotte made with Swarovski Gemstones or Swarovski Zirconia.

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