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Abstract
Fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composite materials have been used in a variety of civil and infrastructure applications since the early 1980s including in wind turbine blades. The world is now confronting the problem of how to dispose of decommissioned blades in an environmentally sustainable manner. One proposed solution is to repurpose the blades for use in new structures (www.re-wind.info). One promising repurposing application is in pedestrian and cycle bridges. This paper reports on the experimental investigation conducted on a wind blade to be used in the construction of a bridge for a greenway in Cork, Ireland in late 2021. Two LM 13.4 blades originally manufactured by LM Windpower (Kolding, Demark) will be utilized as girders for the bridge. A detailed reverse-engineering investigation of the as-received, previously used, blade was conducted to obtain material and structural properties for use in the structural design of the bridge. The material tests included physical (volume fraction and laminate architecture) and mechanical tests (tension and compression) at multiple locations. Full-scale testing of a section of the blade was performed to determine the load carrying capacity and the failure modes when loaded in flexure similar to that which will be experienced in the bridge. Key details of the testing conducted and the results are provided. The results of the testing revealed that the FRP material is still in excellent condition and that the blade has the strength and stiffness in flexure to serve as a bridge girder for the bridge to be constructed.
Original language | English |
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Publication status | Submitted - 28 Jul 2021 |
Event | 2022 TRB Annual Meeting - Washington DC, Washington, United States Duration: 09 Jan 2022 → 13 Jan 2022 http://www.trb.org/AnnualMeeting/AnnualMeeting.aspx |
Conference
Conference | 2022 TRB Annual Meeting |
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Country/Territory | United States |
City | Washington |
Period | 09/01/2022 → 13/01/2022 |
Internet address |
Keywords
- Green manufacturing
- repurposing of FRP materials
- Wind energy
- bridges
- Recycling of materials
- Composites
- FRP
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Geology
- Civil and Structural Engineering
- Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
Fingerprint
Dive into the research topics of 'Experimental Investigation of an FRP Wind Turbine Blade for use as a Bridge Girder'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Projects
- 1 Active
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R3954NBE: Re-Use and Recycling of Decommissioned Composite Material Wind Turbine Blades
McKinley, J., Niblock, C. & Soutsos, M.
11/10/2017 → …
Project: Research
Activities
- 2 Invited or keynote talk at national or international conference
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BladeLogic — A GIS logistics framework for wind blade repurposing
Jennifer McKinley (Invited speaker), Emma Delaney (Contributor) & Conor Graham (Contributor)
25 Mar 2021Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited or keynote talk at national or international conference
File -
Re-Wind: Driving Innovation to Explore Sustainable Re-Use of Decommissioned Wind Turbine Blades
Jennifer McKinley (Invited speaker), Emma Delaney (Contributor) & Conor Graham (Contributor)
24 Nov 2020Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited or keynote talk at national or international conference
File