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[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CURkzeSeGCY[/youtube]
Wood, once the material of choice for wind turbine blades, was phased out in the late 20th century as the growing size of blades imposed stricter material requirements and glass- and carbon-fiber composites gained industry popularity. However, the last several years have seen great advances in bio-based composite materials technology, including wood composites, laminates, and other natural fibers like flax and hemp. These materials are being utilized increasingly in high-performance, structurally demanding applications, largely because they are a more sustainable choice than many other engineering materials. Today, as the first glass-fiber wind turbine blades are ready to retire, we are presented with an enormous challenge in disposing of these non-recyclable blades. Through bio-based materials, the potential exists for blades to be carbon neutral, renewable, and recyclable.
With this substantial motivation supporting the use of bio-based materials, there are also various challenges to the commercial use of these materials, such as variability in mechanical properties and limited experimental data for materials under complex loading conditions. Rachel’s body of work addresses both of these challenges, first presenting experimental data and novel modelling techniques for bio-based materials under complex loading conditions, then using these methods to inform probability-based finite element models of turbine blades. The techniques developed herein have broad implications for the design of bio-based structures worldwide.