Design and Analysis Of Bamboo and E-Glass Fiber Reinforced Epoxy Hybrid Composite for Wind Turbine Blade Shell
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Date
2013-10
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The main goal of this study is to investigate the performance of bamboo and E-glass fiber reinforced epoxy hybrid composite (BGREC) with different unidirectional (UD) of bamboo to E-glass fiber fraction for wind turbine blade shell application. Manual method of bamboo fiber extraction from Ethiopian highland bamboo ‘Yushania Alpina’ species was undertaken. A 5% sodium hydroxide was used for further lignin, hemicellulose and other fiber remnants removal for the improvement of bond & interfacial shear strength of the bamboo fiber. Next, BGREC was fabricated with 45% total fiber volume fraction. Of this total fiber volume, the composite is fabricated in different bamboo to E-glass fiber ratio using hand lay-up vacuum assisted technique. Then tensile, in-plane shear, compressive, and flexural tests were carried out. A bamboo to E-glass fiber ratio of 0:100 was found a higher tensile strength; whereas bamboo to E-glass fiber ratio of 50:50 had higher compressive strength. Similarly, a bamboo to E-glass fiber ratio of 50:50 had higher elastic modulus for all the tests carried out. At the end, surface morphology of bamboo fiber; and tensile fractured surfaces morphology, homogeneity & porosity of BGFRECs were observed using SEM. The result showed that the bamboo fibers experienced a substantial changes occurred during alkaline treatment, and good result also attained from interaction among bamboo & E-glass with epoxy. Furthermore, it is found out that the bamboo and E-glass fiber ratio of 50:50 output can have a potential to be used for wind turbine blade shell construction
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Keywords
Bamboo; E-glass; Epoxy;composite; Alkaline; blade; shell