Wind Energy Science, Engineering, and Policy REU

31 July 2015

Emily L. Judd

REU Poster Symposium

The Mesostructural Effects of Shifting on Fiber Reinforced Polymers in Wind Turbine Blade Manufacturing
Abstract

Results

Conclusions

Introducing automation into a manufacturing process can significantly improve product quality and
reduce labor costs and production time. Shifting is a new method for automated fabric deformation
designed for use in manufacturing wind turbine blades [1]. The final stage of testing how shifting
affected the material properties of fiberglass included measuring the dimensions of the individual tows
in key areas of the fiberglass fabric. Tow width was measured in several ways, along with tow
thickness, and cross-sectional tow area. Tow spacing, as determined by the presence of gaps, and the
tow radii of curvature were also measured. These measurements allowed for the inspection of the
effects of shifting in conjunction with other standard manufacturing processes. Overall, shifting did not
create deformations like gaps or compressed tows in amounts that would disqualify the method from
use in industry. This suggests that shifting is a viable method for use in automated manufacturing.

Tow Width

Fiberglass samples underwent some undesirable deformation when processed through

the shifting machine.
Infused samples showed effects of compression from the infusion process.
The shifting method is a viable method for fabric deformation, as the undesirable
effects are present in small enough quantities to be acceptable for use in wind
turbine blade manufacturing.

Immediate Goals:
Test tow level material properties.
Investigate shifting effects.
Verify shifting methodology.

Long-term Goals:
Automate fiberglass layup.
Improve quality of wind turbine blades.
Reduce labor costs and production time.

3.5
3
2.5

Dry Minimum

Dry Maximum
Dry Average

1.5

Frozen Minimum
1

Frozen Maximum

0.5

Methodology
Creating the Dry Test Samples
3 batches, 4 samples per batch.
Shift angles of 0, 5, 10, and 15.

Straight and clamped section tow widths were

not affected by a changing shift angle.
Shifted section tow widths decreased as the
shift angle increased (Fig. 6).
Shifted section tow widths gained increased
variability as the shift angle increased (Fig. 6).
The differences between dry and frozen
measurements were all under 0.05 mm, most
under 0.02 mm.
Maximum tow width was generally greater for
infused samples than frozen samples.

Weft Tow Width (mm)

Motivation

4.5

Frozen Average

0
0

Sample Processing: Frozen vs. Infused

Freezing: samples cured with epoxy in open air.
Infusion: samples infused with epoxy in a vacuum.

2
Shift Angle (degrees)

4
(a)

Fig. 6: Tow Width Range of Shifted Section

from Dry and Frozen Samples

Fig. 9: (a) Batch 2 Samples, (b) Wind Turbine Blade Trailing Edge Mold

Tow Spacing
0.14

Series1
Power (Series1)

0.12
0.1

(b)

Fig. 2: (a) Sample Freezing Process, (b) Sample Infusion Process

Fig. 1: Shifting Machine

Testing Tow Width

Measured on dry and frozen
samples.
Dry: straight (1), clamped (2&6),
and shifted (4) sections, warp and
weft directions.
Frozen: straight (1), clamped (2), and
shifted (4) sections, weft direction.

Gap Proportion

(a)

0.08
0.06
0.04
0.02

y = 7E-05x2.6148
R = 0.9511

0
0

10
15
Shift Angle (degrees)

20

Tow Thickness

Fig. 5: Cross-section Measurements

Fig. 4: Gap Radius of Curvature Measurement

Data Collection
Sample images were taken with either a scanner
or microscope.
Images were analyzed using ImageJ, Matlab, and
Excel.

1
Tow Thickness (mm)

Testing Tow Spacing

Measured gap percentage and gap
radius of curvature on dry samples.
Bent (3&5) sections, weft direction.

Testing Tow Thickness

All test sections on frozen and
infused samples, weft direction.

Gap percentage increased with an increase in

the shift angle (Fig. 7).
Gap radii of curvature were not affected by a
changing shift angle.
Total average gap radius of curvature was 7.448
mm.
Test Section 3 generally had a higher gap
percentage and a higher gap radius of curvature
than Test Section 5.

Fig. 7: Tow Spacing for Dry Samples

1.2
Fig. 3: Sample Test Areas and Tow Directions

0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2

Frozen Tow Thickness

Infused Tow Thickness

0
0

10
15
Shift Angle (degrees)

Fig. 8: Average Tow Thickness

of Frozen and Infused Samples

(b)

20

Tow thickness was greater in frozen samples

than in infused samples with averages of 0.916
mm and 0.657 mm respectively (Fig. 8).
Tow thickness was generally greater in the bent
and shifted sections than in the straight and
clamped sections.
Tow thickness tended to increase as the shift
angle increased (Fig. 8).
Cross-sectional tow area was greater in frozen
samples than in infused samples.

Future Work
Determine the cause of differences in shift angles and gap percentages between the
right and left sides of the samples.
Improve the accuracy of the actual shift angle compared to the programmed shift angle.
Test tow thicknesses and cross-sectional tow areas more in depth.
Complete a full analysis on frozen and infused samples.

References
[1]
C. Magnussen, A fabric deformation methodology for the automation of fiber
reinforced polymer composite manufacturing, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 2011.
[2]
P. J. Joyce and T. J. Moon, Compression Strength Reduction in Composites with
In-Plane Fiber Waviness, Compos. Mater. Fatigue Fract., vol. 7, no. ASTM STP 1330,
pp. 7996, 1998.
[3]
L. Raghavan, Industrial looks at ways of manufacturing defects of fiber reinforced
polymer composites, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 2014.
[4]
B. C. Kim, P. M. Weaver, and K. Potter, Manufacturing characteristics of the
continuous tow shearing method for manufacturing of variable angle tow composites,
Compos. Part A Appl. Sci. Manuf., vol. 61, pp. 141151, 2014.
[5]
S. Zhu, An Automated Method for the Layup of Fiberglass Fabric, Iowa State
University, Ames, IA, 2015.
[6]
P. Potluri, D. A. Perez Ciurezu, and R. B. Ramgulam, Measurement of meso-scale
shear deformations for modelling textile composites, Compos. Part A Appl. Sci. Manuf.,
vol. 37, no. 2, pp. 303314, 2006.

Acknowledgements
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under
Grant No. 1069283. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations
expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the
views of the National Science Foundation.
Thanks are due to Siqi Zhu, Hugh Schuester, and Robert Hartmann for their assistance in
completing experimental procedures. Matt Frank, John Jackman, and Helena Khazdozian
were also instrumental for their mentorship in the research process and technical
presentation methods.