The static test methods included: tensile, compression, in-plane shear, interlaminar shear, flexural, sandwich core shear flexure, and single cantilever beam tests for sandwich beams. Similar composite specimens were made with Elium® thermoplastic resin and Hexion thermoset epoxy (RIMR135/RIMH1366) to enable comparisons between these resin systems. (Section 5.3) Composite laminate panels and composite sandwich panels with a balsa core were produced specimens were cut and characterized. Additionally, the exotherm temperature was predicted and compared to measurements, which showed model results within 10% of actual measurements. The primary goal was to demonstrate the infusion simulation for the Elium® resin system on a 13-meter wind blade. (Section 5.2) An infusion and curing model was developed for thermoplastic composite wind blades using PAM-RTM. These cost savings were not from the thermoplastic material costing less than traditional thermoset materials, but rather from decreased capital costs, faster cycle times and reduced energy requirements more » and labor costs. This model was based on manufacturing a 61.5-meter wind blade, which showed a 4.7% reduction in wind blade cost as compared traditional thermoset materials. A techno-economic model was developed to model this wind blade manufacturing process using these materials in place of traditional composites made with thermoset resin. (Section 5.1) Composites made from Arkema’s Elium® thermoplastic resin and Johns Manville fiberglass were researched during this project for applications in wind blade manufacturing. This study reveals a route to enable broader carbon fiber usage by the wind industry to enable larger rotors that capture more energy at a lower cost. This novel carbon fiber was observed to even outperform fiberglass when comparing material cost estimates for spar caps optimized to satisfy the design constraints. The heavy tow textile carbon fiber is found to have improved cost performance over the baseline carbon fiber and performed similarly to the commercial carbon fiber in wind turbine blade design, but at a significantly reduced cost. Some of the advantages of carbon fiber spar caps are observed in reduced blade mass and improved fatigue life. The novel heavy tow textile carbon fiber is compared with commercial carbon fiber and fiberglass materials in representative land-based and offshore reference wind turbine models. Novel carbon fiber materials derived from the textile industry are studied as a more » potentially more optimal material for the wind industry and are characterized using a validated material cost model and through mechanical testing. Carbon fiber has known benefits for reducing wind turbine blade mass due to the significantly improved stiffness, strength, and fatigue resistance per unit mass compared to fiberglass however, the high relative cost has prohibited broad adoption within the wind industry. The wind industry is a cost-driven market, while carbon fiber materials have been developed for the performance-driven aerospace industry. The objective of this study is to assess the commercial viability to develop cost-competitive carbon fiber composites specifically suited for the unique loading experienced by wind turbine blades. The authors would also like to recognize the contributions of project member Bob Norris at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in identification of the low-cost carbon fiber materials studied, in addition to his work with more » a commercial pultruder to produce the third-party pultrusions tested within this study. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This work has been funded by the United States Department of Energy Wind Energy Technologies Office as part of the Optimized Carbon Fiber Composites for Wind Turbine Blades project. Material comparisons are made across coupons of similar manufacturing and quality to assess the properties of the novel carbon fibers. Low-cost textile carbon fiber materials are tested along with a baseline, commercial carbon fiber system common to the wind industry. This report contains the testing process and results from the mechanical characterization portion of the project. Although glass fiber reinforcement is the primary structural material in wind blade manufacturing, utilization of carbon fiber has been identified as a key enabler for achieving larger rotors because of its higher specific stiffness (stiffness per unit mass), specific strength (strength per unit mass), and fatigue resistance in comparison to glass. The objective of the Optimized Carbon Fiber project is to assess the commercial viability to develop cost-competitive wind-specific carbon fiber composites to enable larger rotors for increased energy capture.
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