FATIGUE LIFE PREDICTION OF EPOXY COATING ON COMPOSITES SUBJECTED TO WATERDROP IMPACT

摘要

Wind energy is one of the prominent renewable sources of electricity. The erosion of the leading edge of the wind turbine blade due to raindrops, sand and other particles is of the utmost concern owing to the high tip velocities associated with the increasing blade span. The deteriorated leading edge of the blade reduces its aerodynamic efficiency and the power output. Gel-coats and polyurethane coating/paint systems are used to improve the erosion resistance of the turbine blades. This paper presents a finite element model to study the water drop impact on glass fibre reinforced composite coated with epoxy gel-coat. The rainfall data of Mumbai region in India is obtained for three consecutive years 2015, 2016 and 2017. The fatigue life of the coating is predicted against the obtained rainfall data.