Description
The present thesis focuses on finding new solutions for the recycling of wind turbine blades, with a particular focus on mechanical recycling techniques. The core of this research lies in exploring the feasibility and effectiveness of using shredded composite materials coming from wind turbine blades as a reinforcing agent in rigid polyurethane foams. The study investigates the properties of the shredded composite material, its compatibility with polyurethane foam, and the resultant effects on the foam’s structural and mechanical characteristics.Starting from the manufacturing of three reinforced foam panels with different
volume fractions of reinforcement, it was analysed the disposition of the shredded composite through the foam with an X-Ray Computed Tomography scan. The outcome of this investigation was 2D random orientation of the shredded composite, which was used to develop an analytical model for the prediction of the stiffness of the reinforced foam. The panels manufactured were then subjected to a compression test and a sandwich material made using the
reinforced foam and Glass Fiber Reinforced Composite panels was tested in three-point bending to quantify the mechanical properties of a sandwich beam. The result of the investigation proved the increase of compressive elastic modulus and bending stiffness when the shredded composite was added to the foam. However, it was not possible to establish a simple relation between the mechanical properties of the reinforced foam and the content of shredded composite.
It is believed that a non-linear elastic behavior of the foam could have influenced the results and led to a mismatch of experimental and analytical calculations.
| Period | 29 Feb 2024 |
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