future blade

danson、ch1n

Future Blade
The concept of the future for the interaction of design, materials and processes

Future Blade technology is the result of a four-year development project whose aim was to optimise the ways that design, materials and processes interact. This concept is targeted at the production of the large multi-megawatt wind turbine blades of the future.
As part of the project, the technologies that we are now familiar with were split into all their component parts. Each element was carefully investigated and analysed, right down to the tiniest detail. And then they were all re-assembled in a completely new and more intelligent, rational way.
This meant that every aspect of our work in conjunction with the development and production of wind turbine blades underwent careful scrutiny. Were the technologies that LM Glasfiber uses, based on glass-fibre shells, still the most effective solution for blades that are to exploit wind energy effectively and ensure the cheapest possible production of electricity, over a service life of at least 20 years?
The conclusion was the basic principles used in our blade designs are still the best for the job – but that it was indeed possible to make improvements to both materials and processes. And this would help ensure that we maintain the necessary technology advantage.

Altering the moulds

One of the major changes introduced in conjunction with Future Blade technology was the development of new moulds, featuring the use of composites. Replacing steel with composite materials makes the moulds lighter and stiffer, with major benefits for production processes. When the same materials are used for both mould and blade, they react in the same way to the temperature increases that stem from the resin infusion.


Introducing robot technology

LM Glasfiber gradually introduced automated processes as blades got bigger. Implementing robot technology is therefore one of the key features in the Future Blade project. In production of LM 61.5 P blades, robot equipment is used to lay out the glass-fibre mats in the moulds, and when gluing the blade shells together. [foto] The robots we use are programmed with the blade coordinates, and provide extreme precision. This in turn means – for example – we can achieve the same strength in the glued joints but use less glue, thus saving weight.

Blades 50% lighter
To date, we have produced the LM 61.5 P blade using Future Blade technology.

With production of the LM 61.5 P, we were able to customise the material we use for the core of the blade’s sandwich construction still further, and the fibre technology development work we have done as part of the Future Blade concept has proved exceptionally positive all round