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1. BladeBridge - Design and Construction of a Pedestrian Bridge using Decommissioned Wind Turbine Blades

   Zhang, Z. ; Ruane, K. ; Huynh, A. ; McDonald, A. ; Leahy, P. ; Alshannaq, A. ; Gentry, R. ; Nagle, A. ; Bank, L. ( July 2022 , 5th International Conference on Structures and Architecture)

   The purpose of this study was to develop a replicable methodology for testing the capabilities and characteristics of a wind turbine blade in a structural re-use application with the specific goal of creating and demonstrating an efficient and commercially viable wind blade pedestrian bridge design. Wind energy experienced a dramatic increase in popularity following the turn of the century and it is now a common source of renewable energy around the world. However, while wind turbines are able to produce clean energy while in service, turbine blades are designed for a fatigue life of only about 20 years. With the difficulty and costs associated with recycling the composite material blades used on the turbines, wind power companies choose to dispose of decommissioned blades in landfills instead. The Re-Wind BladeBridge project aims to promote a more sustainable life cycle for wind power by demonstrating that decommissioned wind turbine blades have the capability to be repurposed as structural elements in bridges. This paper presents an analysis and characterization of a LM 13.4 wind blade from a Nordex N29 turbine, along with a design for a pedestrian bridge using two LM 13.4 wind blades to create a 5-meter span bridge. Software developed bymore »the Re-Wind team called “BladeMachine” was used to generate the engineering properties of the blade at multiple sections along the blade length. Resin burnout tests and mechanical testing in tension and compression were performed to determine the material and mechanical properties of the composite materials in the blade. Additionally, a four-point edgewise bending test was performed on a 4-meter section of the wind blade to evaluate its load carrying behavior. The results of these tests revealed that the LM 13.4 blades are suitable to be re-utilized as girders for a short-span pedestrian bridge. An overview of the design of the BladeBridge currently under construction in County Cork, Ireland is presented, including details on the architectural and structural design processes.« less
2. Analysis and Design of a Pedestrian Bridge with Decommissioned FRP Windblades and Concrete

   Suhail, R. ; Chen, J-F. ; Gentry, T.R. ; Tasistro-Hart, B. ; Xue, Y. ; Bank, L.C. ( June 2019 , Fiber Reinforced Polymers in Reinforced Concrete Structures FRPRCS14)

   The rapid increase in the wind energy sector has brought forward a challenging problem of disposing off a huge quantity of non-biodegradable, thermosetting fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) composite materials used in wind turbine blades. Most of the existing solutions are either not sustainable or not economical. This study focuses on re-use options. In this paper a design option for re-using decommissioned wind turbine blades in pedestrian bridges is presented. To demonstrate the concept, an 8.5 m long pedestrian bridge is designed using parts taken from two A29 (modified version of Vestas V27) windblades. A preliminary code-based structural analysis is carried out to assess practicality of the proposed design and to check strength and serviceability requirements given in the prescribed codes. The results show that proposed design full-fills the strength criteria and serviceability requirements recommended in the Eurocodes. The maximum strength utilisation of the blade components is found about 61% and deflection is limited to span/303.
3. REUSING COMPOSITE MATERIALS FROM DECOMMISSIONED WIND TURBINE BLADES

   Bank, L.C. ; Arias, F.A. ; Gentry, T.R. ; Al-Haddadd, T. ; Chen, J-F ; Morrow, R ( November 2017 , Non-Conventional Materials and Technologies NOCMAT 2017)

   The very rapid growth in wind energy technology in the last 15 years has led to a rapid growth in the amount of non–biodegradable, thermosetting FRP composite materials used in wind turbine blades that will need to be managed of in the near future. A typical 2.0 MW turbine with three 50 m blades has approximately 20 tonnes of FRP material and an 8 MW turbine has approximately 80 tonnes of FRP material (1 MW ~ 10 tonnes of FRP). Calculations show that 4.2 million tonnes will need to be managed globally by 2035 and 16.3 million tonnes by 2055 if wind turbine construction continues at current levels and with current technology. Three major categories of end-of-life (EOL) options are possible – disposal, recovery and reuse. Reuse options are the primary focus of this paper since landfilling and incineration are environmentally harmful and recovery recycling methods are not economical. The current work reports on different architectural and structural options for reusing parts of wind turbine blades in new or retrofitted housing projects. Large-sized FRP pieces that can be salvaged from the turbine blades and potentially useful in infrastructure projects where harsh environmental conditions (water and high humidity) exist. Their noncorrosivemore »properties make them durable construction materials. The approach presented is to cut the decommissioned wind turbine blades into segments that can be repurposed for structural and architectural applications for affordable housing projects. The geographical focus of the designs presented in this paper is in the coastal region of the Yucatan on the Gulf of Mexico where low quality masonry block informal housing is vulnerable to severe hurricanes and flooding. In what follows, a prototype 100m long wind blade model provided by Sandia National Laboratories is used as a demonstration to show how a wind blade can be broken down into parts, thus making it possible to envision architectural applications for the different wind blade segments.« less
4. ADAPTIVE REUSE OF FRP COMPOSITE WIND TURBINE BLADES FOR CIVIL INFRASTRUCTURE CONSTRUCTION

   Gentry, T.R. ; Bank, L.C. ; Chen, J-F. ; Arias, F. ; Al-Haddad, T. ( July 2018 , Composites in Civil Engineering CICE 2018)

   The rapid growth in wind energy technology has led to an increase in the amount of thermosetting FRP composite materials used in wind turbine blades that will need to be recycled or disposed of in the near future. Calculations show that 4.2 million tons of waste from wind blades will need to be managed globally by 2035, increasing to 16.3 million tons by 2055. Three waste management route are possible: disposal, recycling or reusing. Currently, most FRP composites taken out of service are disposal of in landfills or are incinerated. Recycling options consist of reclamation of the constituent fibers or the resins by thermo–chemical methods or recycling of small pieces of granular FRP material as filler material by cutting, shredding or grinding. Reuse options consist of reusing the entire FRP blade or large parts of the blade in new structural applications. This paper reports on the potential for reusing parts of wind turbine blades in new or retrofitted architectural and civil infrastructure projects. The paper introduces the geometry, materials, and laminates typically used in wind blades and provides a snapshot of the sizes of wind blades likely to be available from the inventory of active turbines. Because the materials andmore »manufacturing of commercial wind blades are proprietary, generic blade geometries and materials are discussed. These come from the Sandia National Laboratory and National Renewable Energy Laboratory, in the United States, and from OPTIMAT in the European Union. The paper presents a method for generating the geometry and material properties of structural elements cut from wind blades, using the Numerical Manufacturing and Design Tool (NUMAD), published by the Sandia National Laboratory.« less
5. Adaptive Reuse of FRP Composite Wind Turbine Blades for Civil Infrastructure Construction

   Gentry, R. ; Bank, L. ; Chen, J. F. ; Arias, F. ; Al-Haddad, T. ( July 2018 , 9th International Conference on Fibre-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Composites in Civil Engineering (CICE 2018))

   The rapid growth in wind energy technology has led to an increase in the amount of thermosetting FRP composite materials used in wind turbine blades that will need to be recycled or disposed of in the near future. Calculations show that 16.8 million tons of waste from wind blades will need to be managed globally by 2030, increasing to 39.8 million tons by 2050. Three waste management route are possible: disposal, recycling or reusing. Currently, most FRP composites taken out of service are disposal of in landfills or are incinerated. Recycling options consist of reclamation of the constituent fibers or the resins by thermo–chemical methods or recycling of small pieces of granular FRP material as filler material by cutting, shredding or grinding. Reuse options consist of reusing the entire FRP blade or large parts of the blade in new structural applications. This paper reports on the potential for reusing parts of wind turbine blades in new or retrofitted architectural and civil infrastructure projects. The paper introduces the geometry, materials, and laminates typically used in wind blades and provides a snapshot of the sizes of wind blades likely to be available from the inventory of active turbines. Because the materials andmore »manufacturing of commercial wind blades are proprietary, generic blade geometries and materials are discussed. These come from the Sandia National Laboratory and National Renewable Energy Laboratory, in the United States, and from OPTIMAT in the European Union. The paper presents an example of the geometry and material properties of structural elements cut from wind blades, using the Numerical Manufacturing and Design Tool (NUMAD), published by the Sandia National Laboratory.« less