Bayer MaterialScience LLC says it has developed a new polyurethane-based composite technology in response to the wind power industry's desire for stronger, longer wind blades.
According to the company, a development team led by Bayer found polyurethane chemistry to improve fatigue and fracture toughness properties over the epoxy-based systems used commercially today.
The incorporation of Baytubes reinforcement technology into the polyurethane composites improved the fracture toughness by as much as 48%, which is double the fracture toughness of epoxy, according to Bayer.
The company is working to expand this work to manufacture, test and certify full-scale prototype blades in collaboration with wind industry experts. The development team, headed by principal scientist Usama Younes, also includes Case Western Reserve University and Molded Fiber Glass Companies Inc.
