Owens Corning, a global producer of reinforcement solutions for composite systems, has introduced Ultrablade fabric solutions to help enable the market transition to longer, lighter and stiffer wind turbine rotor blades, according to the company.
The new solutions, which will be commercially available in January 2011, can help designers remove nearly a metric ton of reinforcement and resin from 2 MW wind turbines, according to the company.
Compared to standard fabrics, Ultrablade fabrics in epoxy resin can reduce spar weight by up to 18% while keeping length constant, increase blade length by up to 6%, decrease blade thickness by up to 6% to increase aerodynamic efficiency and generate higher torque for driving turbines, according to Owens Corning.
Ultrablade fabric solutions will be produced in a number of the company's facilities globally.
SOURCE: Owens Corning
