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Exploration of the thermal and mechanical characteristics of polymethyl methacrylate-based copolymers: implications for wind turbine blades applications

  • Huimin Xue , Chun Li , Jiayang Sui , Lifei Liu , Xiaokun Ma , Chenhong Liang and Weizhen Zhao EMAIL logo
Published/Copyright: March 8, 2024
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International Polymer Processing
From the journal International Polymer Processing Volume 39 Issue 2

Abstract

Wind turbine (WT) blade fabrication typically employs thermosetting resins, whose recycling challenges post-retirement have resulted in environmental pressures. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop a low-viscosity, high-performance, and recyclable material with excellent mechanical properties that is compatible with WT fabrication processes, serving as a viable alternative to traditional epoxy resins. Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) resin is considered a promising candidate for replacing epoxy resins. However, the mechanical properties of PMMA still require improvement. In this study, we investigated the effects of introducing copolymerized monomers on the comprehensive performance of PMMA resin without affecting its viscosity, examining the influence of these copolymerized monomers on the material’s thermal and mechanical properties. Meanwhile, the mechanical properties of the synthesized PMMA-based copolymers were compared with those of blade-specific epoxy resin (WD0135). The results revealed that compared to WD0135, the flexural strength and modulus of the prepared PMMA copolymers significantly increased to 96.6 and 3158.6 MPa, respectively, with a tensile strength reaching 74.2 MPa. Consequently, this series of PMMA-based resins demonstrates immense potential for large-scale material part fabrication via casting techniques.

Keywords: copolymers; thermoplastic resin; polymethyl methacrylate; cast molding; wind turbine
Corresponding author: Weizhen Zhao, Beijing Key Laboratory of Ionic Liquids Clean process, CAS Key Laboratory of Green Process and engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, P.R. China, E-mail:

  1. Research ethics: do not contravene.

  2. Informed consent: non-medical.

  3. Author contributions: The authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission. H. Xue conducted the main experiment and wrote the original draft of the paper. C. Li participated in mechanical properties testing and collected data. J. Sui was mainly involved in the collection of mechanical properties data.

  4. Competing interests: The authors state no conflict of interest.

  5. Research funding: None declared.

  6. Data availability: The raw data can be obtained on request from the corresponding author.

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Supplementary Material

This article contains supplementary material (https://doi.org/10.1515/ipp-2023-4480).

Received: 2023-12-13
Accepted: 2024-02-13
Published Online: 2024-03-08
Published in Print: 2024-05-27

© 2024 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Articles in the same Issue

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  2. Research Articles
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  4. Experimental investigation on mechanical and tribological analysis of pineapple leaf (Ananas comosus) and sisal (Agave sisalana) fibers reinforced hybrid epoxy composites
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https://doi.org/10.1515/ipp-2023-4480
Keywords for this article
copolymers; thermoplastic resin; polymethyl methacrylate; cast molding; wind turbine

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Research Articles
  3. Investigation of the effects of water uptake on the mechanical properties of wood dust particle filled Prosopis Juliflora reinforced phenol formaldehyde hybrid polymer composites
  4. Experimental investigation on mechanical and tribological analysis of pineapple leaf (Ananas comosus) and sisal (Agave sisalana) fibers reinforced hybrid epoxy composites
  5. An experimental study of weave pattern effect on the mechanical and dynamic behavior of composite laminates
  6. Structuring step dependent characteristics in joining using pin-like structures in the vibration welding process
  7. Fabrication of expandable graphite and soybean oil-based synergistic modified polyurethane foam with improved thermal stability and flame retardant properties
  8. Fabrication of electrospun nanofiber from a blend of PVC and PHB
  9. Investigation of mechanical and tribological performance of wood dust reinforced epoxy composite under dry, wet and heated contact condition
  10. Multi-layer co-extrusion blow molding
  11. Predicting part quality early during an injection molding cycle
  12. Optimizing laser-based micro-cutting for PMMA microfluidic device fabrication: thermal analysis and parameter optimization
  13. Preparation of PVDF/PVA composite films with micropatterned structures on light-cured 3D printed molds for hydrophilic modification of PVDF
  14. Evaluation of thermal contact resistance of molten resin–mold interface during high-thermal-conductivity polyphenylene sulfide filling in injection molding
  15. Effect of sinusoidal pulsating speed enhancement on the mixing performance of plastics machinery
  16. Experimental investigation on the mechanical and wear behavior of epoxy/Indian almond/peepal hybrid composites
  17. Exploration of the thermal and mechanical characteristics of polymethyl methacrylate-based copolymers: implications for wind turbine blades applications
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