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DECEMBERDECEMBER 2012 2012 | VOL.18VOL.18 | NO. 6NO. 6

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BLADES

Underground Storage Tanks: Rehabilitation

without Excavation

Cured-in-Place Pipe: No-Dig Remediation Grows

COMPOSITES 2013 Preview SPE ACCE & IBEX Reviews

Table of Contents

FEATURES

December 2012 | Vol. 18 | No. 6

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Gurit (Newport, Isle of Wight, U.K.) faced a multifaceted challenge when it was approached by ANDRITZ HYDRO Hammerfest (Hammerfest, Norway) to develop composite blades for this tidal turbine, the HS1000, a 1-MW system destined for placement in waters controlled by the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC), near the Orkney Islands off the northern coast of Scotland (see p. 46).Source | ANDRITZ HYDRO Hammerfest

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COMPOSITESWATCH

Automotive | 5

Wind Energy | 7

Marine | 9

Automotive | 11

News | 12

COLUMNS

Editor | 3Yin and Yang

DEPARTMENTS

Work In Progress | 24

Applications | 40

Calendar | 41

New Products | 42

Marketplace | 44

Ad Index | 44

Showcase | 45

COVER PHOTO

ACMA COMPOSITES 2013 PreviewThe American Composites Manufacturers Assn. (ACMA, Arlington, Va.) returns its annual U.S. COMPOSITES exhibition and convention to the East Coast, Jan. 29-31, 2013, in Orlando, Fla.

SPE ACCE 2012 ReviewBursting at the seams, the 12th annual Society of Plastics Engineers’ Automotive Composites Conference and Exhibition tops its previous bests.

IBEX 2012 ReviewUnder the banner “The Future of Marine Technology,” the 22nd International BoatBuilder’s expo confronts a brave new world.By Ginger Gardiner

Cured-in-Place Pipe | Trenchless TrendsA variety of CIPP products are enabling the rehabilitation, rather than the excavation and replacement, of underground pipe for wastewater and drinking water.By Donna K. Dawson

Inside Manufacturing Underground Storage Tanks | Rehabilitation without Excavation An unusual “lost-core” composite adds double-wall protection to noncompliant tanks, without excavation.By Ginger Gardiner

Engineering Insights Composite Tidal Turbine Blade |Toughened for Turbulent Salt SeasDemonstrator design proves robust blade destined for a commercial-scale tidal turbine application.By Jeff Sloan

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Editor

Composites Technology (ISSN 1083-4117) is published bimonthly (February, April, June, August, October & December) by Gardner Business Media, Inc. Corporate and production offi ces: 6915 Valley Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45244. Editorial offi ces: PO Box 992, Morrison, CO 80465. Periodicals postage paid at Cincinnati, OH and additional mailing offi ces. Copyright © 2012 by Gardner Business Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

Canada Post: Publications Mail Agreement #40612608. Canada Returns to be sent to Bleuchip International, PO Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2 Canada.

Postmaster: Send address changes to Composites Technology, 6915 Valley Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45244-3029. If undeliverable, send Form 3579.

Subscription rates: Nonqualifi ed $45 (USD) per year in the United States, $49 (USD) per year in Canada, $100 (USD) per year airmail for all other countries. Single issue prepaid, $10 (USD) per copy in North America, $25 (USD) in all other countries. Send payment directly to Composites Technology at Cincinnati offi ces, (800) 950-8020; fax: (513) 527-8801.

PUBLISHER: MEMBERSHIPS:

CORPORATE OFFICES

Gardner Business Media, Inc.6915 Valley Ave. / Cincinnati, OH 45244-3029p: 513.527.8800 / f: 513.527.8801 / www.gardnerweb.com

Group Publisher & CT Publisher Richard G. Kline, Jr. / rkline2@gardnerweb.comMarketing Manager Kimberly A. Hoodin / kim@compositesworld.comArt Director Jeff Norgord / jnorgord@gardnerweb.comGraphic Designer Susan Kraus / skraus@gardnerweb.com

EDITORIAL OFFICES

CompositesWorldPO Box 992 / Morrison, CO 80465p: 719.242.3330 / f: 513.527.8801 / www.compositesworld.com

Editor-in-Chief Jeff Sloan / jeff@compositesworld.com / 719.242.3330Managing Editor Mike Musselman / mike@compositesworld.comTechnical Editor Sara Black / sara@compositesworld.comSenior Editor Lilli Sherman / lsherman@compositesworld.comContributing Writers Dale Brosius / dale@compositesworld.com Ginger Gardiner / ginger@compositesworld.com Michael R. LeGault / mlegault@compositesworld.com Peggy Malnati / peggy@compositesworld.com John Winkel / jwinkel@indra.net Karen Wood / karen@compositesworld.com

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European Sales OfficeEuropean Manager Eddie Kania / ekania@btopenworld.com p/f: +44 1663 750242

CIRCULATION

Direct all Composites Technology circulation changes to:p: 800.950.8020 / f: 513.527.8801 / rjacobs@gardnerweb.com

We are seeing a growing community of

specialists bring the best that composites have

to offer to new applications.

Jeff Sloan

Yin and Yang

I was asked recently to give a short primer on composites for a webinar targeting designers and design engineers who work mostly with traditional materials like wood, concrete and steel but wanted to learn more about composites. I soon found myself working in PowerPoint, creating one of those advantages/disadvantages slides to describe the Yin and Yang of composites. I settled on an old trick:

Yin: Composites’ advantage is their massive adaptability — multiple combinations of resin, fi ber, tooling and processing types are able to meet a variety of application requirements.

Yang: Composites’ disadvantage is their massive adaptability — multiple combina-tions of resin, fi ber, tooling and processing types create complexity that can be diffi cult to manage and apply, and easy to screw up.

Th e goal, of course, is to emphasize the Yin. Composites can reduce complexity (in part, through parts consolidation), save weight, increase strength and tough-ness and prolong product life. But one of the best aspects of composites’ Yin is that they can oft en eliminate or mitigate the Yang of a legacy process or material. One legacy process that involves some serious headaches is in-ground pipe replacement. For decades, replacing corroded and/or damaged sewer, water and other under-ground piping was expensive and inconvenient: Repair crews had to dig up the old pipe and replace it. Such operations block or divert street traffi c, seem to take forever and consume a great deal of taxpayer-funded time and manpower.

Into this breach has stepped cured-in-place pipe (CIPP), which allows cities and utilities to reline deteriorating pipe with composites that are cured in-situ, negating the need for large-scale trenching or digging. Th e “no-dig” composites liner provides a more robust, corrosion-resistant, durable material that promises longer pipe life and a better bang for the taxpayer buck. (See Donna Dawson’s CIPP Update on p. 30).

But it gets better. Th ere are, in the U.S. alone, 587,000 underground storage tanks that, by law, must be upgraded to monitored double-wall construction to prevent leakage. Tradition says that each tank — most of them of 8,000 to 10,000 gal capacity, used for gasoline storage at retail outlets — must be dug up and replaced. Th e Yin of composites, however, says no: Like CIPP, an existing tank can be quickly and aff ord-ably upgraded with the in-situ addition of a double-walled composite liner, designed to last for at least 30 years. (You can read more about how in-situ repair is cutting costs here by up to 80 percent on p. 36, in an article by Ginger Gardiner.)

Th e complexity of composites’ Yang might be a barrier of entry for designers and manufacturers used to working with traditional materials, but we are seeing a growing community of material specialists who can bring the best that composites have to off er to bear in new applications every day. Cured-in-place tanks are just one such example. We’ll continue to shed light on these innovations, and do what we can to help you and the rest of the engineering and manufacturing world appreciate and take advantage of composites’ Yin.

.

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COMPOSITES WATCH

Composites WATCH

Automotive alliances seek faster composite part processing, the U.S. PTC’s fate hangs

in the electoral balance, a new all-terrain vehicle takes to water, and a U.S.-based glass

fi ber source expands its supply capability to countries of the former Soviet Union.

Ford demonstrates a carbon fi ber hood part

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Ford Motor Co. (Detroit, Mich.) on Oct. 9 displayed a prototype carbon fi ber hood at the Composites Europe event in Düsseldorf,

Germany. Developed in cooperation with the Hightech.NRW collaborative research project in Germany and Dow Automotive (Midland, Mich.), the prototype Ford Focus hood weighs at least 50 percent less than a standard steel version. As a result of prog-ress made during an ongoing research project involving engineers from Ford’s European Research Centre (Aachen, Germany), the production time for an individual carbon fi ber hood is reportedly fast enough to be employed on a production line — a signifi cant step toward increased use of lightweight materials in Ford vehicles.

Inga Wehmeyer, advanced materials and processes research en-gineer at the Centre, says the hood comprises a sandwich construc-tion, with carbon fi ber faceskins and a foam core. Th e carbon fi ber faceskins feature several plies of a unidirectional 24K tow carbon fi ber fabric supplied by Toho Tenax (Wuppertal, Germany). Weh-meyer says the plies are stacked, tacked together with epoxy bond-ing powder, and then placed around Evonik’s (Marl, Germany) RO-HACELL foam core. Th e resin is a thermoset provided by Henkel (Düsseldorf, Germany). Th e part is made via a refi ned gap-impreg-nation process, developed by IKV (Institute of Plastics Processing, at RWTH Aachen University). It works by injecting resin over a carbon fi ber preform in a slightly open tool. Th e injection gate is located on one end of the mold cavity. As injection begins, the resin fl ows through and, importantly, over the preform in the small gap between the upper tool and the preform. During injection, the tool is gradually closed at a slight angle, compressing the preform on the end closest to the gate. As the tool angle closes, resin is forced into the remainder of the preform and, at the same time, forced through-out the remainder of the mold cavity. When the mold is fully closed, the compressed and fully wetout laminate is heat-cured.

Wehmeyer emphasizes that Ford is in the initial stages of de-velopment, relying to date exclusively on hand layup for prototype hoods manufactured at Composite Impulse GmbH (Gevelsberg, Germany). Initial results, however, are positive, and she says that over the next six months, Ford will begin low-volume production trials at IKV, targeting a total cycle time of 15 minutes, which she believes is achievable.

How soon consumers will see a carbon fi ber hood on a produc-tion vehicle remains to be seen. Wehmeyer says Ford will evaluate

material and manufacturing costs carefully. “At the end of the day, we have a customer and customer expectations, and price is cer-tainly something we have to consider. Carbon fi ber and its cost will be evaluated as we move forward with this project,” she says. “It’s no secret that reducing a vehicle’s weight can deliver major benefi ts for fuel consumption, but a process for fast and aff ordable production of carbon fi ber automotive parts in large numbers has never been available. By partnering with materials experts through the Hight-ech.NRW research project, Ford is working to develop a solution that supports cost-effi cient manufacturing of carbon fi ber compo-nents.” Th e Hightech.NRW project began in 2010 and, although it has a charter through September 2013, it has already made signifi cant progress toward its goals. But Wehmeyer warns, “Customers of Ford’s ... passenger cars should not expect to see carbon fi ber-bodied exam-ples on sale in the near future. Th e techniques we have refi ned and developed for the prototype Focus bonnet could be transferred to higher volume applications at a later date.”

Th e Ford European Research Centre’s involvement in the Hight-ech.NRW research project is a follow-on to Ford’s partnership with Dow Automotive, a collaboration announced earlier this year, to investigate new materials, design processes and manufacturing techniques. Dow and Ford say they intend to focus not only on de-veloping high-volume molding methods but also on establishing an economical source of automotive-grade carbon fi ber — both quests are considered critical to increasing the range of future Ford bat-tery/electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Advanced materi-als, such as carbon fi ber, are integral to Ford’s plans to reduce car weight, on average, by up to 748 lb/340 kg by the end of the decade.

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In the U.S., uncertainty in the domestic wind energy industry continues due to lack of progress toward renewal of the Production Tax Credit (PTC). According to the American Wind Energy Assn. (AWEA, Washington, D.C.), the PTC provides an income tax credit of 2.2 cents/kilowatt-hour for the production of electricity from utility-scale wind turbines. Set to expire on Dec. 31, the PTC has been renewed in previous years, oft en at the 11th hour, but as each expiration date approached, wind energy companies have taken remedial actions — layoff s and shutdowns — to ensure survival if Congress failed to act. Under the Obama Administration, the PTC was reinstated for three years, giving wind energy investors, wind farm owners and turbine suppliers some room to breathe. But the 2010 midterm elections, which gave control of the House of Repre-sentatives to the Republican party, prompted some doubt, in the wake of what Democratic congressional leaders saw as conserva-tive obstructionism, about whether the PTC would survive its latest 11th hour watch. Th e U.S. Senate Finance Committee, however, took an important step toward extending the PTC on Aug. 2, 2012, by passing a tax extenders bill, S. 3521, which includes an extension of both the PTC and the investment tax credit (ITC) for off shore and community wind projects. Further, the Repub-

U.S. wind energy industry uncertain as PTC indecision continues

(continued on p. 8)

COMPOSITES WATCH

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lican leadership signaled, initially, a willingness to cooperate “across the aisle” in the wake of President Obama’s re-election. (Notably, challenger Mitt Romney had signaled on the campaign trail the week before his loss that he had soft ened his stance on the PTC and would be willing to phase it out slowly, a marked departure from his prenomination stance.)

At CT press time, however, legislation still hung in the balance. But there were indications that bipartisan support could be mus-tered for ongoing wind energy tax credits, according to the AWEA, including a recently proposed bill — introduced on Oct. 20, 2011, by Senator Al Franken (D-MN) — that would replace the renewable energy PTC with a 30 percent ITC for community wind projects.

Magnolia Plastics Inc. (Chamblee, Ga.), an AS9100-certifi ed custom for-mulator of high-performance epoxy systems, announced on Oct. 5 that its board of directors had offi cially — effective immediately — changed the company name to Magnolia Advanced Materials Inc. Magnolia’s CEO Rick Wells noted, “Our new name better refl ects our current busi-ness and will grow with us as we add new chemistries and product lines. My father, Don Wells, founded the company in 1957 and began by devel-oping epoxy for the aviation industry and emerging U.S. space program. Our tagline then was ‘Plastics for the Space Age.’ Our name has changed but our commitment to excellence in customer service and innovative product development will remain our primary focus.”

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sphere tex Spheretex America, Inc.

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Signaling the return of health in the Florida boatbuilding market, JRL Enterprises Inc. (Cape Coral, Fla.) announced plans to purchase the former Wellcraft manufacturing facility in South Manatee County, Fla., to expand the composite tool-making busi-ness of its affi liated business, JRL Ventures Inc. Th e expansion is projected to create at least 80 new jobs over three years, according to Bob Long, president and CEO of both businesses. Th e former Wellcraft facility has been shuttered since 2008 when the marine manufacturing operation was moved, says Sharon Hillstrom, president and CEO of the local Manatee Economic Development Corp. Th e deal qualifi ed JRL Ventures for performance-based economic development incentives from the State of Florida and the Manatee County Government.

“Th e former Wellcraft facility has the elements we need, such as size, ventilation and some necessary equipment,” says Long. “It’s virtually ready to house our expanded operations right away, which is essential to our meeting production schedules for our customers.”

  Long says the company is purchasing an additional large 5-axis CNC router for the new location at a cost of almost $1 mil-lion, installed.

Marine composites tool-maker to revive idle Florida plant

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GIBBS (Detroit, Mich.) reported on Oct. 15 that it will release the fi rst high-speed sports amphibian, dubbed the GIBBS Quadski, for sale in the U.S. Th e seaworthy all-terrain vehicle (ATV) — or is it a roadworthy jet

New amphibious vehicle makes a splash

ski? — is reportedly the product of millions of research dollars and years of development work in the U.S., New Zealand and the U.K. Featuring a hull made with composite materials, the Quadski is 10.5 ft long, 5.2 ft wide and 4.3 ft tall (3.2m by 1.6m by 1.3m), with a wheelbase of 5.8 ft /1.77m. It will be off ered, initially, for use by one

rider (no passengers). Quadski production is gearing up at a 54,000-ft 2 (5,017m2) assembly plant in Auburn Hills, Mich.

Touted by GIBBS as an entirely new form of transpor-tation for U.S. consumers, the Quadski is capable of reach-ing speeds of 45 mph/72.4 km on both land and water. Th e Quadski is equipped with a 175-hp BMW Motorrad engine and transmission. With the press of a button, its wheels re-tract when entering the water and deploy when approaching land. Reportedly, the amphibian transitions from water to land operation (and vice versa) in fi ve seconds or less. Th e Quadski retailed for about $40,000 at its debut in November. Th e company expects to have more than 20 dealership loca-tions in place within the next 11 months, primarily in the Midwest, New York, Texas and the southeastern U.S. GIBBS has more than 300 patents, and patents pending, on its High Speed Amphibian (HSA) technology and expects to fi nd buyers not only in the consumer recreation category but also in the commercial and fi rst-responder sectors as well.

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New alliances test fast-cycle materials for automotive

Henkel (Düsseldorf, Germany and Rocky Hill, Conn.) reported on Sept. 24 that it has worked with machinery manufacturer Krauss-Maff ei (Munich, Germany) to develop a one-minute curing time for Henkel’s matrix resin Loctite MAX 2 polyurethane in a resin transfer

molding (RTM) process. Th e signifi cant improvement on the original goal of fi ve minutes refl ects a fi rst-time achievement on a high-pressure dosing unit, and, according to Henkel, signals a potential breakthrough in the development of composite matrix resins for the manufacture of lightweight automotive components.

Loctite MAX 2 is a recent Henkel development, a polyure-thane-based composite matrix resin that cures significantly faster than the epoxy products usually employed for RTM. Moreover, due to its low viscosity, Loctite MAX 2 reportedly penetrates and impregnates the fiber material more easily and, therefore, with less preform fiber displacement than competing RTM resins, enabling fast injection times, says Frank Deutschlä nder, global market manager, automotive, at Henkel. The primary goal of the Henkel/KraussMaffei collaboration, going forward, is a greater reduction in the manufacturing cycle times for as wide a range of components as possible. “We are confident that, in the near future, we will be able to significantly further develop the high-pressure RTM process through our co-operation with Henkel,” says Erich Fries, head of KraussMaffei’s Composites/Sur-faces business unit.

A month later, on Oct. 25, TenCate Ad-vanced Composites BV (Almelo, Th e Neth-erlands) and BASF AG (Ludwigshafen, Ger-many) announced a cooperative alliance to rapidly develop, manufacture and com-mercialize thermoplastic (TP) composite materials suitable for high-volume automo-tive production. Th e goal is to off er car and light-truck parts manufacturers custom-engineered solutions for high-performance composite structures that will enable weight reduction (30 to 50 percent lighter than to-day’s metal parts) and mitigate carbon diox-ide (CO2) emissions.

BASF reportedly will use its know-how in the formulation and production of thermoplastic resins to develop spe-cial variants of its trademarked Ultramid polyamide (PA), Ultradur polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) and Ultrason poly-ethersulfone (PESU) product lines. Ten-Cate Advanced Composites intends to contribute expertise in composites man-ufacturing processes, related to its trade-marked TenCate Cetex product portfolio,

which is currently used primarily in aircraft structures and air-craft cabin interiors.

“Th e next major advance in lightweight automotive construc-tions will not be possible without a dramatic reduction in process-ing costs. Th is can be accomplished by using continuous fi ber rein-forced thermoplastic composites. Th e breakthrough for composites to mass production, however, has not yet been made. By working together with TenCate, we intend to jointly achieve this break-through,” explains Melanie Maas-Brunner, successor to Willy Hov-en-Nievelstein and new head of BASF’s Engineering Plastics Europe business unit in Germany.

“TenCate Cetex laminates and prepregs have long been applied in commercial aircraft constructions, and are increasingly used in industrial manufacturing processes,” says Frank Meurs, group di-rector of TenCate Advanced Composites EMEA. “Now, TenCate intends to expand its activities in the automotive industry. We are looking forward to this joint eff ort in making new materials rapidly available for automotive mass production,” Meurs continues. Th e partners say that the ease of thermoplastic processing will dramati-cally reduce production cycle times. In addition, TPs have no shelf-life limitations, making mass production more practical, and they can be recycled. Target applications are semistructural parts and primary structures in car bodies and chassis.

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Strongwell Corp. (Bristol, Va.) announced two key changes: David Gibbs has been named VP, sales and engineering, and will have re-sponsibility for corporate domestic and inter-national sales, structural engineering, quality assurance and R&D. Gibbs has logged 17 years with Strongwell, most recently as di-rector, Virginia Operations. He holds a BS in chemical engineering from Tennessee Tech University. Mike Carr has been named di-rector of sales and will report to Gibbs. Carr will be responsible for Strongwell’s corporate domestic and international sales and will su-pervise fi eld sales managers. Carr has been with Strongwell since 1998, most recently as a regional sales director. He is a graduate of the University of Sarasota (Fla.).

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Composites NEWS

Owens Corning (OC, Toledo, Ohio) revealed on Oct. 30 that a new furnace in its Gous-Khroustalny, Russia, glass reinforcements facility is operational, doubling plant capacity. Th e latest step to

Owens Corning brings furnace on line in Russia, touts China offi ce

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increase OC’s global production capacity, the furnace will serve markets in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), made up of former Soviet republics.

“Two years ago, we decided to increase production capacity in our Gous-Khroust-alny facility to support the growing needs of our CIS customers,” said Umberto Rigamonti, VP and managing director for the glass reinforcements business in Eu-rope. “Th is is aligned with our business strategy to support growth in emerging markets with local assets,” he continued.

Th e Gous-Khroustalny plant will man-ufacture OC’s trademarked corrosion-re-sistant Advantex glass locally.

Th e furnace start-up followed the opening, in Shanghai, China, of OC’s new China Composites Center, reportedly equipped with a state-of-the-art 6,000m2 (64,584 ft 2) R&D facility.

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ACMA COMPOSITES 2013 Preview

For 2013, the American Compos-ites Manufacturers Assn. (ACMA, Arlington, Va.) returns its annual

U.S. COMPOSITES exhibition and conven-tion to the East Coast’s sunny, fun capital, Orlando, Fla., aft er a 2012 sojourn in the Desert West’s sun ‘n’ fun capital, Las Vegas, Nev.

Named one of the 50 fastest growing trade shows in 2011 by Trade Show Execu-tive magazine, COMPOSITES 2013, ACMA claims, is the largest gathering of compos-ites professionals in North America. ACMA expects to see, in Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center, more than 3,500 visi-tors (up 25 percent in each of the past four years), who hail from the U.S. and 35 other countries. Based on past attendance data, attendees are likely to represent more than 650 companies that serve a total of 40 com-posites market segments and will include a host of government offi cials and academics from 32 colleges and universities. ACMA intends to treat them to more than 100 con-ference educational sessions and technical presentations and an exhibit hall with more than 220 exhibitors.

For details on the show and events schedule, see “Th e Show in Brief,” at left .

THE SHOW IN BRIEFWHAT: COMPOSITES 2013WHERE: Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Fla.WHEN: Jan. 29-31, 2013Info: www.acmashow.org

TUESDAY, JANUARY 29ACMA Committee Meetings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.Certifi ed Composites Technician (CT) Tutorials . . . . . . . . . . 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.Education Sessions (technical papers, seminars) . . . . . . . . 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.General Session (opening) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.Education Sessions (technical papers, seminars) . . . . . . . . . 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.Welcome Reception (ticket required). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30General Session Keynote (Speaker TBA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8:00 a.m. to 9:15 a.m.Exhibit Hall Open . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.ACE & Pinnacle Awards Luncheon (ticket required). . . . . . . 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.Education Sessions (technical papers, seminars) . . . . . . . . . 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.Specialized Networking Receptions (ticket required) . . . . . . . 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 31Education Sessions (technical papers, seminars) . . . . . . . . 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.Exhibit Hall Open . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.Luncheon in Exhibit Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.Education Sessions (technical papers, seminars) . . . . . . . . . 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

2013 PREVIEWACMA COMPOSITES

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ACMA COMPOSITES 2013 Preview

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SUSTAINABILITY I S A S H A R E D J O U R N E Y

RENEWABLE CONTENT

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ACS International Inc. 816

ADFORS Saint Gobain Americas Inc. 1155

Adhesive Systems Inc. 972

Advanced Plastics 911

Aerospace Manufacturing & Design 1239

Airtech International Inc. 532

Akzo Nobel Functional Chemicals 817

American Colors Inc. 1057

AOC LLC 801

Arkema 946

Ashland Performance Materials 1045

ATC Formulated Polymers 645

AXEL Plastics Research Lab 707

Bayer MaterialScience LLC 1033

Becker Pumps Corp. 1237

Big C: Dino-Lite Scopes 1251

Binks 501

Breton 1167

CCP Composites 623

Cerex Advanced Fabrics Inc. 1069

Chem-Trend LP 744

Chomarat North America 1126

Chromafl o Technologies 745

CMS North America Inc. 808

Composite Polymer Design 1254

Composites One LLC 636

CompositesWorld/Composites Technology 1233

Controx – Neuhauser 667

CPIC/Fiberglass 1160

Crane Composites 917

Creative Pultrusions Inc. 545

CTG International (N.A.) Inc. 511

De-Comp Composites Inc. 505

DIAB Sales Inc. 711

Dixie Chemical Co. 615

Eastman Machine Co. 1139

Eco-Wolf Inc. 1067

EFI Composites LLC 814

Elliott Company of Indianapolis 723

Entec Composite Machines 1014

Entropy Resins 533

ES Manufacturing 502

Eurovac Inc. 823

Fiber Glass Industries, Inc. 910

Fiberglass Coatings Inc. 713

Fiber-Line Inc. 619

Freudenberg Nonwovens 632

Geiss LLC 655a

General Plastics Manufacturing Co. 1110

German Advanced Composites 655e

Gibco Flex-Mold Inc. 1055

Gruber Systems 933

GS Manufacturing 773

Gurit 872

GYS Sales Corp. 1211

Hawkeye Industries Inc. 712

Henkel Corporation 710

Hennecke Inc. 1123

HK Research 945

Hodogaya Chemical (USA) Inc. 873

Horn Co. 1216

Huber Engineered Materials 633

COMPOSITES 2013 EXHIBITOR LISTExhibitor and booth data per ACMA on Oct. 30, 2012.

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www.dieffenbacher.com

With our new, innovative D-SMC and HP-RTM processes, we are continuously advancing global progress in series pro-duction of lightweight components with glass or carbon fibre-reinforced plastics.

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M A C H I N E R Y F O R L I G H T W E I G H T C O M P O N E N T S

I.S.T. International Surface Technologies

561

Innovoc Solutions 508

Instron 519

Interplastic Corp./North American Composites

923

ITW Insulation Systems 500

ITW Plexus 648

ITW SprayCore 1244

ITW WindGroup 748

Jensen Industries Inc. 1109

Jordan Reduction Solutions 1011

JRL Ventures Inc. 644

Jushi USA 1015

Kaneka North America LLC 913

Kenrich Petrochemicals Inc. 611

Knowlton Technologies LLC 1010

Krauss Maffei Corp. 655f

Lauffer Pressen 655i

Lean Mean Closed Mold Machine

737

Litek Composites Corp. 1122

Lucintel 1226

Magnum Venus Plastech 729

Mahogany Company of Mays Landing

944

MCC Equipment & Service Center

544

McLube Div. of McGee Industries

822

METYX Composites 1231

Micro Air 651

Milyon SA 547

Mistras Group Inc. 1208

Nederman LLC 1248

Netzsch Instruments North America

660

Nexeo Solutions 1000

Olympus 1138

Owens Corning Composite Materials

522

Performance Polymer Solutions Inc. (P2SI)

973

PCCR USA Inc. 1101

Performance Minerals Corp.

812

Potters Industries LLC 1163

PPG Industries Inc. 827

Precision Drive Systems 1222

Precision Fabrics Group Inc.

1156

PRO-SET Inc. 806

Reichhold 600

Reinforced Plastics 649

Releasomers 1207

REXCO Mold Care Products 922

R.J. Marshall Co., The 701

SAERTEX USA LLC 716

Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering (SAMPE)

514

SCIGRIP Smarter Adhesive Solutions

504

Scott Bader Inc. 1061

Sicomin 766

Sika Corp. 1127

SMOOTH-ON Inc. 1241

Solvent Recovery Systems 725

Spheretex America Inc. 655h

Structural Composites 915

SWORL (div. of Prairie Technology)

845

Taconic 1227

Technology Marketing Inc. 548

Teijin Aramid USA Inc. 516

The M.F. Cachat Co. 1206

Thermocoax 666

Thermwood Corp. 1154

3A Composites/Baltek Inc. 1245

3M 538

Toho Tenax America Inc. 517

Tricel Honeycomb 811

TSE Industries 554

Tyvarian International LLC 510

Unicomposite Technology Co. Ltd.

1072

United Initiators SPI Inc. 717

United Soybean Board 618

Vectorply Corp. 1039

Ventilation Solutions 1016

Warm Industrial Nonwovens

1209

Watkins & Associates Inc. 616

Wisconsin Oven Corp. 1223

Wm. T. Burnett & Co. 1232

Xamax Industries 549

ACMA COMPOSITES 2013 Preview

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Bursting at the seams, the 12th annual Society of

Plastic Engineers’ Automotive Composites Conference

and Exhibition tops its previous bests.

REVIEWSPE ACCE 2012

The 12th annual Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) Automo-tive Composites Conference and Exhibition (ACCE), held Sept. 11-13, took on much more of the look and feel of an

exhibition this year at the Michigan State University (MSU) Man-agement Education Center (MEC) in Troy, Mich. ACCE organiz-ers appropriated space historically used to accommodate the daily luncheons and opened those areas up to exhibitors. Th e luncheons were moved out to the MSU patio area in a massive tented space. Th e result was a substantial increase in exhibition area.

Conference organizers reported that the 2012 event broke the previous attendance record (504 in 2011) with 636 registrations — a 21 percent increase. Although that was good news, it was clear to SPE’s Automotive and Composites divisions that the MEC is no longer big enough to contain this growing automotive event. In a postevent announcement, SPE revealed that the 13th SPE ACCE will be held at the larger Diamond Center, in Novi, Mich.

Creig Bowland, a senior research associate at glass-fi ber suppli-er PPG Industries (Pittsburgh, Pa.), who served as the conference chair last year, took another turn in that position for 2012, oversee-ing a slate of 70 peer-reviewed paper presentations, two panel dis-cussions and fi ve keynote speakers. And organizers also off ered two postconference tours: one to the new Plasan Carbon Composites facility in nearby Wixom, and the other across the Canadian border to the new Fraunhofer Project Centre for Composites Research at Western University (London, Ontario).

PREFORMS IN THE PERFORMANCE TRACK

Preforms were a hot topic this year. Two full sessions were de-voted to new technologies in this area. For example, Dan Buckley of American GFM Corp. (Chesapeake, Va.) highlighted his com-pany’s light-curable binder, which reportedly cures in less than one second on simple, low-cost tooling. Th e light cure can be varied to selectively control stiff ness where needed, and the preform can be combined with cores or with thermoplastic skins. He emphasized the importance of drapability, or, as he preferred, “conformability,” which is key to a successfully formed preform.

Lee Harper of Nottingham University (Nottingham, U.K.) dis-cussed new work in producing carbon fi ber preforms by spray-ing discontinuous fi bers with binder, similar to Ford Motor Co.’s

(Detroit, Mich.) P4 preforming method, originally developed in the early 1990s with Owens Corning (Toledo, Ohio) and Aplica-tor System AB (Mölnlycke, Sweden). Harper and his research team have created a process simulation tool to help predict sprayed fi -ber preform performance and then optimize the method. Th ey also have developed a way to orient fi bers during the spray process yet maintain fast fi ber throughput. Th e oriented preforms deliver the same stiff ness as continuous unidirectional tow, with good strength retention, claims Harper. Other materials, such as fabrics, can be in-corporated, off ering a lower material cost option for molding high-performance structural parts.

Sigmatex High Technology Fabric’s (Benicia, Calif.) Jonah Jimenez discussed his company’s ability to weave custom preforms using a high-speed, three-dimensional Stäubli (Duncan, S.C.) Jac-quard machine. Although he had to admit that the weaving process adds cost, Jimenez pointed out that material can be quickly and continuously produced in long rolls and in multiple shapes and fi -ber types at a price approaching that of 2-D fabrics.

Interest also was high in a paper presented by Tommy Fristedt of LayStitch Technologies (Highland, Mich.) on a tailored fi ber placement technique that produces a fl at preform in a process he likened to printing, using stitched carbon tows for local reinforce-ment. Th e company claims almost zero waste, because the preform can be stitched and layed down exactly as needed, and stitching can be selective for maximum conformability. Th e company’s products have been used by Airbus for aircraft window frames, and Fristedt believes the low cost and improved speed, as well as the ability to incorporate electronic wires, for example, can yield cost-eff ective preforms for automotive applications.

THE VIRTUES OF VIRTUAL ENGINEERING

Th e conference theme, “Unleashing the Power of Design,” was best exemplifi ed by the four sessions devoted to “Virtual Prototyping and Testing of Composites.” Fift een speakers outlined the state of virtual design and development, and they explored both the strengths and

The MSU Management Education Center auditorium was the largest of three ACCE speaker venues. Each was the site for a sizable number of the 70 speaker presentations.

Source | CT / Photo | Mike Musselman

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remaining limitations of soft ware-based modeling and testing that reduce or eliminate the need for expensive iterative make-it-and-break-it development cycles.

Dr. Mike Wyzgoski, a consultant to the American Chemistry Council (ACC), led off the sessions with an encouraging report that set the tone for the others as he described ACC-enabled initiatives to apply “predictive engineering” to long-fi ber reinforced thermo-plastics. Wyzgoski emphasized the role of time in the progress of virtual engineering. Short-fi ber thermoplastics, now a staple in the auto industry, are well characterized, he noted, but long-fi ber ther-moplastics, a comparatively new approach, simply haven’t had the history yet that permits those who write and use the soft ware to build the mathematical models necessary to simulate part perfor-mance and render predictions of actual performance that are ac-curate and reliable.

ACC is “building bridges” between the U.S. Department of En-ergy (DoE), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL, Oak Ridge, Tenn.) and others to expedite the mathematical modeling process. He reported that the work is close to producing commercially ap-plicable soft ware. In one project, for example, researchers in a study called “Engineering Property Prediction Tools for Tailored Polymer Composite Structures” — funded by the DoE, ORNL and Pacifi c Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL, Richland, Wash.) — com-bined forces with soft ware writers from Autodesk (San Rafael, Ca-lif.) to develop models for predicting the extent of breakage during compounding and injection and the fi nal fi ber length in the part. Autodesk is now negotiating to incorporate the fi ber length predic-tion models into its AMSA Mold Flow soft ware.

Wyzgoski outlined a number of other active eff orts toward these ends that should soon bear fruit, noting that ACC sees its job as shak-ing the tree. “We’ve tried to plug gaps not covered by government funding,” he explains, noting that the ACC is “helping arrange funding and coordination for case studies of actual three-dimensional parts.”

SHORTENING THE THERMOSET CURE CYCLE

Also much discussed were advances in thermoset chemistries aimed at rapid processing. Roman Hillermeier of Momentive Spe-cialty Chemicals GmbH (Iserlohn, Germany) discussed a way to accelerate structural part cure with a new-generation epoxy resin formulated with a latent short cycle; the resin cures in fi ve min-utes but maintains a lower viscosity for a four-times longer resin injection window in a gap impregnation resin transfer mold-ing (RTM) process while delivering a higher Tg and a Class A fi nish. Th e new Momen-tive EPIKOTE resin (with EPIKURE curing agent), intended for carbon fi ber automotive parts and at least 50 percent fi ber volume, is aimed at automated, high-volume produc-tion. At the show, the company also off ered an even faster-curing epoxy, EPIKOTE Resin 05475. Its two-minute cure cycle still allows for complete fi ber wetting and mold fi ll, and it delivers good mechanical proper-ties in the fi nished part.

R&D ON HIGH-PRESSURE RTM

A related area of high interest was the series of speakers involved in R&D on increasing the injection speed in RTM processes to satisfy OEM automotive production rates. Raman Chaudhari, from the Fraunhofer-Institut für Chemische Technologie (ICT, Pfi nztal, Ger-many), presented the results of his Ph.D research on the subject of high-pressure RTM. Noting from the outset that the process “isn’t ready for prime time,” he identifi ed three process aspects that still need work: the preforming process, the injection sequence and the cure cycle. Th e high pressure and high resin-fl ow rate displace fi bers in the preform, and the length of time needed to wet out the pre-form precludes the use of available fast-cure resins. A process variant, high-pressure compression RTM, leaves a gap between the preform and upper tool, permitting the resin to fl ow over the preform’s top surface. Th e mold closes aft er the preform is covered and forces the resin into the preform while it consolidates the laminate. In tests, this method reduced injection time from 30 seconds to 7.5 seconds.

Another presenter, Dr. Lolei Karine Kohun of the National Re-search Council Canada (Ottawa, Ontario), reported that her re-search, which compared high-pressure RTM (HP RTM) and high-pressure compression RTM, resulted in an even faster injection time for the latter. Using injection pressures from 6 to 15 MPa, compared to about 1 MPa for conventional RTM; a quadraxial noncrimp fabric in the preform, with up to 6 percent binder to prevent fi ber wash; a Voraforce epoxy resin (Dow Automotive, Midland, Mich.) formu-lated to withstand 300°C/572°F temperatures; and a mold tempera-ture of 100°C/212°F to reduce the resin viscosity and accelerate cure, the injection time was one minute, with complete cure in fi ve min-utes. Further, the compression RTM alternative showed little deg-radation in mechanical properties at increasingly faster cycle times, while an HP RTM process without the compression feature exhibit-ed a defi nite downtrend in properties as injection speeds increased. Th e downtrend was attributed to the higher percentage of binder required to prevent fi ber wash in HP RTM. Th e binder interrupted resin fl ow, creating voids. Experiments with vacuum assistance and reduced binder content, however, improved properties.

A VISION FOR VISIONARY DESIGN

Great advances are almost always the result of what pundits like to call “disruptive technologies.” ACCE had what one might char-

A strong roster of presenters in the area of Virtual Prototyping and Testing outlined progress made recently in the fast-growing fi eld of predictive engineering.

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acterize as a disruptive keynote speaker. Oliver Kuttner, CEO and co-owner of start-up automaker Edison2 (Lynchburg, Va.), spoke on the less than self-explanatory subject of “Correct Primary Deci-sions Leading to Positive Feedback Loops.” What conference-goers got, however, was memorable: not just a challenge to think outside the box, but a clear and kindly call to be done with the box and start over. Kuttner noted that many ACCE participants were addressing issues raised by the recently solidifi ed new CAFE standard (54.5 mpge), and he asked how many in the auditorium were aware of the impending European carbon dioxide (CO2) standards, slated for en-actment in 2016. Few raised their hands. CAFE standards, he said, are both footprint dependent (that is, the standard is eased for larger vehicles) and escapable (auto OEMs can draw a bye simply by paying the per-vehicle fi ne). Kuttner assumed that some automakers would simply consider it a cost of doing business to pay fi nes rather than comply. For that reason, he contended, the CO2 standard is the real worry. It is nonnegotiable and absolute, and it will have to be met. He doubted that current lightweighting eff orts would get automak-ers into compliance. “Trim here, trim there, will not be enough,” he warned. “And even if we do all that trimming, and it costs a fortune, and even if we get there, what do we do aft er that? We’ve exhausted all options. At some point, there’s nowhere to go.”

Kuttner proposed, based on his experience as the winner of the recent Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize with a vehicle that averaged more than 100 mpge, that the alternative for auto OEMs

is to fundamentally reinvent the automobile and quickly produce an extremely fuel-effi cient car as a niche vehicle (as few as 4,000 units). Th is would buy margin in the OEM’s CAFE average, he argued, and the lessons learned would inform eff orts to meet infl exible CO2 regu-lations. Four years ago, he and his team set out to do just that. Despite the fact that 65 cars were entered into the X Prize competition, he claimed that only two made the fi nals — both were his.

Kuttner showed off a 50-lb/22.7-kg front suspension assembly de-veloped for his winning cars. Noting that one of the talking points at the conference was the expense of dealing with coeffi cient of thermal expansion (CTE) mismatches and other issues at “connection points” where composites meet metal, he pointed out that the assembly has only two attachment points to the body in white. All the suspension is in the wheel. Eliminating the strut tower, he explained, opens up the auto interior. Th e suspension system, reportedly proven in 24-hour rally racing under brutal conditions, marked the “fi rst domino to fall,” Kuttner claims, in a long series of rethinking and reworking steps that led to a car that could, with a steel frame, get 129 mpge. And Kuttner told attendees that each of these technologies are for sale.

He challenged automakers to think not only about next year’s model, but a model for the next decade. He suggested they envision a car, for example, whose owner (or, potentially, time renter) plugs in a personal tablet computer that interlocks with the cars ignition (thus preventing theft ) and diagnostic systems and also displays data once read from now absent dashboard gauges. Kuttner called for a radical rethinking of how to combine technologies in like manner to avoid duplication and thereby save signifi cant cost.

MULTI-MATERIAL VEHICLES: NO MINCED WORDS

Immediately following Kuttner’s keynote address, he and fi ve others assembled on the dais for the fi rst — and most lively — of two panel discussions on the subject of the “Multi-Material Vehicle.” Modera-tor Lindsay Brooke, senior editor of Automotive Engineering Maga-zine (SAE International, Warrendale, Pa.), questioned panelists on the subject of Design and Assembly. Th e panelists included Kuttner; Saad Abouzahr, senior manager, materials engineering, at Chrysler Group LLC (Auburn Hills, Mich.); Dr. Antony Dodworth, managing director at Dodworth Design (Birmingham, U.K.); Dr. Jay Baron, president, CEO and chairman of the board of the not-for-profi t Center for Auto-motive Research (CAR, Ann Arbor, Mich.); Gary Lownsdale, director of R&D and engineering at Plasan Carbon Composites (Bennington, Vt.); Tom Pilette, VP of product and process development for Magna Exteriors and Interiors (Troy, Mich.); and Dr. George Ritter, technol-ogy director at the Edison Welding Institute (EWI, Columbus, Ohio).

When asked to defi ne the term “multi-material car,” Abouzahr, Dodworth and Baron pointed fi rst to autos as we know them. Steel has, to some extent, been replaced by aluminum, plastics and com-posites. However, Abouzahr noted that the challenge ahead is to re-place steel with lighter materials in the body in white, calling it “the last frontier.” Dodworth noted that the new Porsche has seven mate-rials, and the Audi A2 sports 23 kg/50.7 lb of carbon fi ber compos-ites. Baron pointed out that the challenge, going forward, is the CTE diff erences between materials that must be joined and then painted. Kuttner agreed, noting that vastly reducing the number of connect-ing points through redesign of the vehicle architecture will be a key

At right, Gary Lownsdale (Plasan Carbon Composites, Bennington, Vt.) enjoys some good-natured kidding at the hands of Antony Dodworth (Dodworth Design, Buckingham, U.K.) about his passionate defense of composites during the fi rst of the ACCE’s two panel discussions.

CW staffer Sara Black (right) speaks with Roman Hillermeier, a representative of exhibitor and cocktail reception sponsor Momentive Performance Materials (Albany, N.Y.)

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to multi-material compatibility. He envisioned a radical re-engi-neering of the automobile that will launch a “golden age” to come. Lownsdale noted that sports cars, such as GM’s Chevrolet Corvette and Chrysler’s Dodge Viper, have been multi-materials showcases for years. He pointed out that weight reduction, in fact, has been a recurring theme since the 1960s and noted that each time the topic came up, joinery was an issue. He recalled his work on early Saturns, which incorporated thermoplastic fenders and door panels on an otherwise steel body, and fasteners were the critical factor. Agreeing with Kuttner, Lownsdale predicted, “In this decade, materials and ar-chitecture will both count.” Ritter, a joinery expert, agreed that joints are critical and noted that the EWI “phone is ringing” already with requests for assistance on joinery issues.

When Brooke broached the subject of recent partnerships of OEMs with carbon fi ber producers, Abouzahr noted the reluctance he saw fi rsthand at Chrysler when early composites eff orts didn’t work, recalling one time when he suggested a plastic engine mani-fold at a meeting only to be asked to leave. He recalled a time when an RTM process proved unready and a part was made, instead, from aluminum. He noted that today the OEM still does not know composites technology and is reaching out to those who do. Baron pointed out that most OEMs are staff ed by mechanical engineers, not chemical engineers, who know little about resins and other subcomponents of composites. “So this is a barrier. You need to get the steel, aluminum and composite people together —  not work-ing separately but together to bring all the material options into the fold,” he said, adding, “Obviously, the government will have take a big part in that.” It will require, he added, “all kinds of cooperative eff orts. Th ere is no one solution. You have to fi nd compatible people who can come together and work on this.”

Lownsdale saw, in that, the need for education. “You have to spend time conveying what you’ve learned to the engineers who actually do the work,” he said, insisting, “Mechanical engineers can understand polymers!” He argued that they would, in fact, bring to the discussion a fresh perspective. “Th ey approach material diff erently than chemi-cal engineers,” he said, but contended, “Th at’s an advantage, thinking about the material mechanics on a chemical level.” As automakers combine materials into a subsystem, he predicted that “cross-polli-nation” will create a knowledge base that could extend back to the design engineer. Th at, he said, is “the only way it will work.”

Fireworks were lit, however, when Abouzahr suggested that pro-ponents of structural and Class A auto composites still bear the bur-den of proof that composites and composite molding processes can indeed produce parts of suffi cient quality fast enough to meet OEM expectations and be adaptable to OEM paint lines. Until then, he said, OEMs are unlikely to make a wholesale commitment. Lownsdale took strenuous objection to that characterization, noting that his own com-pany has a very cordial and close relationship with his company’s Viper program and has already demonstrated technology suffi cient to satisfy those demands. He pointed out that Plasan has a 17-minute (layup to primed part) production process in place and is close to a shorter 11-minute process. He claimed that it is possible to mold the part in as few as two minutes, noting that when other steps of the process (not directly composites-related) catch up with that, the entire process can be downsized time-wise to incorporate the shorter mold cycle.

Baron made a cogent point, however, when he contended, “Th e best part is no part.” He went on to explain that innovative part con-solidation is a huge benefi t off ered by composite materials. Fewer parts overall vastly reduces the time and the number of discrete steps and critical joints necessary to produce them.

CARBON FIBER SUPPLY & DEMAND, REVISITED

As always at such events, the panelists were asked a perennial ques-tion: As aerospace programs consume increasing quantities of carbon fi ber, will there be enough supply for automakers? Ritter noted that the opportunity for signifi cant carbon fi ber use is greater than ever before. Although the steel industry has been aggressive in designing alloys that can be made thinner, Ritter noted that strategy can only go so far. Lownsdale applauded the recent alliances and partnerships that virtually every automotive OEM has made with a carbon fi ber producer to ensure its supply. And, he added, what is really happen-ing at this point is judicious use of smaller quantities of carbon fi ber where needed — not entire bodies.

Elsewhere during the event, ORNL’s Cliff Eberle discussed his or-ganization’s eff orts to develop alternative carbon precursors, includ-ing lignin and polyolefi n. Th e lab’s new carbon fi ber line is slated to open in February 2013. And presenter George Husman of Zoltek Corp. (St. Louis, Mo.) asserted that most molders are struggling with process — that is, fi nding the most eff ective and effi cient way to make carbon parts. He believes that a carbon fi ber-fi lled sheet molding compound (SMC) shows much promise, because of its lower density than glass at the same fi ber content, and he said that thinner parts are possible with carbon fi ber. He also discussed the use of unidirectional continuous fi bers in selective reinforcement of a low-cost, injection molded part. “We need more creative design for manufacturing,” Husman summed up. | CT |

Read this article online | http://short.compositesworld.com/D04sJkCo.

The ACCE’s panel discussion on day two considered the topic “Predictive Analysis of Multi-Material Automotive Structures.” Doug Smock (far left) medical content editor at Plastics Today (Los Angeles, Calif.), moderated the discussion between (left to right) Roger Assaker, CEO and cofounder of e-Xstream Engineering (Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium); Olivier Moriset, general manager of industry strategy and innovation at ESI North America (Farmington Hills, Mich.); Dr. Hannes Fuchs, senior engineer at Multimatic Engineering (Detroit, Mich.); Mark Minnichelli, director of commercial technology at BASF Corp. (Greenville, Ohio); Tim Palmer, presales manager at MSC.Software Corp. (Santa Ana, Calif.) and Jeff Webb, the instrument panel and console technical specialist at Ford Motor Co. (Dearborn, Mich.).

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REVIEWIBEX2012 Under the banner “The Future of Marine Technology,” the 22nd International

BoatBuilders’ expo confronts a brave new world.

Source | IBEX

he marine industry’s largest technical trade event was held, again this year, far inland along the Ohio River, at the Kentucky Exposition Center (Louisville, Ky.). Th e Interna-

tional BoatBuilders’ Exhibition (IBEX) was cohosted Oct. 2-4 by Brooklin, Maine-based Professional BoatBuilder magazine and the National Marine Manufacturers Assn. (NMMA, Washington, D.C.).

IBEX opened this year with a keynote address by Steve M. Murdock, former director of the U.S. Census Bureau. He set the tone for the exhibition’s examination of the marine market’s future by discussing how demographic trends in the U.S. population could aff ect boating. He suggested the boat market could double in sizeif the industry could increase boat buying among Hispanics to the same level it has achieved among non-Hispanics. Th e NMMA added a special market intelligence session that featured economists and market specialists in fi shing, outdoor sports and boating. NMMA president Tom Dammrich noted that boat sales are continuing to rise in most marine segments. Th is was confi rmed by Matt Cham-bers, president of Marine Concepts (Cape Coral, Fla.), who cited an increase in new model development across boat types and sizes, from kayaks and ski boats to high-performance craft and models from 40 to 50 ft in length. To keep up, Chambers says, his company is expanding into a new location and has purchased its sixth CNC machine, supplied by PaR Systems (Shoreview, Minn.), to meet demand for faster cutting, tighter tolerances and the ability to cut carbon fi ber and other hard-to-cut materials.

Many exhibitors noted that IBEX attendance (up just 1 percent over 2011) refl ected the continued sluggishness in the marine mar-

ket, and though they continue to see positive signs, they believe the peaks that once followed industry slowdowns are a thing of the past. Comments were made that this was the best IBEX in three years (see Fig. 1 & 3 for comparisons), and there was surprise, as well, at the lack of talk about the new styrene labeling rule now in eff ect and its possible implications for the industry.

IBEX composites seminars continued to look forward, urging the industry to continue its improvement in materials, design and processing, with special emphasis on vacuum infusion process-ing and curing (e.g., “Vacuum Bag Basics,” “Cure Cycles and Post Curing,” and “Vacuum Infusion for Carbon Fiber Laminates”). In addition to the technical focus, presenters looked at marketing op-portunities overseas (“Global Production BoatBuilding”) and how manufacturers can improve effi ciency and costs, in sessions titled

Although attendance (up 1 percent vs. 2011) mirrored the still sluggish

marine industry, exhibitors CT visited said it was the best IBEX event in

three years but also indicated that the peaks that once followed industry

slow-downs could be a thing of the past.

Composites One’s Closed Mold Alliance attracted throngs again this year

with outdoor infusion molding demonstrations.

FIGURE 1

IBEX 2012 SHOW STATISTICS

• 100,000 ft2 of exhibit space

• 520 exhibitors from 12 countries

• 4,701 attendees from 31 countries and 46 states

• 92 technical & business seminars

• 120 marine industry expert speakers

• 16 free workshops

FIGURE 2

Cores Cores & Reinforcements

Prefab. Structures

B3 SmartPac (SP High Modulus)

■

Compsys (Melbourne, FL)

■

DIAB ■

Mahogany Composites (Mays Landing, NJ)

■ ■

NIDA CORE (3M) ■

Plascore (Zeeland, MI) ■

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“Plant Layout,” “Cost and Effi ciency of Resin Infusion,” and “Light-weight Composite Technology for Improving Effi ciency.” And one seminar focused exclusively on composites regulatory issues.

Notably, Composites Consulting Group (DeSoto, Texas) pre-sented test results that compared single-bag vs. double-bag vacuum infusion in an attempt to determine what, if any, value the latter may have for marine applications. Th e Group noted that single-bag infusion with tight process control and double-bag infusion were shown to deliver roughly the same result; but presenters agreed that the sample — 10 test pieces —was too small to be statistically con-clusive. Additional testing is under consideration.

ON THE SHOW FLOOR

Increasing effi ciency through better use of materials and labor was also the trend among Composites Pavilion exhibitors. Kitting was a common theme (see Fig. 2 on p. 20), spreading beyond reinforce-ments and cores to prefabricated stringers and bulkheads, as well as precut and preseamed vacuum bag materials. Other effi ciency innovations on exhibit included tools with vacuum capability to remove debris and reduce consumables (see Dynabrade item, p. 22) and adhesives designed to replace the labor of mechanical fasteners (see ITW Plexus item, p. 22).

Among the fi rst-time exhibitors in the Pavilion were two long-time marine industry composites suppliers — French Canadian resin source Tri-Tex and Japan-based ACMOS Inc., represented by its U.S. sales offi ce in Maryland — and a surfacing veil supplier, Creatis LLC, from Indiana.

Th e CT staff found these and other exhibits of interest to marine composites manufacturers on the show fl oor, of which the follow-ing is a notable sampling.

SEMIPERMANENT MOLD RELEASES

With a 26-year history in the U.S., ACMOS Inc. (Lutherville, Md.), a supplier of mold release systems compatible with urethane, poly-ester, vinyl ester and epoxy resins, exhibited its semipermanent release systems for the fi rst time at IBEX. In the spotlight was its new ACMOScoat 82-9100, which reportedly saves 30 percent in application time by enabling more demolded parts per application. With its headquarters in Nomura, Japan, the company has facilities located in Bremen, Germany, in addition to offi ces in Lutherville and nearby Hanover, Md. www.acmos.com

BREATHER STRIPS FOR VACUUM INFUSION

Airtech International (Huntington Beach, Calif.) introduced its MC-79 vacuum breather strip. According to the company, it simpli-fi es vacuum bagging and helps control fl ow in resin infusion. Made from Dahltexx SP-2 fabric, this strip material helps to ensure wet out and avoids dry patches by providing even vacuum distribu-tion over the part for effi cient air removal. It can be applied over the surface of a laminate with no resin bleed out and little mark-off ; or it can be used with a localized vacuum source to draw resin into dry areas or to avoid dry patches via stringer top vacuum manifolds. www.airtechonline.com

MOLDING COMPOUND CORE SUBSTITUTE

ATC Formulated Polymers Inc. (Burlington, Ontario, Canada) an-nounced type approval for its Core-Bond family of products by the marine vessel classifi cation society the American Bureau of Ship-ping (ABS, Houston, Texas). ATC’s CEO, Jean-Pascal Schroeder,

Although boatbuilders

and other marine

manufacturers have

returned to IBEX in the

wake of the recent

recession — this year’s

attendance is higher

than the two best years

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FIGURE 3

IBEX BY THE NUMBERS

Year Exhibitors Visitors

2006 820 4,509

2007 900 4,570

2008 750 3,924

2009 470 4,567

2010 546 5,161

2011 556 4,672

2012 520 4,701

AIREX T92.80 SealX, a sealed version of 3A Composites’

AIREX T92 thermoplastic PET foam, reportedly offers the lowest

foam resin uptake during infusion. Used in the carbon/epoxy

sandwich hulls of the 50-ft/15m Fifty-Fifty catamaran, it helped

minimize weight, enabling the yacht to break a longstanding speed

record in Hungary’s 2012 Balaton Lake Regatta.

Source | www.tradeonlytoday.com

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also discussed how a variety of boatbuilders are experimenting with POLY-BOND B55LV Molding Compound to reduce material and labor cost in the production of various parts. Campion Boats (Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada), for example, is replacing core with B55LV in hatches that are gel coated on both sides us-ing a low-pressure displacement molding process (also known as squish molding) to eliminate consumables and reduce tooling costs for simple parts. Campion claims additional savings by eliminating skin layer reinforcements without print-through issues. Schroeder says other builders are using B55LV in hard tops and door tops and are experimenting with it as a substitute for syntactic core, saying it off ers a lightweight, tappable material with reportedly twice the screw retention of plywood. www.atc-fp.com

HANDS-ON TRAINING COURSES

CCP Composites (Kansas City, Mo.) publicized its CCP University, an annual schedule of more than eight hands-on training courses off ered across the country, with topics including Tooling Construc-tion, Gelcoat Application and Patching and Closed Molding/LRTM/CCBM/VIP. Th e company also provides the industry-renowned Cookbook applications guide, which is now available digitally on CD-ROM and via its Web site at www.ccpcompositesus.com.

UNIQUELY PATTERNED

CARBON FIBER WOVENS

Composite Fabrics of America (CFA, Taylorsville, N.C.) exhibited its TEX-TRAL 3K and 12K carbon fi ber fabrics in standard widths to 80 inches/203 cm (greater widths, custom), with “unique” weaves that create visual impact. Al-though CFA is only three years old, it says it benefi ts from the more than 90 years of textile experience acquired

by parent Schneider Mills (New York, N.Y., and Taylorsville). “Le-veraging our parent company’s extensive weaving expertise, we have developed technologies enabling us to weave carbon, aramid and other advanced fi bers into fabric patterns that are both struc-turally sound and aesthetically striking,” said regional sales director Jack Loudermilk. CFA supplies all of the traditional composite fab-rics, plus more than 30 diff erent exotic TEXTRAL weaves, and can create customer-exclusive designs like logos. www.cfamills.com

SPRAYABLE, REUSABLE RUBBER VACUUM

BAG MATERIALS

Distributor Composites One (Arlington Heights, Ill.) continued its annual Closed Mold Alliance demonstrations and promoted the newest addition to its wide array of closed molding materials and equipment options: SPRAYOMER nonsilicone reusable vacuum bag materials. Manufacturer SR Composites (Henderson, Nev.) lent testimony to SPRAYOMER’s advantages, which  come from  using modifi ed natural rubbers with extreme tear-resistance and fl ex-ibility, enabling the formation of reusable bags that are reportedly thinner and lighter than silicone bags, with a typical payback vs. disposable bags at 25 to 30 cycles for parts of practically any size

or shape. Th e base material is biodegradable and renewable, with a carbon footprint estimated at 50 percent that of synthetic rubber. www.compositesone.com

COMPOSITE STRUCTURAL AND INFUSION

FLOW ANALYSES

Composites Consulting Group (CCG, the consulting arm of DIAB, DeSoto, Texas) highlighted its work in fl ow modeling analy-sis, done in conjunction with Vectorworks Marine (Titusville, Fla.) on the latter’s 145-ft River Hawk patrol boat, which features what is

believed to be the largest infused hull to date (see photo), and the M10 hovercraft . Th e M10 relies on 10-ft /3m diameter, all-carbon-fi ber propeller ducts that weigh in at only 210 lb/95.3 kg each, a feat enabled by CCG’s analytical consulting expertise (see also En-gineered Bonding Solutions item, p. 23). www.ccg-composites.com

DECORATED SURFACING VEILS

Creatis LLC (Millersburg, Ind.) off ered its Phantom Veil polyester and glass fi ber surfacing veils, available printed with one of more than 30 “standard” and “nonstandard” designs (e.g., camoufl age, brick, marble, sandstone and a variety of wood grains) or with a custom design, such as a logo. Th e company off ers 1m2/10.8-ft 2 samples, short lead times and has a one-roll (100m2/1,076-ft 2) mini-mum order for standard designs. www.creatisllc.com

DUST/DEBRIS-CAPTURE TOOLS

Dynabrade (Clarence, N.Y.) promoted its extensive line of vacu-um-operated dust- and debris-capture tools, including drills and diamond-wheel cutoff tools, off ering reduced consumables costs for composites machining. For example, its orbital sander with vacuum capability reportedly extends the life of the sanding disk by suck-ing debris into the vacuum to prevent disk clogging. A longer disk life also reduces the number of consumable change-outs and boosts overall machining effi ciency. www.dynabrade.com

HYBRID URETHANE/SILICONE ADHESIVES

ITW Plexus (Danvers, Mass.) has developed the H-Series product line of one-component, semistructural urethane/silicone (hybrid) sealant adhesives that off er UV-resistance plus excellent elongation and fl exibility. Described as a green product line, it is isocyanate-free, with low to no volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Th e adhe-sives are targeted to replace welds and metal fasteners in secondary structures, aesthetic applications and any applications with exposed bondlines. www.itwplexus.com

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Read this article online | http://short.compositesworld.com/Z3QAJ3FL.

Contributing WriterGinger Gardiner is a freelance writer and regular CT contributor based in Washington, N.C.ginger@compositesworld.com

STRUCTURAL ADHESIVES

Engineered Bonding Solutions LLC (Titusville, Fla.) celebrated the one-year anniversary of its Acralock adhesives in August. “We are rapidly expanding to meet the interests beyond North America into Asia, Europe and South America,” said company president Matt Brandli, who spotlighted recent marine applications: Sportsman Boats (Summerville, S.C.) uses SA10-100 to bond stringers to the

hull and UV-resistant SA10-40WHT for small parts. Vectorworks Marine (Titusville, Fla.) used Acralock structural methacrylates in two foreign military projects, the 145-ft River Hawk patrol boat and two land-and-sea capable 70-ft M10 hovercraft (see photo) for EPS Corp. (Tinton Falls, N.J.). (See also the previous Composites Con-sulting Group item, p. 22). www.acralock.com

COMBINED E-GLASS/E-CR GLASS ROVINGS

Owens Corning Composite Materials (Toledo, Ohio) announced that its OptiSpray roving products are available globally. Designed for spray-up processing in marine, transportation and other ap-plications, OptiSpray products are made with Owens Corning’s patented Advantex glass fi ber, which combines the mechanical properties of E-glass with the corrosion-resistance of E-CR glass. OptiSpray’s benefi ts are said to include easy chopping, rolling and air release; fl at lay down and uniform dispersion; and excellent con-formability without spring back, including in challenging vertical parts. www.owenscorning.com

UV-RESISTANT METHACRYLATE ADHESIVES

SCIGRIP Smarter Adhesive Solutions (Durham, N.C.) showcased its SG100-series of UV-resistant, two-part methacrylate adhesives. “Th e newly reformulated SG100-series delivers superior adhesion properties, while requiring minimal surface preparation for bond-ing a wide range of materials used in boatbuilding and marine ap-plications,” said regional sales manager Kirk Miller. Th ese nonyel-lowing adhesives are intended for bonding composites, metals or thermoplastics, and the reduced surface prep is said to cut labor costs and production cycle times. www.scigrip.com

RECYCLED POLYETHYLENE

TEREPHTHALATE FOAM

3A Composites, div. of Schweitzer Technologies Group (Sins, Switzerland) exhibited AIREX T92.80 SealX, a sealed version of its AIREX T92 polyethylene terephthalate (PET) thermoplastic foam. Said to exhibit the lowest resin uptake during infusion, compared not only to other PET cores, but to PVC foam as well, the foam is available in densities from 5 to 12.5 lb/ft 3 (80 to 200 kg/m3). 3A claims this closed-cell foam core with recycled PET content is easy to process with no outgassing. It withstands process temperatures

up to 302°F/150°C and it can off er cost savings, for example, by replacing PVC foam core with an equal-property SealX to reduce resin uptake. Th e result is said to decrease resin usage and there-fore nets a cost-per-part savings, plus savings in core cost, with minimal impact on component weight (see photo and caption, p. 21). www.3acomposites.com

EPOXY RESIN SYSTEMS

Tri-Tex (Saint-Eustache, Quebec, Canada) exhibited its East System (the name has a 25-year history and is not related to West System) epoxy laminating and infusion resins, casting resins and fairing compounds. Th e epoxies include 24 individual systems for either room-temperature or elevated-temperature cure, including fi lled and unfi lled systems and several systems with short-fi ber reinforce-ments. www.tritex.com

REINFORCEMENT/FLOW MEDIA COMBO

Vectorply Corp. (Phenix City, Ala.) showed off its VectorCore rein-forcements, which combine structural continuous glass fi bers and a highly permeable polypropylene-fi ber fl ow media. Intended for closed molding applications, the combination of glass reinforce-ment and fl ow media reportedly provides much higher mechanical properties compared to all-chop fi ber or continuous fi lament mats (CFMs). Further, the VectorCore materials are said to have supe-rior conformability and contribute to better surface cosmetics in the fi nished composite part. www.vectorply.com

EXPAND-IN-PLACE

EPOXY FOAM

PRO-SET (Bay City, Mich.) exhibited its M1034/M2037 expand-in-place epoxy foam. When it is mixed, this product creates, in-situ, a closed-cell epoxy foam with very uni-form cell sizes. Th e expanding epoxy foam can be used as a core for lightweight composite structures. Aft er cure, it will bond with fi ber-reinforced plastic (FRP), metals and low-density core materi-als. To date the expanding foam product has been used in boat rud-ders, dagger boards and keel fi ns, but it also could see applications, says the company, in marine tidal turbine blades and stabilizer fi ns. www.prosetepoxy.com | CT |

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Work in Progress

Wind turbine sizes and, specifi cally, rotor blade lengths and tower heights are increasing. CT recently high-

lighted power provider Alstom’s (Levallois-Perret Cedex, France) installation of 73.5m/241-ft long blades manufactured by LM Wind Power (Kolding, Denmark) on the world’s largest off shore wind turbine at Carnet, France. Previous CT articles have addressed the 40-year trend toward ever-longer blades, detailed the design criteria that drive the trend, and identifi ed the corresponding design and materials challenges (see “Learn More,” p. 29).

Briefl y, blade length is growing because turbine power output is proportional to the square of blade length, and blade volume and weight are proportional to the cube of blade length. Practically speaking, longer blades sweep a larger area and, as a result, con-tact a greater volume of available moving air. More wind energy is captured and converted to electricity, which is passed along to the grid. Higher towers, in turn, elevate those longer blades to greater heights, where air speeds are typically faster and possess greater ki-netic energy. Th ese factors infl uence wind turbine economics. Lon-ger blades mean fewer towers and reduced transportation and in-stallation expenses for a given designed power output. Th is reduces the overall cost of generated electricity per kW/hr. And minimizing

the number of towers is of particular interest to off shore wind farm operators due to the high installation and maintenance costs in of-ten demanding marine environments.

Finding the optimum balance between blade length, turbine cost and power output is the ongoing challenge, and, in the latter half of this century’s fi rst decade, it became increasingly diffi cult, due to the inherent size and capability limitations of the world’s wind blade testing facilities. Testing is essential to meet the design, optimization and commercialization challenges associated with longer blades. An urgent need for testing facilities capable of validating designs and providing certifi cation testing for blades as long as 100m/328 ft was recognized both in the U.S. and Europe.

SCALING UP FOR THE FUTURE

Several proposed blade testing labs that could meet this need were described in CT’s April 2010 issue (see “Learn More”). In the U.S.,

Fig. 1: Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick (at podium) and (far right,

front row) Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and WTTC executive director Rahul

Yarala, and (back row, left) Congressmen Mike Capuano and Ed Markey were

among those in attendance at the May 18, 2011, opening ceremony.

WIND BLADE TEST FACILITY

WTTC opens

upsized

Source | Matt Bennett/Massachusetts Governor’s Offi ce

Work in Progress

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the Wind Technology Testing Center (WTTC, Boston, Mass.) opened on May 18, 2011 (see Figs. 1-3). It is the only lab in the U.S. that can test blades up to 90m/295-ft long. Th is $35 million to $40 million facility was built quickly and is owned and operated by the WTTC Division of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC, Boston, Mass.). Key partners include the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL, Golden, Colo.). Major funding for the project came from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust. In addition to creating roughly 300 construc-tion and engineering jobs in Massachusetts, this investment is supporting innovation in the U.S. wind industry and further development of off shore wind resources. Two other testing facilities capable of handling these long blades have commenced operations in Europe (see sidebar, p. 26).

Th e WTTC is a large — 33.6m by 100.8m by 24.4m (110 ft by 330 ft by 80 ft ) — temperature-controlled facility located on a site that was previously a scrap metal yard. Th is site was contaminated with petroleum, polychlorinated biphenyls, metals and volatile organic compounds, which necessitated remediation and extensive permit-ting, and these obligations aff ected the design of the lab. But its location off ers transportation ad-vantages that, in the long term, will overcome the costs of permitting and construction because cus-tomers can ship large blades to WTTC on barges. Th is capability was cited by TPI Composites Inc. (Scottsdale, Ariz.) as one reason why the blade-maker opened its new blade R&D and prototyping plant in nearby Fall River, Mass., in 2010.

TESTING PARAMETERS

Wind turbine manufacturers and designers need static and dynamic performance data for their blades. Th is is refl ected in current industry standards, such as IEC 61400-23, and in manu-facturers’ test protocols. To simulate a 20-year service life, the testing lab must mechanically initiate up to 5 million fatigue cycles in the edge-wise and fl apwise directions. WTTC primarily uses hydraulic hardware developed jointly with NREL and MTS Systems (Eden Prairie, Minn.) to perform resonant exciter-based fatigue tests.

WTTC’s Universal Resonance Excitation (UREX) system excites the blade at its natural frequency by means of attached, double-ended MTS 244 hydraulic actuators, linear bearings and adjustable masses that apply resonant frequency cyclic loads. A typical installation is shown in Fig. 4, p. 27. UREX testing requires less test energy than competing systems. Th is reduces test costs

and allows actuators to be placed so the blade can be fatigued in the fl apwise and edgewise directions simultaneously.

In addition, new techniques like Ground Resonance Excitation (GREX) are being developed. GREX employs fl oor-coupled hydraulics to provide greater fl exibility for testing longer blades while maintain-ing relatively higher test frequencies. Th is is well suited for 40m/13-ft and longer blades that may have low stiff ness where blade-mounted actuators can be less eff ective. Th e highest test frequency that can be achieved also helps keep the test duration as short as possible.

Fig. 3: This interior view of the WTTC shows a blade attached to one of the lab’s three blade

root mounting fi xtures. On the right is a larger, unoccupied blade-mounting fi xture, showing the

range of root diameters each fi xture can accommodate.

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Two rotor blade testing facilities in Europe have answered the call for

testing capability that will accommodate today’s longer blade designs

for offshore wind turbines with newly constructed blade test sites.

Fraunhofer-Institut für Windenergie und Energiesystemtechnik (IWES,

Bremerhaven, Germany), the fi rst to complete its expanded facility, is

now able to test 90m/295-ft blades, up from 70m/230-ft test lengths

two years ago. Fraunhofer-IWES’s new test equipment is housed in a

recently completed €11 million ($14.3 million USD) testing hall funded

by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF); the

Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear

Safety (BMU); the European Regional Development Fund (EFRD); and

the state of Bremen, Germany.

Blades are attached to a massive 1,000 metric tonne/2.2 million lb

tiltable mounting block made of steel and reinforced concrete, with di-

mensions of 14m by 12m by 12.5m (45.9 ft by 39.4 ft by 41 ft). Because

the mounting block can tilt up to minus 20° from vertical, even very long

blades can be displaced to the appropriate levels (see the discussion of

tip defl ection and its relationship to blade angle in the main article).

The ability to rotate the mounting block allows test technicians to

accelerate the testing procedure and affords greater fl exibility in adjust-

ing the mounting angle of the rotor blade during testing. During a static

test, as the rotor blade is loaded with cables, it can be simultaneously

tilted by hydraulics mounted to the tilt block.

During static loading, the force applied to the blade from each hy-

draulic cylinder is controlled using a load cell placed between the blade

and the loading cable. This setup enables Fraunhofer-IWES personnel to

precisely control the loads and subsequent deformations and strains of

the blade throughout a testing regime.

For dynamic fatigue tests, the rotor blade can be loaded in vertical

and horizontal directions. The distribution of the bending moment

along the rotor blade can be adjusted by varying the test frequency

or adding weights. For dynamic tests at the fi rst eigenfrequency, the

energy requirement is reduced compared to quasi-static fatigue tests.

Fraunhofer-IWES has developed new methods for biaxial fatigue tests

that allow simultaneous loading in the fl ap and edge directions. This test

method reportedly reduces the test duration and costs, and provides a

more realistic load situation.

Through measurement and frequency analyses, the rotor blade’s ei-

genfrequencies can be determined. Hundreds of strain gauges, load cells,

cable sensors, angle sensors and sensors capable of measuring variously

acceleration, temperature and humidity are said to generate a wealth

of data for analysis. In addition to its facilities for testing full-scale rotor

blades, the laboratory infrastructure includes facilities for coupon and

component testing, providing characteristic values for the evaluation and

development of rotor blade substructures.

Similarly, the not-for-profi t National Renewable Energy Centre (Na-

REC, Blyth, Northumberland, U.K.) now has the capability to test blades

up to 100m /328-ft long. The new blade testing hall is 123m/403.4 ft

long and is housed within the 5,700m2 (61,354 ft2) steel frame building

at NaREC. The new building is reportedly the second of three structures

to be completed at Blyth as part of a more than £80 million ($128

million) investment by NaREC in accelerated testing of offshore wind

turbine blades and other renewable marine energy technologies.

The test hub is a 15m/49.2 ft high concrete superstructure on a

“substantial” foundation. It features two huge blade attachment rings.

The top ring, 8m/26.3-ft in diameter, is said to accommodates blade

lengths up to 100m/328 ft. The bottom ring accommodates blades of

smaller root diameters. The hub arm includes substantial foundations.

To achieve the exact position of the rings within the concrete structure,

216 post-tensioned bars have been cast in to extremely tight tolerances

of ±3 mm (0.118 inch). Special winches, fi xed to 132 circular steel rings

in the fl oor, also have been manufactured and will be used to fl ex the

blades during testing.

NaREC also incorporates a facility that is capable of testing blades

up to 50m/164 ft in length, in accordance with IEC and ISO standards

or customer requirements. Dynamic and static tests are undertaken and

can include the determination of natural frequencies, modal analysis,

postfatigue and failure assessments. This ISO 17025-certifi ed lab has

been in operation for seven years.

The new facility is being commissioned and accredited to ISO 17025

standards. It was jointly funded by the U.K. Department for Business,

Innovation and Skills and the U.K. Department of Energy and Climate

Change (£11.5 million/$18.4 million), Regional Development Agency

One North East (£2 million/$3.2 million) and the ERDF, managed in the

U.K. by the Department for Communities and Local Government, which

secured a £4.7 million/$7.5 million ERDF investment.

NaREC was established in 2002 as a Center of Excellence for new

and renewable energy technologies. It is, therefore, a collection of

research, testing and development facilities across the spectrum of the

renewable energy sector. It offers not only testing and prototyping of

large on- and offshore wind turbine blades, but also tidal turbines and

other subsea equipment, micro-renewables and high-voltage electrical

equipment. NaREC also has facilities and consultancy expertise for the

development and integration of large- and small-scale renewables into

the energy mix, including assistance with small-scale embedded power

generation and systems analysis services. Further, NaREC has the over-

sight of what it says is the U.K.’s only independent photovoltaic (solar

energy) R&D laboratory, which is capable of small-scale manufacturing

and solar cell process development.

— John Winkel

IN EUROPE: FRAUNHOFER-IWES, NAREC TAKE BLADE TESTING TO 100M/328 FT

Work in Progress

Work in Progress

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Th e WTTC is using the latest data acquisition systems devel-oped at NREL. Th is custom system, built with National Instruments (Austin, Texas) hardware, enables test personnel to monitor as many as 540 channels in the lab simultaneously. It is capable of very fast sampling rates, even while it communicates with test control systems. Th e system is expandable and, therefore, could accommo-date even longer blade test articles or a future demand for a greater number of sensors per unit of blade length. Other performance specifi cations for the WTTC are shown in Table 1, p. 29.

In test facility design, a key parameter is the amount of blade tip defl ection that it can accommodate. Th is parameter directly af-fects facility size and cost. Tip defl ections can be increased by an-gling the blade upwards and by increasing the mounting height above the fl oor. WTTC accomplishes this with two test stands that have mounting heights of 6.5m/21.3 ft above the fl oor and a 6°

The Offshore Wind Laboratory’s new wind turbine

blade test lab, part of a 38,700-ft² (3,595m²) expan-

sion of the University of Maine’s (UMaine) AEWC

Advanced Structures and Composites Center (Orono,

Maine), was fi rst announced in February 2009.

Construction of the lab began in earnest during sum-

mer 2010. The lab was completed in late November

2011, the equipment was calibrated and tested, and

commercial clients were able to use its services begin-

ning in spring of this year. The lab received certifi cation

in August 2012 and, according to the lab’s director Dr.

Habib Dagher, it has already been used by several “top

10” wind energy OEMs.

Dagher emphasizes that the AEWC lab is a full-service facility, offer-

ing testing and material characterization services that cover each stage

of blade development, including coupons, spars, root sections, blade

sections and complete blades.

The lab’s blade test fi xture (see photo) is anchored in bedrock and

stabilized by more than 4.5 million lb (2,041 metric tonnes) of steel

and concrete. The lab can provide up to 1 million lb (453.6 metric

tonnes) of fatigue and static loads and is capable of testing up to

70m/230-ft long wind blades. In North America, the Offshore Wind

Laboratory is second in size only to the Wind Technology Testing Center

(WTTC, Boston, Mass.). The AEWC lab also includes what Dagher says

is one of the largest environmental chambers in the U.S., capable of

measuring static and fatigue characteristics under a variety of tempera-

tures, humidity levels and UV light exposures.

The AEWC’s new wave and wind basin is under construction and

due to be completed by the end of 2013; it will allow for the testing of

wind turbines in an offshore environment under wave and wind condi-

tions. The tank will be 130 ft long, 75 ft wide and 15 ft deep (39.6m

by 22.9m by 4.6m) and will be able to propagate waves at a different

angle than the wind. When all is said and done, the AEWC lab will

encompass 100,000 ft²/9,290m² and cost $100 million.

As part of the AEWC’s efforts to develop offshore wind energy

systems, Dagher says the organization is manufacturing a 1:8- scale

fl oating turbine that is expected to be completed by April 2013. It will

feature a composite tower, and composites will be used in some parts

of the fl oating structure. Dagher says it will be tested in the Atlantic

Ocean off the coast of Maine from April to September 2013.

Unlike the WTTC, which is allied with the U.S. Department of

Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (Golden, Colo.), the

UMaine facility operates independently. Reportedly, 90 percent of its

operational funding comes from grants and its outside income. The

construction project benefi ted from a total of $17.4 million (USD) in

funding provided by a Maine bond issue, the Maine Technology Asset

Fund and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

— John Winkel

UMAINE’S OFFSHORE WIND LAB SPORTS 70M/230-FT TESTING … AND MORE

The fi rst two wind blades delivered to the Offshore Wind Laboratory, part of the

Advanced Structures and Composites Center at UMaine, were used to test the

functionality of new testing equipment installed in the lab and to train staff members and

student researchers to use the testing system.

Fig. 4: A view of the WTTC’s resonance exciter system, set up for

fatigue testing.

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SAVE DATETHE

amerimoldexpo.comDonald E. Stephens Center, Rosemont, IL

PRESENTED BY

The Event for Mold Manufacturing

mold

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Read this article online | http://short.compositesworld.com/BkAZxBUx.

Read John Winkel’s previous “Work in Progress” feature on this subject, titled “Upsizing blade test regimes” | CT April 2010 (p. 24) | http://short.compositesworld.com/040WP9qC.

Read more about the impact of composite wind blade length on turbine energy output in these previously published articles:

“Big wind blades: Still getting bigger” | CT June 2012 (p. 12) | http://short.compositesworld.com/KZEv44Gf.

“Wind blade manufacture: Opportunities and limits” | CT June 2011 (p. 8) | visit http://short.compositesworld.com/Q5OOX9JP.

Read about Alstom’s record longest blade in “LM Wind Power 73.5m blades installed for fi rst time” | http://short.compositesworld.com/GtJfbn3d.

The effect of U.S. Congressional inaction on the extension of the PTC and its effects on wind energy development are discussed by CT’s editor-in-chief, Jeff Sloan, in “Twisting in the wind” | CT April 2012 (p. 3) | http://short.compositesworld.com/YCJTtuNI.

angle above horizontal. Wedge plates can modify this angle, yield-ing a range from 0° to 12° above horizontal. Th ese stands are for the largest blades. A third test stand, suitable for shorter blades, has a mounting height of 5m/16.4 ft above the fl oor with an 8° angle above horizontal, which can be modifi ed to between 0° and 16°.

WTTC TESTING RESULTS

Th e WTTC has had a full testing workload since it opened, despite prolonged uncertainty about renewal of the U.S. Production Tax Credit (PTC). Its benefi ts and the political obstacles to renewing it have been covered by CT (see “Learn More”). Six blades have undergone testing there, including blades manufactured by Clipper Windpower LLC (Carpinteria, Calif.), which were used to verify the integrity of WTTC’s data acquisition systems during static and fatigue load tests; LM Wind Power; and Blade Dynamics (New

Orleans, La.). Currently three blades are undergoing tests, and addi-tional blades are scheduled for testing through early 2013.

Th e WTTC has learned much from the past 16 months of opera-tions. One signifi cant lesson is the need for improved resonance-based exciter systems (including the new GREX system) for fatigue testing of longer blades. A second lesson is the need for continued and enhanced cooperation with the industry when it comes to hav-ing detailed test planning and test predictions completed prior to actual testing. Just as important, the industry is learning about the signifi cant new testing capabilities off ered by the WTTC through actual tests. Th e response, thus far, has been favorable and has high-lighted advantages such as easy accessibility to the U.S. market and blade manufacturers, resulting in cost and time savings, increased test sophistication and feedback to improve blade designs, particu-larly for off shore turbines.

GOALS MET, NEW GOALS SET

Th e WTTC has successfully met most of its design goals. It is, by all accounts, a world-class blade testing facility that has opened the door for static and fatigue tests of blades up to 90m/295 ft in length. Th e response from the wind industry has been favorable, and there is a lot of excitement about the role the WTTC will play in the development and testing of longer and more reliable — but also lighter and, therefore, less expensive — wind turbine blades. Th e availability of this testing capability is critically important to blade manufacturers as they tackle the design challenges of large off shore wind turbines. | CT |

TABLE 1 SPECIFICATIONS FOR WTTC

Load Capacity Maximum static bending moment up to 84 Mega Newton meters (MNm)

Blade Length Up to 90m/295-ft blades, dependent on test specs

Blade Displacement

33m/108-ft maximum horizontal tip displacement

21m/69-ft peak-to-peak vertical tip displacement

Mounting Plates 5m/16.4-ft diameter, with center-to-center distance of 12m/39.4 ft

Overhead Cranes Two independent 50-ton bridge cranes

Blade Mounting Height

6.5m/21.3-ft from fl oor to blade root center

Static Testing 84 MNm maximum static root bending moment

Test to ultimate failure

Up to eight hydraulic actuators/electrical winches to apply test loads

Bending moment tracking

Strain distribution

Stiffness calibration

Dynamic Testing NREL’s patented resonant test system technology

24-hour, fully-monitored fatigue testing

21m/69-ft tip-to-tip fatigue test tip displacement

CAPABILITIES

Three test stands and 100-tons of overhead bridge crane capacity

Full suite of static and fatigue tests, per IEC 61400-23 standard

Dual-axis static or fatigue testing

R&D testing, quality testing, tooling inspection

Prototype development and blade repair capabilities

Research and development partnerships

Hands-on workforce training

Strong commitment to client intellectual property protection

CONTRIBUTING WRITERJohn Winkel is an active composites engineer and consultant with MountainSpire Technology Group LLC (Th ornton, Colo.). jwinkel@indra.net

The Wind Technology Testing Center’s specifi cations and blade testing

capabilities are outlined in detail here.

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FEATURE: Cured=in-Place Pipe Update

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It goes by several aliases: Trenchless technology. In-situ pipe repair.Pipe-within-a-pipe. By any name, the underground construction rehabilitation market is a boon to motorists, who suff er fewer

delays and take fewer detours. And it’s also a blessing for the construction crews that do the work. Th ey call it “no dig” because that slight exaggeration captures its chief benefi t: the installation, replacement or repair of underground utility pipe with minimum excavation and surface disruption. In the U.S., trenchless technology continues an upward growth trend. It has captured nearly half of the $3.4 billion market for sewer line rehabilitation and about an eighth (12.9 percent) of the $1.5 billion spent on repairing potable water pipes, according to the 15th Annual Municipal Infrastruc-ture Survey conducted by Underground Construction (Oildom Publishing Co., Houston, Texas).

A variety of CIPP products are enabling the rehabilitation, rather than excavation and

replacement, of underground pipe for wastewater and drinking water.

Cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) has been a growing subset of trenchless technology since its 1971 debut and is now a substan-tial market for composite materials (see Table 1, p. 31). Bill Moore, product leader for CIPP at resin producer AOC LLC (Collierville, Tenn.), notes that CIPP might be AOC’s biggest market. “While a lot of markets have diminished in the past few years, CIPP has grown,” he says.

CIPP typically consists of a resin-impregnated felt or fi ber sleeve. With its resin in an uncured state, it forms a fl exible, conformable tube that can be inserted into a damaged pipe. Some sleeves are manufactured inside out and are inverted as they are pushed into the existing pipe via air or water pressure. (Th e tube is transported in an exterior liner. Inversion exposes the as-yet uncured resin to the inside of the pipe, and the external liner then becomes the new

cured-in-place

pipe TRENCHLESS TRENDS

Source: BP

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internal surface of the pipe.) Others are pulled through damaged pipe. When they are in place, the sleeves are infl ated until they fi t snugly against the inside of the existing pipe, and then they are cured in that position (see “Learn More,” p. 34).

CIPP systems are designed for a 50-year service life. Geoff Yo-thers, director of Inliner Technologies (Paoli, Ind.), explains that there are two major conditions that dictate CIPP liner design: “One is what we call partially deteriorated, where the existing pipe can accommodate all the soil and highway loading and the CIPP liner only needs to meet the loads imposed by hydrostatic pressure re-sulting from the surrounding groundwater. Th e other is a fully dete-riorated condition, where it is assumed that the existing pipe will be unable to handle any loads sometime over the course of the next 50 years. In this case, the CIPP liner must be designed to withstand all soil, highway and water pressure loads.”

CIPP VERSATILITY

Due largely to research and development on the part of various resin producers, CIPP structures can be designed to satisfy virtu-ally any need for underground pipe rehabilitation, from indus-trial plants to potable water lines. Th e need determines the sleeve composition. Petrochemical and other industrial plants, for example, oft en send highly corrosive media through existing underground metal pipes, resulting in corrosion that must be repaired in a timely manner to prevent groundwater contamina-tion and to avoid work stoppages and delays that interfere with effi cient plant operations. CIPP manufacturers take advantage of polymer resin systems that are resistant to corrosive fl uids, even the highly caustic and acidic materials in industrial waste lines.

In Decatur, Ala., for example, a British Petroleum (BP, London, U.K.) manufactur-ing plant is one satisfi ed benefi ciary of this resin technology. Th e BP plant produces pu-rifi ed terephthalic acid (PTA) and dimethyl 2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylic acid (NDC). A 54-inch/1,370-mm diameter concrete extrane-ous water sewer pipeline in the facility (Fig. 1, p. 30) had been corroded by a fl ow media of process water containing trace amounts of light hydrocarbons from the plant process.

Layne Inliner (Orleans, Ind.), a licensed installer of CIPP sleeves developed by Inliner Technologies, installed a CIPP liner to repair a 720-ft /219m section in only one week, says BP reliability engineer Alan Crisler. For this partially deteriorated host pipe, Inliner used its standard nonwoven polyester fi ber tube, manufactured for Inliner by Liner Products (Paoli, Ind.), its sole supplier of tubes, and

AOC’s highly corrosion-resistant Vipel L085-PPA epoxy novolac vinyl ester resin.

Th e original pipe was fi rst cleaned by a single pass from a jet-ter nozzle (pressurized water spray), but it was not thoroughly scrubbed, Inliner’s Yothers says, noting that the practice was avoid-ed in this case to prevent further damage. “To maintain the integrity of the corroded host pipe, we basically just want to remove debris [from the] inner surface and bottom of the pipe.” Th e preimpreg-nated tube was then inverted into the host pipe through an existing manhole, using water pressure resulting from a 10-ft /3m column of water. “We invert with ambient water, usually around 60 to 65°F [15 to 18°C], then circulate the inversion water through an onsite portable boiler to heat it up to a curing temperature in the range of 180°F/82°C,” Yothers says. Crisler adds that some 83,000 gal (314,190 liters) of water, drawn from the nearby Tennessee River, were circulated to invert, expand and cure the BP liner.

Th e water used in the process was treated through a sequence of retention ponds before it was returned to the river. For that reason, the use of a styrenated resin was not an issue. However, some CIPP manufacturers have minimized water pollution issues by employ-ing fi lm-encapsulated UV-curable resins and air infl ation systems, resulting in no detectable water contamination.

NEW LIGHT ON THE SUBJECT

Liners that are impregnated with isopolyester or vinyl ester resins formulated for cure by UV light are not catalyzed, but instead they contain a photo-initiator that reacts to certain wavelengths of UV light. When the light hits these photo-initiators, they fracture to form reactive free radicals, which initiate the molecular crosslinking that results in cure. UV-curable liners diff er from others in that they use a nonwoven glass fi ber tube, rather than other nonwo-

TABLE 1

Estimated average annual CIPP market, North America1

MARKET Number of feet installed by pipe size (percent of market by pipe size)

1 ft/0.3m or less (76%)

1.25 to 2.25 ft/ 0.38 to 0.69m

(14%)

2.5 to 5 ft/0.762 to 1.52m

(6%)

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(4%)

Estimated average resin use per linear ft (fi lled resin)

6.22 lb/2.82 kg 12.43 lb/5.64 kg 44.32 lb/20 kg 144.61 lb/ 65.6 kg

Total estimated CIPP resin sold in North America

106,000,000 lb/48,080,791.22 kg

Estimated average linear ft of liner produced

12,951,768 ft/ 3,947,699m

1,193,886 ft/ 363,896.45m

143,502 ft/ 43,739.4m

29,320 ft/ 8,936.74m

Total estimated linear ft of CIPP liner produced in North America

14,318,476 ft/4,364,271.5m

1 Amounts will vary from year to year depending on the volume of resin sold and the mix of liners bid and constructed.

Fig. 1: Layne Inliner (Orleans, Ind.) inverts a corrosion-

resistant CIPP liner into a partially deteriorated 54-inch diameter

sewer pipe at a British Petroleum plant in Decatur, Ala.

This estimate of current annual resin usage and liner footage in the North American market helps

underscore the potential for the CIPP portion of the composites market as its percentage of the

pipe rehabilitation business grows.

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FEATURE: Cured-in-Place Pipe Update

vens, because the translucent glass fi bers permit light transmission through the liner’s thickness. UV curing requires no heat, so hot water isn’t necessary to eff ect cure. Further, UV-curable CIPP needs no refrigeration to prevent premature crosslinking and exotherm/cure before installation. Factory-impregnated sleeves need only be sealed in light-tight packaging to prevent exposure to sunlight.

LightStream LP (San Diego, Calif.) has installed more than 300,000 ft /91,440m of its UV-curable liner, trademarked StreamLinerUV CIPP, for sewer and storm drainpipe repair, says Richard Montemara-no, LightStream’s director of sales and marketing. Th e company makes its liners using Fiberex (Leduc, Alberta, Canada) boron- and fl uorine-free E-CR (corrosion-resistant) fi berglass, custom manufactured for StreamLinerUV. Th e liner is preimpregnated with a chemically resis-tant isopolyester or vinyl ester resin formulated for UV cure, supplied by Momentive (formerly Hexion Specialty Chemicals, Columbus, Ohio). Th e wetout liner has a six-month shelf life, with no refrigera-tion required, even in high-temperature environments.

Before the UV CIPP liner is installed, the damaged host pipe is thoroughly cleaned, fl ushed and inspected by video. A plastic sheet is pulled into the host pipe to protect the liner from damage as it moves through the host pipe. Th en the liner is carefully pulled through the old pipe from or to a manhole or other existing open-ing and infl ated with air pressure. Th e StreamLinerUV Light Train (see Fig. 5, p. 34) is then pulled through the liner. Th e cure is con-

trolled by the speed of the Light Train, which ranges from 4 ft /1.2m to 8 ft /2.4m per minute, depending on the diameter and wall thick-ness of the liner. Video inspection is performed by a camera system mounted on the train. An onboard thermal sensing system also monitors the heat given off by the reaction. Th e light source, camera and heat sensor are connected by umbilical to a programmable logic controller (PLC) and viewed on a monitor by the crew, outside the manhole. Additionally, a standard PC laptop functions as a compre-hensive database and communicates with the PLC.

Early in 2012, LightStream’s UV technology was used to repair several sewer mains in Anchorage, Alaska, in temperatures below -10°F/-18°C. At that level of chill, heat-cure resins would be more expensive and less effi cient, says Richard Herring, project manager for the installer, Construction Unlimited Inc. (Anchorage, Alaska). Th e damaged concrete and corrugated metal pipes were under the street and ranged in diameter from 8 inches to 36 inches (203 mm to 914 mm). Repair by standard excavation methods would have been costly and time-consuming.

During the summer of 2012, the contractor also installed LightStream UV CIPP liners to repair damaged 14-, 18- and 20-inch (360-, 460- and 510-mm) diameter pipelines in the oil fi elds of Valdez, Alaska.

In 2005, another UV advocate, Reline America (Saltville, Va.), purchased UV CIPP technology from Brandenburger GmbH (Lan-dau, Pfalz, Germany), which developed one of the fi rst UV-curable pipelining systems. Reline patented its own Blue-Tek UV system in 2007, making changes to the equipment and the Light Train. Blue-Tek CIPP liners are structural composites consisting of continuous spiral-wound glass fi bers that are custom-designed for each instal-lation, using a proprietary winding machine capable of winding lin-ers up to 51 inches/1,300 mm in diameter. Additionally, Reline has recently partnered with Owens Corning (Toledo, Ohio) and AOC to formulate fi berglass and UV-curable resin that it says will “lend greater speed and depth of cure.”

When an underground sewer pipe in Knoxville, Tenn., showed signs of leaking, Reline’s CIPP technology was selected for the re-pair. Active leaking can create cool spots that hinder complete cure by heat-cure methods, but cure by UV light is not aff ected by cool

Fig. 2: Installer Capital Sewer Services (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada)

used a liner impregnated with a styrene-free Eco-Tek vinyl ester resin from

AOC LLC (Collierville, Tenn.) to reline a corroded sewer pipe that runs

through this golf course in Toronto, avoiding both disruptive excavation and

potential pollution of a nearby river with styrenated water waste.

Fig. 3: Sanexen Environmental Services (Varennes, Quebec, Canada).

employs epoxy resins for water main rehabilitation in this residential setting,

using its Aqua-Pipe CIPP liners. The company’s no-VOC, no-HAP epoxy CIPP

provides an eco-sensitive solution for damaged drinking water pipe.

AWWA CIPP CLASSIFICATIONS

The American Water Works Assn. (AWWA, Denver, Colo.) divides

cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) into four classes based on three primary

distinctions in terms of structural function:

Class I: Nonstructural liners; act only as corrosion barriers.

Class II and Class III: Semistructural liners; designed to cover small

holes or gaps in the host pipe.

Class IV: Fully structural liners; will carry the full internal pressure

without support from the host pipe.

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spots. (For further information about Blue-Tek, see “Learn More.”)As another example, in 1997 BKP Berolina (Berlin, Germany)

introduced its Berolina-Liner System, comprising up to fi ve layers of Owens Corning E-CR Advantex or other corrosion-resistant, chopped-strand glass mat, woven fi berglass and/or polyester webs that overlap in a staggered sequence. For installation, aft er the pipe is thoroughly cleaned and inspected, the preimpregnated liners are winched into the damaged pipe. Aft er the ends are closed off , the liner is infl ated using 7.5 psi/0.5 bar of compressed air. As the liner presses against the host pipe, the overlapped layers expand to close-ly fi t the dimensions of the pipe. Th e UV light source is then drawn through the liner, and curing takes place emission-free between the sealed-off liner ends.

Berolina typically mixes its own UV-curable vinyl ester and isophthalic polyester systems, using base resins from AOC or CCP Composites (N. Kansas City, Mo.); but, in some cases, it uses premixed resins from DSM Composite Resins AG (Schaffh ausen, Switzerland). Trademarked Bero-Liner and/or Lightspeed, the sys-tem has been used to repair wastewater and stormwater pipes in 32 countries, including the U.S., where Berolina is represented by CIPP Corp. (Hudson, Iowa).

UV cure not only simplifi es installation, but it also is said to result in a tight fi t between the CIPP liner and the host pipe, an important issue when liner crews are reconstructing service con-nections. However, UV liners are limited in thickness and diameter, LightStream’s Montemarano points out. Th e thicker the liner and the farther its surface is from the light source, the less intense, and therefore less eff ective, the light is at activating the photo initiator. UV power, in fact, is subject to the inverse square law. Th at is, the power of the light source is reduced by the inverse square of the distance, Montemarano says. Most UV liners can, therefore, only be a maximum of 0.5 inch/13 mm to 0.55 inch/14 mm thick and 51 inches/1,300 mm in diameter.

Th is limitation, and the fact that many municipalities are now banning the use of styrenated resins for CIPP because of its odor and concerns about volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, has prompted resin formulators to develop vinyl ester resins that replace styrene with an alternative reactive monomer to reduce or eliminate VOC emissions.

NO-VOC, STYRENE-FREE VINYL ESTER RESIN

In Canada, for example, the City of Toronto, Ontario, elected to go with AOC’s EcoTek L040-TNVG-33 styrene-free vinyl ester to repair 700 ft /200m of a rusted corrugated steel pipe and culvert that carries storm water through a golf course into the Don River (Fig. 2, p. 32). Th e river drains into Lake Ontario, the sole source of Toron-to’s drinking water. Th e CIPP liner was installed by Capital Sewer Services (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada), using nonwoven polyester felt tubes from National Liner LLC (Houston, Texas) that were preimpregnated off site. Th e liner was inverted into the damaged host pipe and cured with hot water. Capital has continued to use the same AOC nonstyrene system in other Toronto installations.

In the southeastern U.S., Tri-State Utilities (Chesapeake, Va.) uses a custom polyester felt liner system from CIPP Corp., which incorporates CoREZYN styrene-free vinyl ester resins from Inter-

plastic Corp. (St. Paul, Minn.), for projects such as storm drains that discharge into estuaries. Tri-State, which serves Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina, has installed more than 150,000 lb/68 metric tonnes of this resin and liner in storm drain pipes along Vir-ginia’s environmentally fragile eastern shore, according to Tri-State president Andy McSweeney.

Th e concerns about styrene are no less evident in Europe. A case in point is the Erasmus Medical Center in downtown Rotterdam, Th e Netherlands. Faced with the need to repair a sewer pipe that was leaking at the joints under an adjacent parking lot, the center approved the use of a CIPP liner impregnated with styrene-free At-lac Premium 600 vinyl ester, developed specifi cally for warm-cure CIPP by DSM. Th e cast iron sewer pipe, at 360m/1,181 ft long, var-ies in diameter from 300 mm/12 inches to 400 mm/16 inches and back to 500 mm/20 inches. Th e promised combination of no-dig re-pair and low-odor/no-VOC emission greatly facilitated the process of obtaining a work permit to operate inside the confi ned space.

“Resin wetout is done in the factory under controlled conditions and pot life is no issue with this resin,” explains Ton van Geest, di-

rector of technical services for Insituform Europe (Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France). Th e repair was completed over seven successive weekends — sparing the weekday parking lot users any inconve-nience — by Insituform Rioolrenovatietechnieken BV (Zoetermeer, Th e Netherlands). Th e company, a subsidiary of CIPP pioneer In-situform Technologies and now a member of the Aegion Corp. (St. Louis, Mo.), manufactures its own felt tubes using polyester fi bers and adds a coat of water-tight polypropylene that bonds with the felt for additional water- and chemical-resistance.

Because the sewer pipe is buried in a U-confi guration, the leak-ing section was diffi cult to access. Insituform’s technology off ered a solution of a jointless pipe system and the ability to negotiate bends through its patented method for sewing together the butted ends of its tube, with no overlapping seams that might create distortions and wrinkles in the pipe liner.

NO-VOC, NO-HAP VINYL HYBRIDS

In another development, Reichhold Inc. (Research Triangle Park, N.C.) has recently expanded its environment-focused Envirolite trademark to include not only a no-VOC, styrene-free vinyl ester,

Fig. 4: Examples of pipeline pigs suitable for CIPP. (The etymology of the

word “pig” for this device is unclear, but one theory is that it stands for

Pipeline Intervention Gadget.)

Source | Drinkwater Products

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FEATURE: Cured-in-Place Pipe Update

but also a monomer-free resin series formulated to emit neither hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) nor VOCs. Th ese liquid resins are 100 percent solids: Th ey have no acrylate monomers or other reac-tive diluents in their chemistry,” explains Steve Hardebeck, Reich-hold’s technology director for North America – Composites. Th ese patented systems, designed specifi cally for CIPP and currently in fi eld trials, crosslink with typical methyl ethyl ketone peroxide (MEKP) catalyst systems that are consistent with standard initiators typically used for CIPP, Hardebeck notes. “We believe this is the next generation in CIPP resins. We call them vinyl hybrids because they are not epoxies. Th ey are one-component systems that the CIPP compounders and manufacturers can easily incorporate into their operations.” Th e resins are available in a neat version (Enviro-lite 33405-00) and a fi lled system (Envirolite 33405-50).

NO-VOC, NO-HAP EPOXY RESIN

Another alternative to styrene-based systems, of course, is epoxy, which is also a 100 percent solids system. Epoxy is almost entirely free of emittable components, and its minimal odor and low

shrinkage (3 percent, compared to 7 percent for polyester and vinyl ester resins) recommend it for CIPP applications. Some manufacturers and contractors are specifying epoxy — which is inherently HAP- and VOC-free — despite several disadvan-tages compared to styrene-free vinyl esters in CIPP applications. Notably, epoxy costs more; and, unlike vinyl esters, which can be catalyzed and applied off -site, epoxy must be mixed and applied on-site just before installation.

Perma-Liner Industries (Clearwater, Fla.) uses epoxy for its lin-ers to eliminate emissions in the densely populated areas it typically serves, says Travis Bohm, business development manager. “We use a specifi c resin formulation developed for us by one supplier, but we prefer not to identify the supplier or the formula,” he adds. Es-tablished in 1998, Perma-Liner focuses specifi cally on municipal, residential and commercial markets in North America.

In Cincinnati, Ohio, C.M.E. Services uses Perma-Liner’s epoxy system for repair of vitrifi ed clay pipes and concrete pipes that are damaged by root intrusion and heavy soil and to reline cast iron sewer pipe that is corroding on the bottom. Pipes are oft en buried in 10 to 15 ft (3 to 4.6m) of clay soil, C.M.E. owner Charles Menkhaus says. Installers aim for complete onsite impregnation of its needle-punched polyvinyl chloride (PVC) felt tubes and polyester scrim. Th e wetout liners are kept in an ice bath to prevent hardening on site as they wait for installation into the host pipe. Th ey are typically inverted into the host pipe with compressed air at pressures ranging from 10 to 14 psi (68.9 to 96.7 kPa).

DRINKING WATER PIPELINES

HAP and VOC emissions are prohibited in, and UV-curable resins are not approved for, the drinking water pipeline repair. Th at’s why CIPP use here is still limited. But epoxy’s solvent-free formulation is enabling CIPP installers to bring no-dig rehabilitation to bear in potable water pipe. And none too soon.

Th e need for repair of aging drinking water pipelines is ap-proaching critical mass. In its Feb. 27, 2012, report, Buried No Longer: Confronting America’s Water Infrastructure Challenge, the American Water Works Assn. (AWWA, Denver, Colo.) framed a challenge: “Much of our drinking water infrastructure, the more than 1 million miles/1,609,344 km of pipes beneath our streets, is nearing the end of its useful life and approaching the age at which it needs to be replaced…. Restoring existing water systems … and expanding them to serve a growing population will cost at least $1 trillion over the next 25 years, if we are to maintain current levels of water service.” Th e U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA, Washington, D.C.) counts 240,000 water main breaks per year and expects that number to increase.

A pioneer in this area is Sanexen Environmental Services (Va-rennes, Quebec, Canada). Th e fi rm employs epoxy for water main rehabilitation using its Aqua-Pipe CIPP (see Fig. 3, p. 32). “Th e chemical components that make up epoxy resins and hardeners are more compatible with drinking water than other types of resins — even nonstyrene vinyl ester resins,” explains Sanexen’s Aqua-Pipe VP Benoit Côté.

Aqua-Pipe was developed for drinking water applications in the 1990s and has been used to line more than 2 million ft /610,800m of

Fig. 5: These light trains are used to cure fi berglass liners pre-

impregnated with UV-curable resin.

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6-inch/152-mm to 12-inch/305-mm pressure pipe in the U.S. and Canada). As an AWWA Class IV fully structural liner (see “AWWA CIPP classifi cations” sidebar, p. 32), Aqua-Pipe comprises woven polyester jackets with a polymeric membrane bonded to the inte-rior to ensure water tightness, and the jackets are impregnated with epoxy resin — both the jackets and the resin are manufactured by Aqua-Pipe in its vertically integrated production facility.

When the pipe has been thoroughly cleaned “to the metal fi n-ish,” Côté says, and prepared for lining, the epoxy is mixed and the liner is quickly wet out on site and pulled through the damaged host pipe. It is mated to the host pipe’s interior surface by push-ing a torpedo-shaped foam pig (Fig. 4, p. 33) through the liner using water pressure that can be varied from 5 to 15 psi (34.5 to 103.4 kPa). Th e resin is then cured by circulating hot water through the liner. Th e liner completely cures in about two hours, aft er which service connections are restored from within the pipe using a remote-controlled robot. And fi nally, the fi nished lined pipe and connections are inspected by a closed-circuit television (CCTV) system.

COMPOSITES TAKE A BOW

When talk gets around to “leading-edge technology,” today, it’s usually in refer-ence to the fast growing, exciting markets of information technology, supercom-puters, aircraft or space systems. Sewers and drinking water pipelines rarely get a mention in this context. But if leading-edge technology is that which sustains and improves the quality of human life, then CIPP certainly qualifi es. Th is segment of the composites industry addresses two of civilizations’ most pressing challenges: what to do with our waste, and how to ensure safe drinking water. Further, under-

Read this article online at http://short.compositesworld.com/JJbE84UH.

Read more about CIPP in underground installations in “Composites Technology Digs-In Underground” | CT April 2007 (p. 23) | http://short.compositesworld.com/mqRz7Ceu.

Read more about BlueTek UV-curable pipe liners in “Inside Manufacturing: CIPP Lights Way in Buried Pipe Repair” | CT April 2008 (p. 37) | http://short.compositesworld.com/WaQcu5i4.get?” | CT June 2009 (p. 30) | http://short.compositesworld.com/Ki9D4Oab.

compositesworld.com

ground construction rehabilitation off ers a huge market for the composites industry. Half of $3.4 billion is $1.7 billion in potential CIPP sewer rehabilitation. And surely 12.9 percent of $1 trillion is a worthy target to pursue in repair of potable water pipes. | CT |

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Senior Writer EmeritusDonna Dawson is CT’s (mostly) retired senior writer, now residing and occasionally writing in Newport Beach, Calif.dawsonserv@earthlink.net

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA, Washington, D.C.) estimates that petroleum or other hazardous substances

were stored in 587,000 underground storage tanks (USTs) in the U.S. as of March 2012. Because 51 percent of the U.S. population depends to some degree on groundwater for drinking water, the EPA established a UST regulatory program in 1984, aimed at eliminating the risk of ground-water contamination from leaks in these tanks. Federal UST regulations were amended in 1986 and 1988, becoming increasingly stringent. By 2005, they included requirements for secondary containment. Th e result was the double-walled tank. Similar to double-walled hulls in oil tankers, all new or replacement underground tanks now must have a secondary barrier and an interstitial void between the two walls. Th e latter enables interstitial monitoring, which uses sensors in the interstice to detect leaks of petroleum or contained chemicals through the tank’s inner wall and groundwater through the tank’s outer wall.

Delta Composite Systems’

GENESIS retrofi t is a cost-

effective alternative to this scene:

A four-week halt in gas-station

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Th e EPA designed the UST program to be imple-mented by each state. However, the regulation land-scape is complex, with some states allowing counties and municipalities to determine UST repair and re-placement specifi cations. States have reported that UST releases are indeed the most common source of groundwater contamination, and petroleum is the most common stored pollutant. Most of the petro-leum is in the form of gasoline and diesel fuel that is stored beneath retail gasoline stations.

State and municipal regulations may require a leaking single-walled tank to be excavated and com-pletely replaced, or they may allow it to be repaired, inspected, certifi ed and retrofi tted for secondary con-tainment. Leaking tanks in the latter category and still-serviceable single-wall tanks comprise a sizeable number of vessels that are in need of secondary containment. Th us, a variety of glass fi ber composite systems have been developed to retrofi t these existing tanks without excavation — with steel, poly-mer coatings or fi berglass composites — as an alternative to the high cost and downtime of complete tank replacement. Th ese sys-tems range from installing precured fi ber-reinforced plastic (FRP) inner tank sections to a variety of methods for directly applying fi berglass and resin to the tank interior.

Delta Composite Systems LLC (Plymouth, N.H.) has devel-oped its novel GENESIS interior secondary barrier system with ZPlex glass sandwich fabric by 3TEX (Cary, N.C.), which ensures not only containment and interstitial monitoring, but it also speeds up and improves the robustness of the application process and of-fers a quick and cost-eff ective way to cover the 700 to 800 ft 2 (65 to 74m2) surface area in a typical tank. Signifi cantly, when the GEN-ESIS system is in place, it is — independent of the existing tank — a fully functional dual-walled fi berglass structure that could maintain compliant UST function regardless of any corrosion issues with the original external tank material.

WHY RETROFIT?

According to Tony Rieck of T.R. Consulting Inc. (Colorado Springs, Colo.), a longtime consultant in this fi eld, “roughly half of the 587,000 USTs the EPA cites are now double-walled.” He explains that there doesn’t always have to be a leak or cleanup problem for a company to pursue retrofi tting its tanks. “Tank owners can act proactively to comply with the secondary containment requirements,” he says. Th e benefi t of the Delta Composite Systems GENESIS retrofi t, says Rieck, “is that it does not involve shutting down the gas station for four weeks and spending $150,000 to $200,000 to put in secondary containment.” Instead, the average cost is only $30,000 for a typical 8,000-gal to 10,000-gal (30,283-liter to 37,854-liter) tank, and it may be the only solution where the existing infrastruc-ture precludes tank removal and replacement.

Rob Pearlman, senior containment systems engi-neer at Delta Composite Systems, explains that “the people at Delta have been developing the processes in-volved since the early 1990s, but we have fi nally joined

together all of the diff erent components into a single retrofi t sys-tem.” Pearlman adds, “Twenty years ago, systems like ours would have been only for special applications, for example, where an exist-ing corroded or damaged tank could not be removed and replaced without disturbing a building. Now, it’s going to be a mainstream alternative to digging up and replacing tanks because it makes eco-nomic sense.”

EASY INTERSTICE INSTALLATION

Instead of merely applying an interior lining, the Delta Composite Systems retrofi t applies a composite sandwich structure, comprised of two faceskins separated by a hollow interstice, which allows any intrusive fl uid to fl ow down into the centerline of the tank bottom, or sump, where it is detected and then removed by a pump or other means. Th e fi rst step is to open the tank and pump out its contents. Rieck comments, “Sometimes you have to install a manway for access.” Next, the interior of the tank is abrasively blasted to get rid of chemical residues, rust and scale in preparation for bonding. Multiple layers of glass fi ber mat are then hand laminated onto the tank, forming the exterior glass shell of the GENESIS retrofi t barrier. Aft er this, the ZPlex fabric is applied.

To manufacture ZPlex, 3TEX begins with a traditional process used to make velvet cloth. Th e method uses a special loom that weaves two thicknesses of fabric at the same time, but they are tied together with z-directional threads. A cutting knife then slits the two faces apart during weaving to create two separate fabrics. Th e cut z-fi bers create the soft pile eff ect that gives velvet its plush feel (see illustration, p. 39). Glass is used to make the velvet in the

ZPlex is a 3-D woven fabric with foam strands woven into the gap between the two

fi berglass faces. The foam maintains the faceskins a set distance apart and excludes resin

from the interstice during lamination.

Once lamination of the fi berglass tank barrier is complete, the foam strands are melted

away, forming a secondary containment structure with a hollow interstice into which any

leaked fl uid can fl ow. There, it is collected and monitored.

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production of ZPlex, but 3TEX does not cut the faces apart. Th is results in a fi berglass laminate with a built-in interstice. Th e dif-ference for ZPlex is that foam is inserted into the space between the two fabrics during the weaving process. Notably, the foam is sacrifi cial, that is, it will be melted away aft er the tank barrier lami-nation process is complete and leave the interstice open.

Rieck describes ZPlex as “a woven roving on either side of a foam core material that goes away when heated, leaving a hollow cavity.”

The ZPlex process starts with spools of glass fiber and olefin foam that have been extruded into a continuous strand. These are fed into a single machine that produces the 3-D woven fabric, with foam strands woven into the gap between the two fiberglass faces during a one-step process. The foam strands maintain the uniform, set distance between the woven skins (important espe-cially because installers must be able to stand and walk on the placed materials). The closed-cell foam keeps resin from invad-ing the interstice during resin hand layup or resin infusion.

1 The existing tank is opened (left), its contents removed, and (right) a

manway is prepared to permit worker entry.

2 After its interior surface is abrasively blasted in preparation for bonding,

the outer barrier of the composite system, comprised of several layers

of glass fi ber mat, is applied via hand layup to the tank interior.

3 The ZPlex material is applied, followed by a fi nal layer of several glass

fi ber mat plies.

4 A trough is constructed from biaxial glass fabric in the bottom of the

tank and is connected to the interstice, enabling leaked fl uid to drain

down and be collected, monitored and removed (see diagram, p. 39).

5 A fi nal layer of gel coat is applied, forming the new interior surface of

the tank.

6 This proprietary heating system is used to melt the foam in the ZPlex

fabric, leaving an open interstice.

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ZPlex is commonly woven with skins as thick as 0.5 inch/12.7 mm and with interstice columns (formed by resin-impregnated z-directional fi ber between the fabric faces) as thick as 0.1 inch/2.54 mm in diameter.

Aft er the ZPlex fabric is hand laminated along the tank surfaces, a trough is constructed along the centerline of the tank bottom us-ing layers of bidirectional glass tape. Th is trough connects to the interstitial space formed by the ZPlex (see diagram, on left , above). A wet/dry cell is piped into the interstitial space. It detects any water or fuel that enters the space, which triggers an alarm and an inspec-tion by the tank owner.

A fi nal two to three layers of glass mat are applied over the ZPlex fabric to prevent potential leakage from porosity in the woven rov-ing surface, followed by a gel coat, which forms the new interior surface of the tank. Th e fi berglass is allowed to cure ambiently, and then a proprietary system is used to heat the tank interior, causing the foam to melt. Because the foam is less than 5 percent solids, the melting foam shrinks to a tiny residue and opens up the interstice.

A variety of diff erent resins can be used in the process to ensure compatibility with petroleum, acetone or other stored chemicals. Polyester, vinyl ester and epoxy are all options, but regardless of the choice, the resin that is used will have been tested to ensure suffi -cient chemical resistance. Th e composite tank retrofi t system is fl ex-ible with respect to specifi cations and suppliers of glass fi ber mat, and a range of materials have been used successfully.

Aft er installation has been completed, a fi nal quality check is per-formed by pressurizing the interstice with air and soap-testing the tank interior for bubbles while it is under pressure. If the interstice holds pressure for the prescribed test period, the retrofi t process is certifi ed by the installation technicians. For a typical 8,000-gal to 10,000-gal (30,283-liter to 37,854-liter) tank, the entire retrofi t pro-cess can be completed by an experienced crew in three days. When asked about the potential loss of internal tank volume and the an-

ticipated service life of the GENESIS system, Pearlman replied, “A 10,000 gallon tank will only lose a few hundred gallons of capacity, and the system is designed to provide a 30-year service life.”

MOVING FORWARD

GENESIS has already been tested at an approved testing facility and meets all EPA requirements for secondary containment retrofi t of USTs. Now Delta Composite Systems will pursue certifi cation to the Underwriters Laboratories (UL, Northbrook, Ill.) UL 1316 stan-dard (Glass-Fiber-Reinforced Plastic Underground Storage Tanks for Petroleum Products, Alcohols, and Alcohol-Gasoline Mixtures). “Th is next step allows consideration of our system for use in situa-tions where there are issues with the exterior shell wall of existing tanks, such that the retrofi t may have to provide self-supportive structure,” says Pearlman. He sees GENESIS as a cost-eff ective and reliable containment solution with a bright future. “Underground tanks have seen many changes in regulations and containment challenges brought on by environmental concerns and evolving fuel product formulations,” he sums up. “GENESIS is a great example of how we can use the latest materials to provide new solutions for the industry.” | CT |

Contributing WriterGinger Gardiner is a freelance writer and regular CT contributor based in Washington, N.C.ginger@compositesworld.com

VELVETFace-to-face method of weaving velvet cloth

It produces two layers of velvet cloth The knife cuts through the middle during weaving

Face

Layer 1

Layer 2

Back

Cutting Knife

UST Wall

ZPlex

Monitoring Trough Connects to Interstice

Formed by ZPlex

First Fiberglass Layer

Final Fiberglass Layer

The diagram at left shows the placement of the trough into which intrusive

fl uids (either from the exterior or the interior of the tank) collect and are

sensed by a system that warns tank owners of a breach in the tank’s

storage integrity. The diagram above shows the velvet process.

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Applications

Applications

Italian chemical and development group Acell (Milan, Italy) has already earned kudos in the construction composites industry with its innovative foam-cored sandwich panels for doors (see “Learn More,” below). Recently, the company off ered a solution designed to satisfy advocates of both architectural preser-vation and environmental conservation.

Concern is mounting, particularly in Europe, about how to control car-bon emissions, considered by a grow-ing number of climate scientists to be a contributor to global climate change. A Sunday London Times article published earlier this year said that 43 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions in Great Britain come from the more than 8 million poorly insulated or entirely un-insulated buildings built before 1919. Th e U.K.’s Department of Energy and Climate Change has proposed installing exterior insulation from 3- to 8-inches (76- to 200-mm) thick to cut the heat loss, as part of a “green deal” for homeowners.

Preservationists, including the U.K.-based Sustainable Tradi-tional Buildings Alliance, recognize the government program’s aim as good, but they claim that the exterior wraps threaten the unique character and appearance of English towns and suburbs. Acell’s man-aging director Michael Frieh says, “Th e products currently available on the market are usually plastic siding, wood cladding or simple ‘renderings’ made up of many layers that cover the insulation, which can be painted, but leave little option but to change a building’s look.” But he believes his company’s innovative molded panels can provide part of the solution, because they can mimic exactly almost any exte-rior fi nish on the surface of foam-cored insulation panels.

Acell’s patented molding technology, which combines sheet molding compound (SMC) skins and a core of frangible yet fi re-re-sistant phenolic foam in a low-pressure compression molding press, uses custom aluminum molds that are cast from a fi berglass master model. Th e model is layed up directly on any selected material, such as brick, wood or stone. Th is makes it possible for Acell to repli-cate virtually any planar architectural surface in the mold surface, for classical fi nishes, such as brick, or very contemporary designs, says Frieh. Color is duplicated through the use of in-mold coatings, natural sand or even printed fabrics.

To demonstrate the technology for U.K. applications, a project was recently undertaken in central Milan on a six-story apartment building with a façade of deteriorated brick and ceramic tiles. Th e

appearance of the brick (top-left and right-side photos) and tiles (bottom-left photo) was precisely matched, and the original façade then was replaced with the Acell panels, which added insulation (0.0478 W/m2K at 140 kg/m3 foam density) and sound-deadening benefi ts. According to Frieh, the SMC/foam panels not only du-plicate the original façade’s appearance and provide insulation but they also meet applicable building code and fi re requirements for cladding, both in Italy and the U.K. “Th e panels were economical, installed quickly and yet preserved the traditional look of the build-ing,” he sums up.

Across the Atlantic, Acell is partnering with Ashland Perfor-mance Materials (Columbus, Ohio) in North America and is seek-ing licensees to make panels for cladding or other architectural ap-plications in that region. Says Ashland’s Mike Wallenhorst, director of product management, “We’re excited about the potential Acell presents to expand the composites market into new construction applications.”

CLADDING CONTROVERSY

SMC insulation panels preserve pre-1919 building aesthetics

Read this article online | http://short.compositesworld.com/C2cdgqTM.

Read more about Acell in “SMC sandwich panels: Lean process opens doors” | CT February 2012 (p. 32) | http://short.compositesworld.com/KeUV5dzY.

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Calendar

FEBDec. 4-6, 2012 Composite Pressure Vessel

Symposium 2012 Salt Lake City, Utah | www.CPVSymposium

Dec. 5-6, 2012 Graphene Live! USA 2012 Santa Clara, Calif. | www.idtechex.com/ graphene-live-usa/conference.asp Dec. 5-6, 2012 AWEA Regional Wind Energy Summit – Southwest Houston, Texas | www.awea.org/events/ AWEA-Regional-Wind-Energy-Summit-South- Central.cfm

DEC

May 6-9, 2013 SAMPE 2013 Long Beach, Calif. | www.sampe.org/ events/2013LongBeachCA.aspx May 7-8, 2013 Civil Aviation Manufacturing Conference (CAM) 2013 Charlotte, N.C. | http://events.aviationweek.com/ current/cam/

MAY

MA

R Mar. 11-12, 2013 SAMPE Europe Int’l Technical Conference (SEICO 13) Paris, France | www.sampe-europe.org Mar. 12-14, 2013 JEC Europe 2013 Paris, France | www.jeccomposites.com Mar. 19-21, 2013 Composites Manufacturing 2013 Long Beach, Calif. | http://composites.sme.org/2013

Feb. 4-7, 2013 EWEA 2013 Vienna, Austria | www.ewea.org/index.php?id=2101 Feb. 26-27, 2013 Offshore Wind Power USA Vienna, Austria | www.offshorewindpowercongress.com

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See this year’s SPE Automotive Innovation

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Jan. 7-10, 2013 Composite Arabia 2013 Dubai, United Arab Emirates | www.arabplast.info/ compostearabia.html Jan. 28-31, 2013 37th Annual Conference on Composites, Materials and Structures Cape Canaveral, Fla. | http://advancedceramics. org/index.php?src=gendocs&ref= hotelinfo&category=Main Jan. 29-31, 2013 ACMA COMPOSITES 2013 Orlando, Fla. | www.compositesshow.org

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New Products

ProductsNEW

Automated delivery systemFluid-Bag Ltd. (Jakobstad, Finland) has developed the PowerBagPress, a fl exible container designed to discharge highly viscous and semisolid mate-rials from the company’s 900 and 1,000 liter (237 and 264 gal) Fluid-Bag MULTI and FLEXI fl exible reac-tive chemical containers. The company’s new press enables suppliers who use the tubular containers to safely ship their products (e.g., adhesives and other resin products), and it allows the customers who use those products to avoid the common problem of leaving a good deal of product in the container as waste. During dis-charge the fl exible container, fi tted into the customer’s press, is squeezed fl at and rolled up, much like a tube of toothpaste. Fluid-Bag claims that material residue in the containers can be reduced to as little as 0.5 percent. The PowerBagPress was specifi cally developed to reach a material fl ow of more than 35 kg/min (77 lb/min), but in its fi rst implementation with a solid adhesive resin it reportedly achieved a rate of 50 kg/min (110 lb/min). The press allows for two-component mixing and is designed for use in the manufacture of large components, such as wind turbine blades, aerospace structures and other sandwich constructions. www.fl uid-bag.com

Gas-fi red batch ovenWisconsin Oven (East Troy, Wis.) has designed and manufactured a gas-fi red batch oven with two rotating mandrel drives and two load carts to cure resin in cylindrical composite components. The chamber is 8-ft wide by 12-ft long by 7-ft high (2.4m by 3.7m by 2.1m), and it has a maximum operating temperature of 500°F/260°C. The oven can heat two fi lament-wound cylinders simultaneously. It features 6-inch/152-mm thick tongue-and-groove panel assemblies, with a 20-gauge aluminized steel interior and ductwork. Two mechanisms are mounted at the rear of the oven to provide mandrel rotation. The accompanying manual load carts are adjust-able to different mandrel sizes and have a maximum weight capacity of 575 lb/261 kg each. The exhaust features motorized dampers on the fresh air inlet and the exhaust outlet to enhance heating and cooling effi ciency. The convection heating system features a 750,000 BTU/hr air heat burner and includes a motorized gas control valve, a fl ame detector and a fl ame relay with alarm horn. The recirculation system has an 8,600-ft3/hr (243m3/hr) 10-hp high-effi ciency blower and uses combination airfl ow to maximize heating rates and product temperature uniformity. www.wisoven.com

LED fl ashlight for UV curingThe Spectroline OPTIMAX 365C from Spectronics Corp. (Westbury, N.Y.) is a cordless, rechargeable ultraviolet A (UV-A, 365 nm wavelength) LED fl ashlight designed for UV curing of adhesives, sealants, epoxies, resins, coatings and other materi-als. It uses “ultra-hi-fl ux” LED technology to produce a nominal steady-state UV-A intensity of 60,000 μW/cm² at a distance of 6 inches/150 mm. It is powered by a re-chargeable NiMH battery and provides 90 minutes of con-tinuous use between charges. The LED lifetime is 30,000 hours. The fl ashlight weighs 11.8 oz/335g and comes with UV-absorbing eye protection, a belt holster and smart AC and DC battery chargers. The AC charger is available in 120V, 230V, 240V or 100V versions. www.spectroline.com

Glass, carbon facesheets for transport structuresLAMILUX (Rehau, Germany) has developed new premium composite ma-terials for large-surface applications in lightweight vehicle construction. Employed as the inside and outside facesheets of sandwich constructions, the material features a new resin system in which the mixing ratios of epoxy resin, hardeners and additives interact to form a “duroplastic” composite

that reportedly yields highly stable sidewall, roof and fl oor components for truck trailers, for example, that provide long service life and low mass per unit of area. The sheeting, says the company, is produced in a continu-

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ous process, and the product can be reordered at any time with the same mechanical and chemical properties, due to the high level of automation in the manufacturing process. The available products are LAMILUX High Strength X-treme (fi berglass) and LAMILUX High Strength X-treme Carbon. The glass or carbon fi bers are integrated as fabric into the composite mate-rial. The fi bers are arranged in uniaxial, biaxial, triaxial or quadraxial layouts. www.lamilux.de

Glass/epoxy tubing systemNew from Norplex-Micarta (Postville, Iowa) is RT130X, a high-strength tubing composed of a glass fabric with an epoxy resin system. Designed for high electrical and mechanical strength as well as fl ame-resistance, it offers good machining characteristics — specifi cally cleaner machining with less exposed fi ber. Targeted applications include timing wheels, light-duty gears, laser housings and many others. RT130X can be manufactured in standard lengths of 18 to 36 inches (457 to 914 mm), with inside diameters ranging from 0.094 to 48 inches (2.39 to 1,219 mm), outside diameters ranging from 0.156 to 49.50 inches (3.96 to 1,257 mm) and wall thicknesses of 0.031 to 0.750 inch (0.787 to 19 mm). RT130X complies with NEMA FR-4 and is fl ame-resistant to a UL94 V-O rating. www.norplex-micarta.com

Portable coordinate measuring machineVerisurf Software Inc. (Anaheim, Calif.) has launched 3DGage, a por-table coordinate measuring machine (CMM) that allows customers to de-sign a system by choosing from four software confi gurations, four portable CMM confi gurations and a variety of probe options. The system offers a three-step inspection process: align the manufactured part to a 3-D CAD model by probing the part to corresponding alignment targets on the mod-el; inspect the manufactured part in real time by manual probing or by fol-lowing automated inspection plans; and automatically generate inspection results in HTML and Excel. Other features include easy-to-use measuring

modes, such as Probe Measuring and Probe Scanning combined with Point Cloud and Mesh Editing, Surface Modeling and Optional Solid Modeling. www.verisurf.com

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INDEX OF ADVERTISERS

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Elliott Co. of Indianapolis Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9Interplastic Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8LMT Onsrud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7North Coast Composites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Pro-Set Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10SPE Automotive Division . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41Spheretex America Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9Technical Fibre Products Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8Wisconsin Oven Corp. . . . . . . . .Inside Back CoverWyoming Test Fixtures Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

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Engineering Insights

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I

Demonstrator design proves robust blade destined

for a commercial-scale tidal turbine application.

t would be nice if designing a composite blade for a tidal turbine were as simple as putting a wind turbine blade under water. But, of course, it’s not.

When the composite structure of a turbine is to function fully submerged in saltwater for a long period of time, the blade’s de-signer must consider a host of diff erentiating factors: While a wind blade has to withstand occasional rain or snow, a tidal turbine blade must handle continuous submersion in highly corrosive saltwater. Water temperature and, especially, pressure, density and turbulence require much greater strength and durability. And the presence of sea creatures — many much larger than the birds that sometimes collide with wind blades — and a variety of underwater plant life, boats and other marine craft present many more potential hazards than wind blades are likely to encounter.

Gurit (Newport, Isle of Wight, U.K.) faced this multifaceted challenge when it was approached by ANDRITZ HYDRO Ham-

merfest (Hammerfest, Norway) to develop composite blades for the company’s newest tidal turbine, the HS1000, a 1-MW system des-tined for placement in waters controlled by the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC), located near the Orkney Islands off the northern coast of Scotland. ANDRITZ HYDRO Hammerfest had designed, built and tested a smaller predecessor, the HS300 (rated at 300 kW), in waters off the coast of Norway and was looking to scale up that design as the next step in its progression to a 10-MW tidal turbine farm in the Sound of Islay off the west coast of Scotland.

Th e HS1000 that was installed at EMEC would be a precom-mercial demonstrator, used for testing and certifi cation in the lead up to full deployment in the Sound of Islay. A big part of that cer-tifi cation process is dependent on blade performance. Th e blades are expected to function for many years — the turbine as a whole is designed for 25 years of service with only minimal maintenance — similar to the expectation for wind turbines, but in a much

more dynamic and rigorous environment.

SO MANY VARIABLES

Marcus Royle, Gurit’s engineered structures business development manager, says the under-water environment in which the HS1000 oper-ates dictates a blade design that is, in many subtle ways, very diff erent from the type of blade found on a typical wind turbine.

One of the biggest diff erences, of course, is water density, which is about 1,025 kg/m3. By comparison, the air, depending on pressure and temperature, ranges from about 1.1 to 1.4 kg/m3. Th e diff erence — about a factor of 800 — repre-sents a substantial physical load for a blade, thus it must be more stout to provide continuous ser-

TURBULENT SALT SEAS

composite tidal turbine blade

toughened for

The HS1000 is a 1-MW tidal turbine developed by

ANDRITZ HYDRO Hammerfest. The precommercial

model shown here was installed at the European Marine

Energy Centre (EMEC) north of Scotland in December

2011. It features composite blades designed by Gurit

(Isle of Wight, U.K.) to withstand an aggressive subsea

environment. The blades are shorter and stouter than

what is found on a wind turbine because they must cope

with substantial water pressure and water density

challenges.

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Another variable that Gurit had to contemplate was water pres-sure — 1 bar/14.5 psi per 10m/32.8 ft of water depth. Most tidal turbines, says Royle, are located about 40m/131 ft deep to remain clear of marine craft that pass overhead. Th is represents pressure of about 4 bar/58 psi. Th e HS1000 blades, however, are designed for depths to 100m/328 ft .

Finally, Royle says, Gurit had to consider the challenge of coping with the pressure diff erential between the inside and the outside of the blade — air pressure of 1 bar/14.5 psi vs. water pressure of 10 bar/145 psi. To maximize blade-turning and power-generating ef-fi ciency, Royle says, it was necessary to equalize the pressure in some way. Gurit, he reports, considered several ideas, including fi lling the blades with water prior to installation, fi lling the blades with foam or fl ooding them with seawater. Th e selected solution, however, is considered by Gurit to be subject to confi dentiality and, therefore, was not disclosed.

Illustration | Karl Reque

ENGINEERING CHALLENGE:

Design a tidal turbine blade that can withstand the density, pressure, temperature and dynamic physical environment of a subsea location.

DESIGN SOLUTION:

A blade that is shorter and of relatively greater thickness than its cousin in the wind energy sector, with an aggressive transition from the circular root to hydrodynamic architecture.

vice. “We have to cram a lot more material into the blade to make it structurally viable,” Royle quips. Further, he notes that the compos-ite materials used in the blade have a natural tendency to absorb wa-ter, which over time can compromise the strength of the blade. “We must design the blade to accommodate the reduction in strength,” he notes, “so that the blade at the end of life is still strong enough.”

“Cramming” more material into the blade meant designing a shorter blade (9m/29.5 ft ) than would be required for a wind turbine of the same 1-MW capacity (30m/100 ft rotor diameter). And be-cause the blade is relatively short, it also means that the blade design must transition much more quickly than a wind blade does from the cylindrical shape at its root to its sculpted hydrodynamic architec-ture (see illustration, above).

“Th e more aggressive that transition,” says Royle, “the more dif-fi cult it is to get the load out of the root and into the spar cap to make sure we don’t have large concentrations of stress.”

ANDRITZ HYDRO HAMMERFEST HS1000 TIDAL TURBINE BLADE

Structural spar (110 mm/4.33inches at widest point)

A-A B-B

Blade shell

B

B

Midpoint thickness: 300 mm/11.8 inches

Tip thickness: 50 mm/2 inches

9m/29.5 ft

Radical transition from root to hydrodynamic shape

1.35m/4.3 ft

1.6m/5.25 ft

1.5m/4.9 ft

BLADE SECTIONS

ROOT

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Read this article online | http://short.compositesworld.com/jMZp2cQ1.

Editor-in-ChiefJeff Sloan, CT’s editor-in-chief, has been engaged in plastics- and composites-industry journalism for 20 years.jeff @compositesworld.com

DIMENSIONS, TOOLS, MATERIALS

Th e blade that Gurit ultimately designed for the HS1000 measures 9m/29.5 ft long, weighs 2,000 kg/4,409 lb, is 1.5m/4.9 ft at its widest point and has a root that is 1.3m/4.3 ft in diameter. Th e blade is 300 mm/11.8 inches thick at the center and 50 mm/2 inches thick at the tip. Designed for water fl ows of up to 5m/sec (16.4 ft /sec), the turbine’s 1-MW rating equates, prac-tically, to power that is suffi cient for about 500 homes. To capture tidal water energy as it ebbs and fl ows, the turbine remains stationary, but the blades can be adjusted to rotate through 270° to accommodate the change in water fl ow.

Beyond the environmental challenges, Royle says Gurit focused its engineering eff orts on developing a blade that is commercially viable. Although the fi rst HS1000 is a pre-commercial product only, ANDRITZ HYDRO Hammerfest has fi rm intentions of developing a full-scale tidal energy fi eld very soon. Th erefore, says Royle, “We had to come up with a blade design that could be built for series production. Our primary aim was a blade that wouldn’t fail and would be com-mercially viable.”

Initial blade design was accomplished with soft ware Gurit devel-oped in-house, Royle says. But when the initial concepts were com-plete, the company employed Patran and Nastran (both from MSC.Soft ware, Santa Ana, Calif.) and Hyperworks (Altair Engineering Inc., Troy, Mich.) to evaluate and virtually test each concept.

Th e blades themselves consist of a mix of glass and carbon fi ber prepregs, all oven-cured. Th e spar caps (110 mm/4.33 inches at the thickest point) are manufactured using Gurit’s trademarked Spar-Preg unidirectional carbon fi ber prepreg — designed specifi cally for use in spar caps — combined with the company’s trademarked SPRINT glass fi ber prepreg, also designed for blade applications. Th ese materials reportedly allow the very thick laminates of the spar to be built up and cured in one shot under vacuum pressure only, without debulking to remove air between plies. Th e blade shells are sandwich constructions, featuring trademarked SPRINT glass fi ber pregreg faceskins surrounding Gurit’s trademarked Corecell struc-tural foam for the core. Molded in one-shot halves, the shells, when assembled, encapsulate the spar cap and are bonded together with Gurit’s Spabond toughened epoxy structural adhesive.

Gurit built four blades for the pre-commercial HS1000 dem-onstrator — three for the turbine and the fourth for load testing on land.

Th e turbine was installed at EMEC in December 2011 and started generating electric power at full capacity in early 2012. Per ANDRITZ HYDRO Hammerfest’s requirements, Gurit included strain gauges on the blades to assess their performance during op-eration. Royle declined to reveal specifi cs regarding blade perfor-mance to date, except to say “so far, performance is exactly as we hoped and expected.”

Th e fi rst phase of the commercial tidal energy farm comprises 10 1-MW turbines, which will be installed in the Sound of Islay. Th is project will be followed by another, a 95-MW tidal turbine farm in the waters near Duncansby Head, north of Scotland, not far from the EMEC.

Royle says ANDRITZ HYDRO Hammerfest is working on designs for the 10 Islay turbines now and expects to make some slight design modifi cations because water fl ow in the sound is slower than the fl ow at the EMEC site. If permitting, testing and certifi cations proceed as planned, the commercial tidal farm will be operational by 2015.

Among the lessons learned by Royle during development of the HS1000 blade? “Just how aggressive the tidal seawater envi-ronment is,” he observes, “and how it aff ects just about every as-pect of the design.” | CT |

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Gur

it

Gurit manufactured four blades for the HS1000,

including one for testing. They feature a spar cap

molded with unidirectional carbon prepreg and

glass prepreg. The shells are all glass prepreg and

all components are oven-cured. The blades are

9m/29.5-ft long and weigh 2,000 kg (4,409 lb).

With good chemistry great things happen.™

® Registered trademark, Ashland or its subsidiaries, registered in various countries™ Trademark, Ashland or its subsidiaries, registered in various countries* Trademark owned by a third party© 2012, AshlandAD-12008

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