Sandia 2014 Wind Turbine Blade Workshop- Nolet

1. “AMI
(Advanced
Manufacturing
Iniave)
Final
Report”
Presented to the attendees of
Wind Turbine Blade
2014 Workshop
Stephen C. Nolet
Senior Director, Innovation Technology
TPI Composites, Inc.
August 26, 2014

2. Acknowledgements
› Sandia
Na5onal
Laboratories/US
Department
of
Energy
(Dr.
Daniel
Laird
and
Jose
Zayas)
and
the
State
of
Iowa
(Shelly
Peterson)
through
the
Iowa
State
Power
Fund
for
their
vision
and
support
of
the
AMI
Program.
› Ryan
Legg,
Venku
Kavala,
Stephen
Johnson
at
General
Electric
for
their
remarkable
material
and
engineering
support.
› Rahul
Yarala
and
Eric
Harvey
at
the
Wind
Turbine
Test
Center,
MassCEC
in
Charlestown
Massachuse7s
for
their
dedicated
effort
in
tes5ng
the
ATBD.
› NEPTCO
(Joel
Gruhn),
BASF
(Tom
McKay),
Milliken
(Sco7
Campbell
and
Tony
Brandon)
and
Henkel
(Jason
Spencer),
and
Graco
(Todd
McDowell)
for
the
material
support
and
process
engineering
support
in
the
building
of
the
ATBD.
› And
a
cast
of
hundreds
that
in
one
way
or
another
extended
themselves
to
make
the
task
possible,
including
the
Management
and
Associates
at
TPI
Composites
in
Newton,
Iowa
and
the
Faculty
and
students
at
Iowa
State
University.
August
26,
2014
|
Page
2

3. Advanced
Manufacturing
Ini(a(ve
(AMI)
Three
Way
Collabora(on
of
Federal,
State
and
Private
Industry
PI
–
Frank
Peters
PI
–
Steve
Nolet
August
26,
2014
|
Page
3
Three-­‐way
Manufacturing
Research
Collabora5on
6 3-­‐year+
dura5on
6 Equal
funding
($2.1MM
ea)
– DOE
– Iowa
OEI
– TPI
PI
–
Daniel
Laird
Todd
Griffith
First
DOE
Wind
Program
AMI
project
6 Developed
Framework
for
Future
AMI
Projects
Completed
Iowa
State
Power
Fund
Project
(May
28th
2014)

4. AMII
Scorecard
–
Cycle
Time
Reduc(on
AMII
Supported
Project
Previous
Cycle
Time
New
Cycle
Time
Overall
Reduc5on
%
Cycle
Red
Notes
Rota5ng
Carts/Material
Handling
Systems
38.0
35.5
2.5
6.6%
Reduc5on
gained
in
surface
prepara5on
and
peripheral
trim
opera5ons
Use
of
B-­‐Side
Hea5ng
for
Blade
Skin
Cure
Time
Reduc5on
35.5
33.5
2.0
5.3%
Cure
Time
of
each
Skin
(LP
7
HP)
reduced
by
one
hour
Trailing
Edge
Preform
Fabrica5on
33.5
32.5
1.0
2.6%
20
minute
reduc5on
in
infusion
5me,
40
minute
reduc5on
in
layup
5me.
Component
Handling
Systems
32.5
30.0
2.5
6.6%
Improved
material
movement
eliminates
wasted
5me
wai5ng
for
overhead
bridge
crane
movements.
Development
of
Bond
Cap
Preform
Sec5on
30.0
29.0
1.0
2.6%
Reduc5on
gained
by
parallel
fabrica5on
of
complex
bond
cap
layup.
Use
of
3D
Projected
Laser
Guidelines
for
Layup
and
Fixture
Loca5on
29
27.25
1.75
4.6%
Gained
efficiencies
in
both
dry
layup
of
ki7ed
glass
layups
as
well
as
loca5on
of
cri5cal
bonded
components
Proprietary
AMII
Projects
27.25
24.0
3.25
8.6%
Totals:
14.0
36.8%
… an important AMI goal!
August
26,
2014
|
Page
4

5. AMII
Scorecard
–
Labor
Reduc(on
AMII
Supported
Project
Star(ng
Labor
Content
New
Labor
Content
Overall
Reduc(on
%
Labor
Red
Notes
Rota5ng
Carts/Material
Handling
Systems
752.0
736.5
15.5
2.1%
Reduc5on
gained
in
surface
prepara5on
and
peripheral
trim
opera5ons
Use
of
B-­‐Side
Hea5ng
for
Blade
Skin
Cure
Time
Reduc5on
736.5
728.5
8.0
1.1%
Cure
Time
of
each
Skin
(LP
7
HP)
reduced
by
one
hour
with
four
individuals
supervising
blade
cure
Trailing
Edge
Preform
Fabrica5on
728.5
720.5
8.0
1.1%
Layup
to
preform
is
MUCH
quicker
than
direct
to
Skin
Mold
Component
Handling
Systems
720.5
705.5
15.0
2.0%
Improved
material
movement
eliminates
wasted
5me
wai5ng
for
overhead
bridge
crane
movements.
Development
of
Bond
Cap
Preform
Sec5on
705.5
697.5
8.0
1.1%
Much
less
complex
layup
of
bond
cap
.
8
D/L
save
an
hour.
Use
of
3D
Projected
Laser
Guidelines
for
Layup
and
Assembly
697.5
670.5
27.0
3.6%
Labor
Savings
in
Lay-­‐up
and
Assembly
Op's
with
8
Person
Crew
Proprietary
AMII
Projects
670.51
647.8
22.75
3.0%
Totals:
104.2
13.9%
› Worth
no5ng
this
scorecard
does
NOT
include
the
work
accomplished
by
Iowa
State
University
which
is
expected
to
result
in
material
handling/dispensing/forming
systems
that
will
have
direct
impact
on
labor
content.
August
26,
2014
|
Page
5

6. The
Labor
Challenge:
Automa(on?
› Automa5on
of
aerospace
composite
manufacturing
is
virtually
rou5ne
with
hundreds
of
prepreg
tape
machines
opera5ng
across
the
globe.
› Return
on
CAPEX
is
rapid
for
structures
with
cost
of
finished
goods
from
$200
to
$700/lb
as
opposed
to
$5.00
to
$10.00/lb
required
for
the
energy
markets.
› AMI
evaluated
most
aspects
of
automa5on
for
material
placement
– Dry
broadgoods
– Prepreg
materials
– Towpreg
materials
– Large
and
small
components
› In
all
cases
the
capital
cost
and
the
resul5ng
impact
on
labor
content
has
not
even
been
close
to
jus5fy
such
investment
– Cycle
5me
adversely
impacted
– Labor
impact
marginal
at
best
August
26,
2014
|
Page
6

7. AMII
Project
#11002:
Automa(on
in
Blade
Finishing
› Blade
molding
opera5ons
account
for
only
50%
of
total
labor
content.
– Finishing
opera5ons
offer
opportunity
for
cost-­‐effec5ve
CAPEX
spending.
– Robo5c
Flange
Trim
and
Compliant
grinding/finishing,
scuff
sanding
was
recommend
for
funding
by
the
AMI
TSC
› The
CAPEX
can
be
shown
to
yield
an
acceptable
ROI
and
impact
blade
D/L
in
a
meaningful
way.
› However,
the
Program
ul5mately
halted
ac5vity
before
funds
were
expended.
– Large
cost
and
marginal
impact
simply
were
not
favorable
enough
for
the
limited
AMI
Dollars.
August
26,
2014
|
Page
7

8. The
Advanced
Technology
Blade
Demonstrator
(ATBD)
› AMI-­‐
B
lades
Program
has
iden5fied
material
technologies
that
offer
significant
benefit
to
the
manufacturing
of
mul5-­‐megawa7
scale
wind
turbine
blades.
› The
ATBD
incorporated
these
technologies
in
the
fabrica5on
of
a
48.7m
mul5-­‐megawa7
wind
turbine
blade
to
demonstrate
– Impact
on
manufacturing
cycle
5me,
– Reduc5on
of
labor
content
and
– Improve
product
robustness
and
performance
6 Lower
rotor
mass
6 Reduc5on
in
cost
of
quality
› The
fabricated
(
August
2013)
rotor
blade
completed
full
structural
sta5c
and
fa5gue
tes5ng
at
the
MassCEC
Wind
Turbine
Test
Center
– Validate
the
ability
of
these
advanced
materials
to
with
stand
the
rigors
wind
blade
applica5ons
– Shorten
5me
to
acceptance
› Purpose
of
tes5ng
was
to
remove
the
apparent
risk
of
applying
novel
materials
into
the
design
and
use
of
a
mul5-­‐megawa7
scale
wind
blades.
August
26,
2014
|
Page
8

9. Fiberglass
Rod
Pack
› More
than
a
12
hour
cycle
5me
reduc5on*
and
75
hour
reduc5on
in
D/L
– 60%
fewer
plies
– Higher
rate
of
applica5on
to
mold
– Much
lower
infusion
5me
– Cure
5me
reduced
by
as
much
as
80%
› Significant
blade
weight
reduc5on
– 240kg-­‐f
per
blade
– Higher
specific
proper5es
(extend
capability
of
blade
before
resor5ng
to
carbon
fiber
reinforcements.
› Elimina5on
of
spar
cap
mold
(direct
lay
in
skin
molds)
– Reduce
CAPEX
in
new
blade
development
– Reduce
footprint
in
factor
to
extend
capacity
per
square
meter
› Reduc5on
of
a
significant
volume
of
cure
materials
that
become
part
of
the
waste
stream
› Elimina5on
of
primary
failure
mode
and
reason
for
part
rejec5on:
Spar
cap
waves.
*Cycle
5me
defined
here
as
cycle
for
spar
cap
component
mfg
NOT
blade
CT.
August
26,
2014
|
Page
9

10. RodPack
Design
of
Suc(on
Side
(LP)
Spar
Cap
for
the
ATBD
1400.00
1200.00
1000.00
800.00
600.00
400.00
200.00
› S5ffness
Spar
Cap
Section
Modulus
vs.
Span
Location
UD
970
and
RodPack
Designs
Match
(EA)
RodPack
laminate
with
970gsm
infused
UD
glass
August
26,
2014
|
Page
10
60.00
50.00
40.00
30.00
20.00
10.00
0.00
Spar
Cap
Thickness
vs.
Span
Location
UD
970
and
RodPack
Designs
0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 30,000 35,000 40,000 45,000 50,000
Spar
Cap
Total
Thickness
(mm)
Blade
Span
Location
(mm)
UD
970
Spar
Cap
RodPack
Spar
Cap
0.00
0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 30,000 35,000 40,000 45,000 50,000
Section
Modulus
of
Laminate,
EA
(MPa*m^2)
Blade
Span
Location
(mm)
UD
970
Spar
Cap
RodPack
Spar
Cap
› Result
is
a
nearly
20%
thinner
(and
lighter)
spar

11. TYCOR
Sandwich
Core
› Up
to
a
90
minute
cycle
5me
reduc5on
projected
› More
accurate
ki8ng
and
be7er
fit
in
mold
– More
dimensionally
stable
than
balsa
– Easily
machined
and
shaped
with
compressive
compliance
to
fit
up
more
quickly
and
accurately
than
foam
› 15
hour
reduc5on
in
D/L
(less
5me
fi8ng
core)
› Reduc5on
in
BoM
cost
– Lower
material
cost
vis-­‐à-­‐vis
SAN
foam
– Lower
resin
consump5on
› Poten5al
Reduc5on
of
100kg
in
blade
weight
› Posi5ve
impact
on
downstream
finishing
opera5ons
may
reduce
labor
content
further
› Shortened
infusion
5me
August
26,
2014
|
Page
11

12. BASF
Latent
Cure
Epoxy
Matrix
Latent cure epoxy infusion resins remain liquid under
higher ambient conditions but polymerize quickly once
above a given “target temperature”. Combining high
reaction rates while maintaining low exothermicity
› Up
to
a
2
½
hour
skin
mold
cycle
5me
benefit
› Shortened
cure
5me
and
more
reac5ve/faster
infusion
with
reduced
resin
viscosity
– Latent
system
allows
for
higher
infusion
temperatures
reducing
viscosity
– Shortening
cure
5me
› Lower
exotherm
resul5ng
in
less
matrix
cracking
– Extended
tool
life
– Thick
root
sec5ons
remain
cooler
and
less
prone
to
voids,
resin
cracking
and
root
waves
› Cycle
5me
reduc5on
translates
into
8
to
12
hour
D/L
reduc5on
August
26,
2014
|
Page
12

13. Use
of
Polyurethane
Bond
Paste
for
Blade
Assembly
› Up
to
2
hour
reduc5on
in
bond
cure
5me
› Room
temperature
cure
so
less
energy
usage
– Eliminate
wait
5me
for
temperature
rise
on
part
– More
uniform
temperature
distribu5on
(ambient)
and
reac5on
kine5cs
› Less
squeeze
out
and
material
creep
at
lower
temperature
› No
problem
with
bead
shape
reten5on
or
paste
separa5on
from
blade
during
turning
› Polyurethane
bond
paste
materials
are
– More
tolerant
of
off-­‐ra5o
mixing
– Much
less
sensi5ve
to
surface
prepara5on
– Provide
higher
elonga5on/toughness
so
long
term
fa5gue
performance
is
likely
be7er
› Lower
capital
cost
for
dispensing
equipment
($40K
versus
$250k)
August
26,
2014
|
Page
13

14. Co-­‐Bonded
Shear
Webs
During
Skin
Infusion
(General
Electric
Patent
Pending)
› Current
prac5ce
for
blade
assembly
(post
infusion
of
shell
molds)
includes
the
bonding
of
one
or
more
shear
webs
to
the
“turning
side”
of
the
mold
set.
– This
prac5ce
involves
a
bonding
cycle
of
over
4
½
hours
– Apply
bond
paste
and
locate
shear
web
– Wait
mul5ple
hours
for
hea5ng
and
curing
epoxy
bond
paste
› The
proposed
approach
involves
co-­‐bonding
the
shear
web
components
as
part
of
the
shell
infusion
process.
– Up
to
3
½
hour
cycle
5me
reduc5on
versus
independent
bonding
opera5on
aer
skin
cure
– Resul5ng
in
a
thinner,
lighter
and
lower
cost
(epoxy
infusion
resin
instead
of
bond
paste)
August
26,
2014
|
Page
14

15. Projected
Impact
on
AMI
Program
Goals
Advanced
Technology
Blade
Ac5vity
Cycle
Time
Reduc5on
(hr)
Labor
Reduc5on
(hr)
Fiberglass
RodPack
-­‐-­‐
75
TYCOR
Sandwich
Core
1.5
15
Latent
Cure
Epoxy
Resin
2.5
12
Use
of
MMA/PU
Bond
Paste
2.0
16
Implementa5on
of
Co-­‐Bonded
Shear
Webs
3.5
28
Totals
6.0
118
August
26,
2014
|
Page
15

16. › RodPack
Spars
and
Root
Prefabs
August
26,
2014
|
Page
16
Manufacturing
ATBD

17. Manufacturing
ATBD
› Shear
Web
Fabrica5on
August
26,
2014
|
Page
17

18. Manufacturing
ATBD
› Shell
fabrica5on
August
26,
2014
|
Page
18

19. Manufacturing
ATBD
› Mold
Shells
August
26,
2014
|
Page
19

20. Manufacturing
ATBD
› Blade
Assembly
August
26,
2014
|
Page
20

21. Manufacturing
ATBD
Assembled
Blade
August
26,
2014
|
Page
21

22. ATBD
Weight
and
Balance
Blade
Serial
Number
60179ATB
Produc(on
Nominal
Balance
Informa(on
Final
Weight
Z=0m
weight
4,133
kg
Z=28.7657m
weight
4,756.5
kg
Balance
Mass
8,889.5
kg
9,078.6
Balance
Moment
about
R=0
148,220
kg-­‐m
150,634
Center
of
Gravity,
R
16.7
m
Center
of
Gravity
from
end
face,
Z
15.4
m
Engineering Estimate of another 200kg+ weight saved by:
6 Eliminating biax “filler” plies need to fill bond gap formed by production shear web height.
o biax filler plies alone added 186.5kg back to spar cap weight in this blade
6 Use of TYCOR W2.0 where W4.0 was mistakenly placed in wide area of trailing edge on LP
surface.
August
26,
2014
|
Page
22

23. ATBD
Blade
Tes(ng
at
Mass
CEC
WTTC
› Full
Sta5c
and
Fa5gue
test
regime
based
upon
the
requirements
of
the
GE
1.7-­‐100
Class
III
Wind
Turbine.
› Fully
instrumented
tes5ng
included
comprehensive
use
of
Digital
Image
Correla5on
for
wide
area
displacement/
strain
imaging
(University
of
Massachuse7s
at
Lowell).
› Test
Protocol:
– 100%
maximum
flapwise
and
edgewise
loading
– 2
x
106
cycles
edgewise
loading
– 1
x
106
cycles
flapwise
loading
– 100%
maximum
sta5c
edgewise
loading
– Test
to
failure
sta5c
flapwise
loading.
August
26,
2014
|
Page
23

24. ATBD
Sta(c
Test
Work
› Load
Saddle
Informa5on
August
26,
2014
|
Page
24
› Max
Flap
Results
› Min
Flap
Results

25. ATBD
Edgewise
Fa(gue
Test
Work
› Actual
Test
Running
Time
of
Test
August
26,
2014
|
Page
25
› Applied
Edge
Moment
and
Target

26. ATBD
Flapwise
Fa(gue
› Tes5ng
used
MTS/NREL
GREX
(Ground
based
Resonance
Excita5on)
actuator
for
cyclic
loading.
August
26,
2014
|
Page
26

27. ATBD
Flap
Fa(gue
Test
› At
311k
cycles,
unreinforced
sec5on
of
Shear
Web
at
(under
GREX
actuator)
23.9m
exhibited
unstable
crack
along
interface
of
HP
surface.
› Repair
to
shear
web
was
completed
and
blade
returned
to
test
stand
for
comple5on
of
flap
fa5gue
› On
May
1st
2014
the
ATBD
completed
1.03
x
106
flap
cycles
of
fa5gue
loading
August
26,
2014
|
Page
27
› Flap
fa5gue
test
running
schedule
Vertical Shear induced crack along unreinforced
are of Leading edge shear web
Repaired section includes both LE and TE Webs

28. Post
Fa(gue
Sta(c
Tes(ng
› Min/Max
edge
and
Min/Max
Flap
sta5c
test
pulls
were
completed
to
100%
ul5mate
design
load.
› Addi5onal
work
sta5c
test
work
was
approved
and
included
sta5c
tes5ng
at
115%
of
Target
Sta5c
Load.
› 115%
Min
Flap
Load
condi5on
completed
› At
115%
of
Max
Flap
Target
Load,
ATBD
blade
failed
in
a
catastrophic
mode.
› Valida5on
of
the
performance
was
complete.
August
26,
2014
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Page
28

29. Post
Fa(gue
Maximum
Flapwise
Sta(c
Test
› At
115%
of
Target
Max
Flap
Sta5c
Load
the
ATBD
had
had
enough
Maxim Flap Test – preload condition Static load failure at 115% of Target Max
August
26,
2014
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29
Flap Load

30. Impact
of
ATBD
on
AMI
Blade
Cycle
Time
Scorecard
AMII
Supported
Project Previous
Cycle
Time New
Cycle
Time Overall
Reduction %
Cycle
Red Notes
Rotating
Carts/Material
Handling
Systems
38.0 35.5 2.5 6.6%
Reduction
gained
in
surface
preparation
and
peripheral
trim
operations
Use
of
B-­‐Side
Heating
for
Blade
Skin
Cure
Time
Reduction
35.5 33.5 2.0 5.3%
Cure
Time
of
each
Skin
(LP
7
HP)
reduced
by
one
hour
Trailing
Edge
Preform
Fabrication 33.5 32.5 1.0 2.6%
20
minute
reduction
in
infusion
time,
40
minute
reduction
in
layup
time.
Component
Handling
Systems 32.5 30.0 2.5 6.6%
Improved
material
movement
eliminates
wasted
time
waiting
for
overhead
bridge
crane
movements.
Development
of
Bond
Cap
Preform
Section
30.0 29.0 1.0 2.6%
Reduction
gained
by
parallel
fabrication
of
complex
bond
cap
layup.
Use
of
3D
Projected
Laser
Guidelines
for
Layup
and
Fixture
Location
29 27.25 1.75 4.6%
Gained
efficiencies
in
both
dry
layup
of
kitted
glass
layups
as
well
as
location
of
critical
bonded
components
Proprietary
AMII
Projects 27.25 24.0 3.25 8.6%
Advanced
Technology
Blade
Demonstration
Efforts
Fiberglass
RodPack 24.00 24.0 0.0 0.0%
Spar
Cap
Manf
does
not
impact
Mold
Shell
Cycle
(Parallel
Operation)
TYCOR
Sandwich
Core 24.00 22.8 1.2 3.2% Shortened
core
installation
Latent
Cure
Epoxy
Resin 22.77 20.7 2.05 5.4% reduced
curing
time
in
mold
Use
of
MMA/PU
Bond
Paste 20.71 19.1 1.64 4.3% Shortened
bond
cycle
time
Implementation
of
Co-­‐Bonded
Shear
Webs
n/a 0.0 0.00 0.0% Project
not
completed/not
included
in
analysis
Totals: 18.9 49.8%
August
26,
2014
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Page
30

31. Impact
of
ATBD
on
AMI
Blade
Labor
Scorecard
AMII
Supported
Project Starting
Labor
Content New
Labor
Content Overall
Reduction %
Labor
Red Notes
Rotating
Carts/Material
Handling
Systems 752.0 736.5 15.5 2.1% Reduction
gained
in
surface
preparation
and
peripheral
trim
operations
Use
of
B-­‐Side
Heating
for
Blade
Skin
Cure
Time
Reduction 736.5 728.5 8.0 1.1% Cure
Time
of
each
Skin
(LP
7
HP)
reduced
by
one
hour
with
four
individuals
supervising
blade
cure
Trailing
Edge
Preform
Fabrication 728.5 720.5 8.0 1.1% Layup
to
preform
is
MUCH
quicker
than
direct
to
Skin
Mold
Component
Handling
Systems 720.5 705.5 15.0 2.0% Improved
material
movement
eliminates
wasted
time
waiting
for
overhead
bridge
crane
movements.
Development
of
Bond
Cap
Preform
Section 705.5 697.5 8.0 1.1% Much
less
complex
layup
of
bond
cap.
8
D/L
save
an
hour.
Use
of
3D
Projected
Laser
Guidelines
for
Layup
and
Fixture
Location
697.5 670.5 27.0 3.6% Labor
Savings
in
Lay-­‐up
and
Assembly
Op's
with
8
Person
Crew
Proprietary
AMII
Projects 670.5 647.8 22.8 3.0%
Advanced
Technology
Blade
Demonstration
Efforts
Fiberglass
RodPack 647.76 586.2 61.6 8.2% Significant
savings
in
Layup,
infuision
preparation
and
Infusion
time
and
cure
time
TYCOR
Sandwich
Core 586.15 573.8 12.3 1.6% Reduction
in
labor
content
for
core
installation
Latent
Cure
Epoxy
Resin 573.83 564.0 9.9 1.3% Reduction
in
labor
content
for
part
cure
Use
of
MMA/PU
Bond
Paste 563.98 550.8 13.1 1.7% Reduction
in
Labor
for
bond
assembly
Implementation
of
Co-­‐Bonded
Shear
Webs n/a 550.8 0.0 0.0% Project
not
completed
Totals: 201.2 26.8%
August
26,
2014
|
Page
31

32. AMI
–
Blades,
Final
Thoughts
› Completed
AMI-­‐Blades
28
May
2014
› Nearly
a
50%
reduc5on
in
Mold
CT
and
29%
reduc5on
in
Labor.
› Integrated
large
scale
automa5on
is
s5ll
elusive,
however
applying…
– Local
material
handling
systems
– Parallel
part
processing
– Accelerated
cure
processing
through
directed
hea5ng
– And
advanced/innova5ve
materials
technologies…
Has
resulted
in
significant
reduc5ons
in
cycle
5me
and
labor
content
while
improving
infusion
process
reliability
and
capability.
August
26,
2014
|
Page
32

33. Driving
Composites
Innova5on