The rovings are said to be ideally suited to the production of high modulus non-crimp glass fabrics.
When compared with turbine blades manufactured using E-glass, 3B reports the HiPer-tex W3030 glass roving offers a weight saving of up to 10% for the same blade design and length.
In addition, the turbine blade span can be lengthened by up to 6% while still maintaining the same weight and contributing up to 12% more energy output.
In a typical unidirectional polyester or vinyl ester laminate with an average glass volume fraction of 60%, HiPer-tex W3030 is said to offer:
- 54-56 GPa E-modulus;
- 1400-1500 MPa tensile strength; plus
- up to 50% improvement in transverse strength and up to 10 times longer lifetime in fatigue resistance, over traditional E-glass.
The roving is also reported to result in a more consistent laminate quality as it offers better wet-out. Higher shear strength, greater interfibre strength and exellent fatigue performance is provided by the significantly improved resin matrix adhesion when compared with existing high modulus fibre glass available in the market, notes 3B.
Dedicated sizing technology
HiPer-tex W3030 features a sizing offering enhanced compatibility with unsaturated polyester and vinyl ester resins.
"Focusing on a specific resin system and developing dedicated sizing technology enables us to better meet customers' needs and respond to one of the key priorities of the wind energy industry, which is to reduce the overall cost of generating electricity," says Onur Tokgoz, 3B wind energy global business leader.
3B also offers HiPer-tex W2020 and SE2020, made with Advantex glass, both engineered for epoxy resin systems used in resin infusion or prepreg processes.
