SGL Group says its industrial grade carbon fibre SIGRAFIL® C30T050 EPY is the first heavy tow carbon fibre to be formally approved by GL Wind for use in the wind energy industry.
SIGRAFIL® C30T050 EPY is a 50k, PAN based carbon fibre designed for industrial applications and is already used in the wind industry.
SGL reports that the material characteristics and fatigue behaviour of laminates using SIGRAFIL® C30T050 EPY carbon fibre are comparable to those of 24k aerospace grade carbon fibre.
The company also reports that fatigue properties exceed the minimum values given by the 'Guideline for the Certification of Wind Turbines' of GL Wind. The Guideline excludes heavy tow carbon fibre (>48k) for the design of wind turbine blades, unless additional verification tests are performed.
SGL Group, headquartered in Wiesbaden, Germany, offers the SIGRAFIL® C30T050 EPY carbon fibre as well as semi-finished products like prepreg and dry non crimped fabrics. All products are designed for use in wind turbine rotor blades.