Wind power
Wind power
PMI foam is a high-performance structural core material used in the manufacturing of modern wind turbine components, particularly rotor blades. The continuous trend towards longer and larger rotor blades (to capture more wind energy) places extreme demands on materials, requiring high strength, high stiffness, low weight, and excellent fatigue resistance. PMI foam helps meet these demanding requirements.
Application Scenarios:
The primary application for PMI foam in the wind power industry is within Wind Turbine Blades, specifically in structurally critical areas of medium to very long blades (e.g., > 60-70 meters):
1.Shear Webs: This is the most significant application for PMI foam in wind blades. Shear webs are internal structural beams running along the length of the blade, connecting the upper and lower shells (spar caps). They carry substantial shear loads. PMI foam's high shear strength, stiffness, and fatigue resistance make it an ideal core material for shear web sandwich panels, ensuring the blade maintains its structural integrity under complex loading.
2.Blade Shells / Aerodynamic Panels: PMI foam can be used as the core material in sandwich panels forming parts of the blade's outer shell, particularly in:
Thicker sections of the blade profile.
Areas requiring higher local stiffness or compressive strength than standard PET or Balsa cores might provide.
Often used selectively in high-stress regions or in hybrid core concepts (combining PMI with other core materials like PET or Balsa) to optimize performance and cost across the entire blade.
3.Spar Caps: While spar caps (the main load-bearing elements resisting bending) are often made of thick, solid carbon or glass fiber laminates, some designs might incorporate PMI foam as a core in certain sandwich panel sections of the spar cap, particularly in very large blades, to optimize buckling resistance and potentially reduce weight.
