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Benefits of Adhesives in Wind Energy
Adhesives are playing an increasingly vital role in advancing wind energy technology. At Parker Lord, our high-performance adhesives deliver reliable, durable bonds that help wind turbines withstand harsh environmental conditions and demanding mechanical stresses. Benefits include:
- Strong and durable bonds enabling lightweight, efficent designs.
- Corrosion and environmental resistance
- Vibration dampening and fatigue resistence
- Versatile material bonding
- Faster assembly leading to lower costs
Key Considerations for Choosing Wind Energy Adhesives
Choosing the right adhesive is essential for durable, reliable bonds in wind turbines. Consider these key factors:
- Material Compatibility
- Environmental Resistance
- Strength & Durability
- Thermal Expansion Properties
- Cure Time & Processing
- Safety & Compliance
- Application Method
Adhesive Types for Wind Energy
Common adhesive types include:
- Epoxy adhesives: High strength and excellent environmental resistance, ideal for bonding composites like fiberglass and carbon fiber in turbine blades.
- Acrylic adhesives: Durable and strong, often used for bonding metal parts such as towers and nacelles.
- Polyurethane adhesives: Flexible with great adhesion, perfect for materials with different thermal expansion rates, commonly used in blades.
- Silicone adhesives: Resistant to high temperatures and UV, used for sealing and bonding components like nacelles and hubs.
Choosing the right adhesive depends on the materials, environmental exposure, and required bond lifespan. Let us help you find your perfect solution.
Structural Adhesives for Wind Turbine Applications
Structural adhesives are applicable to a variety of wind turbine structure components including:
- Blade assembly
- Blade bonding
- Void filling
- Bolt, stud, and metal-insert fixing
- Panel and stringer structural bonding
- Nacelle assembly
- Hub, bearing, and gearbox assembly
- Electrical component sealing and protection
- Magnet bonding and coatings
- Tower assembly
- Installation, maintenance, and blade repair
Cure Time Critical to Blade Bonding
Curing times are a crucial aspect of bonding. Some applications require adhesives that cure quickly, such as repair operations, while other applications need a slower cure time, as in manufacturing.
Large wind blades, for one, need a slower cure time. When bonding the two blade halves and laying down beads of adhesives, it's good to have a curing process begin at the same time. An adhesive should not start curing before all of it is applied to the entire blade. When the dispensing finishes, the two halves are placed together, and the curing can commence. Curing at room temperature lets the adhesives provide crack resistance for a variety of composite, metal, and plastic assemblies.
Engineering assistance is available for joint design, fixturing recommendations, adhesive selection, and MMD (bulk dispensing) equipment guidance. If you need help choosing one of our standard adhesive products or if they don’t quite meet your needs, let us help you find a solution.
Not sure which adhesive you need for your Wind Turbine application? Talk with one of our experts.
Call Us at 877-275-5673