A new study, published in the high-ranking scientific journal Composite Structures, explores the optimal integration of Gurit’s sustainable Kerdyn PET foam core in wind turbine blades, as an alternative to traditional balsa wood. However, the lower through-thickness performance of PET derived from recycled materials presents a design challenge. Gurit illustrates how this challenge can be met.

The Gurit research and engineering teams, along with research partners from Aalborg University, developed and optimized three wind turbine blade models variants based on the Gurit98m model, with one, two, and three shear web configurations. Multiple driving structural failure criteria were considered in the design problem, including global and local buckling, blade deflection, and strength, ensuring the resulting blades meet stringent performance requirements.

The study underlines the viability of PET-based large-scale blade designs and highlights key design features of each blade variant, providing a stronger understanding of the design drivers of our products. This knowledge is imperative for defining the targets of future product development, enabling Gurit to meet customer demands in both the short and long term.

Moreover, the methodology detailed by the research work provides a reliable path for efficiently transitioning to PET foam or other sustainable materials, supporting Gurit customers’ own sustainability goals and competitive positioning in the evolving renewable energy sector.

Finally, the work underlines the usefulness of the Gurit98m model in research, development, and innovation collaborations. Having a non-proprietary detailed blade model accelerates technology development for blade design optimization, thereby enabling faster, more effective, and more collaborative innovation for the next-generation of wind turbines.