Metals are the best engineering materials owing to their superior conductivity, mechanical proper... more Metals are the best engineering materials owing to their superior conductivity, mechanical properties, and formability. However, they can be highly affected by environmental elements like oxygen, chlorine, etc. This reaction of metals with the environmental elements will indeed alter their electrical, chemical, and mechanical properties. To protect against corrosion, various protection methods such as electroplating have been established. The presence of anodic or cathodic films on the substrate surface protects steel from corrosion damage at ambient atmospheric temperature. This work focuses on the effect of temperature on the oxidative (corrosion) rate of non-plated, nickel-plated, and chrome-plated ASTM A283GC mild steel samples. A temperature range of 200–800 °C and a total heating time of 120 min were considered in this experiment. A temperature-regulated muffle furnace with a maximum heating capacity of 1000 °C has been used. Weight changes were determined every 30 minutes of ...
This research work investigates the effects of the concentration and treatment of chopped false b... more This research work investigates the effects of the concentration and treatment of chopped false banana (Ensete ventricosum) fibres on the mechanical properties of a polypropylene matrix. The chopped false banana fibres (FBFs) were modified using Aloe Vera gel following treatment with 5% NaOH for 12 h at room temperature, with 1% acetic acid used to neutralise the remaining NaOH. FBF-reinforced polypropylene composite plates were then manufactured with 10, 20, 30, and 40 wt.% of chopped FBF. The mechanical properties were investigated using the compressive, impact, and three-point bending tests. Regarding the mechanical properties of the FBF-reinforced polypropylene composites, it was found that they have a maximum average compressive strength of 17.2 MPa. A maximum bending strength of 12.109 MPa was found for the Aloe Vera gel-treated composite with 30 wt.% of FBF. The maximum average compressive strength for this composite was 17.19 MPa. A maximum bending strength of 9.97 MPa for u...
Globally, electricity demand rises by 1.8% per year; according to the American Energy Information... more Globally, electricity demand rises by 1.8% per year; according to the American Energy Information Administration, global energy demand will increase by 47% over the next 30 years, driven by demographic and economic growth. Global demand for electricity is growing faster than renewable energy sources. Electricity production from renewable sources (i.e., biomass energy, geothermal energy, hydro energy, solar energy, tidal energy, wind energy) is on its way to strong growth around the world over the next dozen years. With the increasing demand for energy, new technologies and materials are being developed to replace exhaustible traditional construction materials. This article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the research into the application of composite materials in mainstream power generation. The main energy generation technologies, i.e., photovoltaic panels, wind turbines, fuel cells, and biogas generators, were analysed and discussed. The review presented in this articl...
The availability of some form of energy is essential for the human survival and social developmen... more The availability of some form of energy is essential for the human survival and social development. However, the way energy has been generated within the last century has brought forward the quest for the generation of energy without polluting the environment, which is nowadays considered to be the greatest global challenge. The materials used for wind turbine blades can be classified under this challenge of polluting the environment. One of the materials expected to reduce this problem is natural fiber reinforced composite (FRC). Thus, the focus of this paper was to evaluate the potential of different natural FRC materials for small wind turbine blade application. Eleven different natural fibers reinforced composite in epoxy resin were studied. A modified Halphin-Tsai semi-empirical model was used to compute the physical properties of the composites, since it has a good agreement with the experimental results. Stress, deformation, and weight of wind turbine blade under different lo...
Design of wind turbine blade is the most important step in developing efficient non-conventional ... more Design of wind turbine blade is the most important step in developing efficient non-conventional energy converters in order to tackle today’s energy crisis scenario. In horizontal axis wind turbines in particular, blades are the most important parts of the turbine and needs optimized design since it has direct relation with output performance. In addition, the turbine blade is critical part in terms of the manufacturing cost of the blade, which is about 15–20% of the total wind turbine plant cost. One of the main design parameters in the geometry of wind turbine blades is the cord length. This parameter affects not only the performance, but also the blade structural stiffness. Closer review of the literature shows that there is no commonly accepted formula for calculation of chord length distribution. Thus, this paper focuses on comparative study of the works of different researchers on the formulas used for calculation of chord length distribution along the blade. Upon evaluating t...
Metals are the best engineering materials owing to their superior conductivity, mechanical proper... more Metals are the best engineering materials owing to their superior conductivity, mechanical properties, and formability. However, they can be highly affected by environmental elements like oxygen, chlorine, etc. This reaction of metals with the environmental elements will indeed alter their electrical, chemical, and mechanical properties. To protect against corrosion, various protection methods such as electroplating have been established. The presence of anodic or cathodic films on the substrate surface protects steel from corrosion damage at ambient atmospheric temperature. This work focuses on the effect of temperature on the oxidative (corrosion) rate of non-plated, nickel-plated, and chrome-plated ASTM A283GC mild steel samples. A temperature range of 200–800 °C and a total heating time of 120 min were considered in this experiment. A temperature-regulated muffle furnace with a maximum heating capacity of 1000 °C has been used. Weight changes were determined every 30 minutes of ...
This research work investigates the effects of the concentration and treatment of chopped false b... more This research work investigates the effects of the concentration and treatment of chopped false banana (Ensete ventricosum) fibres on the mechanical properties of a polypropylene matrix. The chopped false banana fibres (FBFs) were modified using Aloe Vera gel following treatment with 5% NaOH for 12 h at room temperature, with 1% acetic acid used to neutralise the remaining NaOH. FBF-reinforced polypropylene composite plates were then manufactured with 10, 20, 30, and 40 wt.% of chopped FBF. The mechanical properties were investigated using the compressive, impact, and three-point bending tests. Regarding the mechanical properties of the FBF-reinforced polypropylene composites, it was found that they have a maximum average compressive strength of 17.2 MPa. A maximum bending strength of 12.109 MPa was found for the Aloe Vera gel-treated composite with 30 wt.% of FBF. The maximum average compressive strength for this composite was 17.19 MPa. A maximum bending strength of 9.97 MPa for u...
Globally, electricity demand rises by 1.8% per year; according to the American Energy Information... more Globally, electricity demand rises by 1.8% per year; according to the American Energy Information Administration, global energy demand will increase by 47% over the next 30 years, driven by demographic and economic growth. Global demand for electricity is growing faster than renewable energy sources. Electricity production from renewable sources (i.e., biomass energy, geothermal energy, hydro energy, solar energy, tidal energy, wind energy) is on its way to strong growth around the world over the next dozen years. With the increasing demand for energy, new technologies and materials are being developed to replace exhaustible traditional construction materials. This article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the research into the application of composite materials in mainstream power generation. The main energy generation technologies, i.e., photovoltaic panels, wind turbines, fuel cells, and biogas generators, were analysed and discussed. The review presented in this articl...
The availability of some form of energy is essential for the human survival and social developmen... more The availability of some form of energy is essential for the human survival and social development. However, the way energy has been generated within the last century has brought forward the quest for the generation of energy without polluting the environment, which is nowadays considered to be the greatest global challenge. The materials used for wind turbine blades can be classified under this challenge of polluting the environment. One of the materials expected to reduce this problem is natural fiber reinforced composite (FRC). Thus, the focus of this paper was to evaluate the potential of different natural FRC materials for small wind turbine blade application. Eleven different natural fibers reinforced composite in epoxy resin were studied. A modified Halphin-Tsai semi-empirical model was used to compute the physical properties of the composites, since it has a good agreement with the experimental results. Stress, deformation, and weight of wind turbine blade under different lo...
Design of wind turbine blade is the most important step in developing efficient non-conventional ... more Design of wind turbine blade is the most important step in developing efficient non-conventional energy converters in order to tackle today’s energy crisis scenario. In horizontal axis wind turbines in particular, blades are the most important parts of the turbine and needs optimized design since it has direct relation with output performance. In addition, the turbine blade is critical part in terms of the manufacturing cost of the blade, which is about 15–20% of the total wind turbine plant cost. One of the main design parameters in the geometry of wind turbine blades is the cord length. This parameter affects not only the performance, but also the blade structural stiffness. Closer review of the literature shows that there is no commonly accepted formula for calculation of chord length distribution. Thus, this paper focuses on comparative study of the works of different researchers on the formulas used for calculation of chord length distribution along the blade. Upon evaluating t...
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