Wind

Driven by an increasing demand to achieve energy targets for higher electric capacity and efficiency of wind turbines, wind turbine blades have continuously increased in size over the years and the development of even larger ones is in progress. Along with that, the demands on the manufacturing side on bonding processes, have also changed as increasing bond line length require adhesive systems with extended gel times.

Addressing this topic, Crosslinkers/ECA offers a series of curing agents with low viscosities, high flexibility and long gel times. Besides their differences in gel time and viscosity, all curing agents offer a similar level of mechanical properties and thermal resistance after curing with a standard epoxy resin at 70-75°C for 5 hours. With this series of curing agents Evonik provides a versatile toolbox enabling formulators to cope with upcoming challenges in wind turbine blade production.

Rotor blades are a demanding composite application in the field of renewable energy. Today rotor blades of 80 m and longer need to work 20 years and longer in a harsh environment under high mechanical stress. The formulation of the epoxy matrix is essential, mainly the right choice of the curing agent. VESTAMIN® IPD is here an essential part of the formulation. During the application it provides a balance between reactivity and pot life to the VARTM matrix. During the service life it provides mechanical strength and durability to the rotor blade. 

Epoxy based VARTM matrix systems including VESTAMIN® IPD in the curing agent have been used for more than 25 years in rotor blade manufacturing. During this period rotor blades have approximately tripled in their length and still rely on this same epoxy amine formulation.

VESTAMIN® for Infusion 
Aliphatic diamines from the VESTAMIN® range are industry-standard crosslinkers for high-performance epoxy systems.