Aluminum Alloy Reinforced with Agro-Waste, and Eggshell as Viable Material for Wind Turbine Blade to Annex Potential Wind Energy: A Review

Abstract

The most important part of the wind turbine is the blade. From existing studies, it has been concluded that most wind turbine blades have a high rate of failure during operation due to fatigue, because of a lack of proper material selection processes. Materials such as fiberglass, wood, aluminum, and steel have been used but have not been able to qualify as sustainable materials. Therefore, this study focuses on the review of existing materials employed for developing metal matrix composites as ecological materials to produce wind blades. This study discusses the application of aluminium, silicon, and magnesium metal matrix alloys and the implementation of agro-waste materials (coconut rice, coconut shell, rice husk ash, and sugar Bagasse ash) and eggshell as reinforcement particulates for metal matrix composites for developing wind blades. The study also reviews the method of production of matrix composites. From the results obtained via the review, it is clear that the application of eggshells assists as a binding element for proper mixture, and the combination of Al–Si–Mg alloy with coconut rice and shell improves the strength of the material, since wind blades need durable materials and ductility due to their aerodynamic shape to convert enough energy from the wind.