Impact of Carbon Fillers on the Mechanical Characteristics of Wind Turbine Blades Made of Jute and Epoxy Composite

Natural fibers are a sustainable substitute for synthetic materials because of many benefits, which include light weight, biodegradability, renewability, and affordability. An approach to sustainable blade design that shows promise is its use into wind turbine blades. The study focusses on jute/epoxy composite's tensile strength, impact strength, water absorption, void fraction and degradation with carbon fillers and apply in making small wind turbine blades. To fabricate the composites, two jute fiber proportions (30 wt.% and 40 wt.%) and five filler proportions (2 wt.%, 4 wt.%, 6 wt.%, 8 wt.% and 10 wt.%) were used. The experiments were conducted in compliance with ASTM guidelines. Carbon fillers improved tensile strength, impact strength, water absorption, void fraction and degradation. For the dry 30/70 composites, carbon fillers demonstrated a maximum increase of 20.1% in tensile and 53.58 % in impact strength while for the dry 40/60 composites, the increment was 17.75% in tensile and 43.14 % in impact strength. Additionally, the 30/70 composite’s water absorption was decreased by 61% and by 60% for 40/60 composites. The percentage of void fraction improved by 14.21% for 30/70 composites and by 25% for 40/60 composites when carbon fillers were added. The laminates without fillers had the highest percentage of deterioration whereas the composites with carbon fillers the 40/60 composites shown the greatest percentage of deterioration in tensile and impact strengths.