Design Safety
The design load for this blade has been
specified by the client as a uniform pressure load of
5000Pa. This load, which is considered the survival wind
load, was calculated using an International Electrotechnical
Commission (IEC) standard and has an additional 40% safety
factor. We has confirmed this loading using CSA
S37 – a Canadian Standards Association (CSA) document for
calculating loadings on towers and appendages – and have
obtained highly comparable results using applicable safety
factors.
Lightning protection of the blades was achieved by embedding a standard conductor cable within
each blade.
Manufacturing & Testing Safety
Wood billets were created using a
two-part epoxy resin and hardener. In addition, we had
acetone on-hand for use as a cleaner. The Material Safety
Data Sheets (MSDS) associated with these chemicals are
listed below.
Acetone
CoPoxy 100 A
(Resin)
CoPoxy
9253 B (Hardener)
During the manufacturing and testing
stages of the project, there were visits to machine shops
and the Atlantic Wind Test Site. Before entering a hazardous
area, such as shop floors, each group member ensured
that he was equipped with the required personal protective
equipment (PPE).
Fiberglass application was
outsourced, leaving responsibility for proper ventilation
and material handling with the contractor. Again, any visits
to contractors' shops will see group members wearing the
necessary PPE. Sanding of carbon fiber
was completed in-house, which created an unanticipated
health hazard. The dust associated with this sanding poses
the following threats:
Immediate actions were taken by the
group upon discovery of the hazard to minimize exposure and
clean the affected area.
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