TY - CONF A1 - Ghafafian, Carineh A1 - Trappe, Volker T1 - The effect of fiber orientation mismatch on scarf joint damage mechanisms under fatigue load N2 - Wind turbine rotor blades commonly fail before their projected 20-year lifespan largely due to defects that originate during manufacturing and are propagated by operational fatigue and environmental conditions. The cost-intensive replacement outcomes lead to a high loss of earnings, and are one of the inhibitors of wind turbine production. A potential repair alternative to restoring the mechanical properties of such lightweight fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) structures is to locally patch these areas with scarf joints. This type of repair allows for a smoother load distribution across the joint, and is favored especially on structures where minor aerodynamic contour changes are key. The effects of such repairs on the structural integrity, however, is still largely unknown. Building upon an understanding of the static load failure mechanism of GFRP scarf joints, presented at the ICCS23 Joint Event in 2020, the influence of the fiber orientation mismatch between parent and repair materials of 1:50 scarf joints on the failure mechanism of monolithic glass FRP specimens under cyclic fatigue load were examined in this study. Specimens with various layups were produced with the vacuum-assisted resin infusion (VARI) process using biaxial E-glass non-crimp fabric (NCF). The patch layers were then joined directly to the parent structure with the VARI using biaxial E-glass NCF with half the areal weight of the parent side to allow for better drapability. This mimics the soft-to-hard patch style utilized in wind turbine blade shell field repairs. The specimens were tested under uniaxial fatigue load, during which they were periodically monitored for damage onset. A comparison of the +45/-45° and 0/90° layups allowed for an understanding of the role of a highly mismatching fiber orientation in the transition zone between parent and patch material on the failure mechanism of the scarf joint. In addition to the tensile strength and stiffness property recovery assessment, a grayscale analysis using in-situ camera images determined the damage state leading to failure in each region across the scarf joint, which varied in the parent material versus scarf joint region, providing insight to the critical regions in this composite structure under cyclic loading. T2 - ICCS24 - 24th International Conference on Composite Structures CY - Online meeting DA - 14.06.2021 KW - Glass fiber reinforced polymers KW - Scarf repairs KW - Damage mechanisms PY - 2021 AN - OPUS4-52817 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -