Effect of nano-silica/alumina hybrid coating on erosion resistance of glass fibre-reinforced polymer for the application of wind turbine blades

Polymeric coatings reinforced with nanoparticles have recently occupied special focus by researchers and have been used in several industrial applications such as wind turbine manufacturing, oil and gas, aerospace and automotive industries. Yet, still more investigations are required to improve the tribological and mechanical properties of these coats and increase its service life. The effect of adding nano-silica/alumina to polyurethane coatings have been studied, however, their erosion resistance has not been investigated yet. The main purpose of this research is to investigate the erosion resistance of hybrid nano-silica/alumina polyurethane compositions with different weight fractions. To do this, erosion resistance experiments, scanning electron microscope and Zetasizer experiments to assess the agglomeration percentage were carried out. Results showed that the hybrid composition of nano-silica/alumina polyurethane significantly decreased the erosion rate and that the reduction in agglomeration was mirrored in much enhanced erosion resistance of the nanocomposites.