A highway sound barrier using a decommissioned fan blade
By cutting retired wind turbine blades into sound barrier side panels and creating sound-absorbing holes, and combining them with the bottom and top panels to form sound barrier segments, the problems of high cost and poor durability of sound barrier materials are solved, achieving efficient recycling and utilization of retired wind turbine blades and improving sound absorption and insulation effects.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- ROAD & BRIDGE INT CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2025-08-18
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-14
AI Technical Summary
Existing highway sound barrier materials are expensive and have poor durability, and traditional methods for disposing of retired wind turbine blades are not ideal, leading to difficulties in recycling.
Retired wind turbine blades were used as the sound barrier material. They were cut into side plates and sound-absorbing holes were opened on the front side. The bottom plate and top plate were combined to form sound barrier segments, which were then fixed to the concrete base with epoxy resin.
It reduced the material cost of the sound barrier, improved the sound absorption and insulation effect, solved the problem of structural utilization of retired wind turbine blades, and enhanced the durability and weather resistance of the sound barrier.
Smart Images
Figure CN224494939U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of municipal road construction technology, and relates to the construction of a highway sound barrier, specifically a highway sound barrier using retired wind turbine blades. Background Technology
[0002] Highway noise barriers are soundproofing facilities used to reduce the impact of highway noise on the surrounding environment and residents. They are categorized by soundproofing method into purely sound-insulating reflective barriers and composite sound barriers that combine sound absorption and insulation; the latter is a more effective soundproofing method. Currently, commonly used materials for highway noise barriers include metals (galvanized steel sheets, aluminum sheets, aluminum foam), transparent plastics and plexiglass (acrylic PMMA, PC endurance boards / laminated glass), and concrete (cement / lightweight concrete). Reflective noise barriers are simple to manufacture and have low cost, but they can exacerbate noise on the inner side of the road. Composite noise barriers require a sound-absorbing interlayer, resulting in higher manufacturing and material costs, and are prone to water seepage, leading to performance degradation and requiring regular maintenance.
[0003] Wind turbine blades widely utilize composite materials such as glass fiber, carbon fiber, epoxy resin, and polyurethane resin as the outer layer, with polyvinyl chloride, polymethacrylamide, or balsa wood core layers for support. This structure is similar to the sandwich structure of composite sound barriers, and offers advantages such as light weight, high strength, and corrosion resistance. With the increasing national emphasis on clean energy development, wind power installed capacity is constantly increasing, and simultaneously, the number of retired wind turbine blades is also rising sharply each year. How to dispose of retired wind turbine blades is a new problem. Traditional incineration and landfill methods are gradually being phased out due to their land consumption and increased carbon emissions. Currently, mechanical crushing is commonly used to break down the blades into glass fiber and resin particles, which can be used as additives in cement and board materials. However, the results are not ideal, limiting the scale of application, while large-scale structural utilization is still in the exploratory stage. Through experimental research, the applicant discovered that densely perforated glass fibers on the surface of decommissioned wind turbine blades exhibit excellent sound absorption capabilities, with an average sound absorption coefficient of 0.8, comparable to most sound-absorbing materials (1.0), making it an ideal material for manufacturing sound-absorbing and sound-insulating barriers. Summary of the Invention
[0004] The purpose of this invention is to address the aforementioned background technology by providing a highway sound barrier that utilizes retired wind turbine blades, thereby reducing material costs and offering a new approach for the recycling and reuse of retired wind turbine blades.
[0005] This utility model provides a highway sound barrier using retired wind turbine blades, characterized in that: it includes multiple sound barrier segments, each segment including a side plate, a bottom plate, and a top plate. The side plate is cut from retired wind turbine blades and includes two surface layers with a core layer between them. The bottom and top edges of the side plate are respectively bonded to one side of the bottom and top plates. Multiple sound-absorbing holes are evenly opened on the sound-facing surface of the side plate, and the sound-absorbing holes do not penetrate the surface layer of the sound-receiving surface. The bottom plates of the multiple sound barrier segments are sequentially fixed to the concrete base on the roadside by flanges, and the ends of the side plates, bottom plates, and top plates of adjacent sound barrier segments are bonded together.
[0006] According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, the side plate is 4m long and 3m high; the bottom plate and top plate are 4m long and 0.3-0.5m wide.
[0007] According to a specific embodiment of this utility model, the diameter of the silencing holes on the side plate is 0.5-1cm, and the distance between adjacent silencing holes is 3-5cm.
[0008] This invention utilizes highway sound barriers made from retired wind turbine blade materials. Because wind turbine blade materials themselves possess advantages such as light weight, high strength, water impermeability, and corrosion resistance, this invention solves the problems of low durability and poor weather resistance found in traditional sound barriers, while also providing excellent sound absorption and insulation. This invention enables the structured and large-scale utilization of retired wind turbine blades, turning waste into treasure, and provides a new approach to addressing the urgent problem of recycling retired wind turbine blades. Attached Figure Description
[0009] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the sound barrier structure of this utility model;
[0010] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the side panel of the sound barrier. Detailed Implementation
[0011] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, the highway sound barrier of this utility model includes multiple sound barrier segments. Each segment includes a side plate 1, a bottom plate 2, and a top plate 3. The side plate is cut from a retired wind turbine blade. The side plate 1 includes two surface layers 11, with a core layer 12 between the two surface layers. The bottom edge and top edge of the side plate 1 are respectively bonded to one side of the bottom plate 2 and the top plate 3. Multiple sound-absorbing holes 4 are evenly opened on the sound-facing surface of the side plate. The sound-absorbing holes do not penetrate the surface layer of the sound-receiving surface. The bottom plates 2 of the multiple sound barrier segments are sequentially fixed to the concrete base 6 on the roadside by flanges 5. The ends of the side plates, bottom plates, and top plates of adjacent sound barrier segments are bonded together.
[0012] The dimensions of the side panels, bottom panels, and top panels are set according to the specific road section's requirements for the size of the sound barrier. In one specific embodiment, the side panels are 4m long and 3m high; the bottom panels and top panels are 4m long and 0.3-0.5m wide.
[0013] The diameter of the silencing holes on the side plate is 0.5-1cm, and the distance between adjacent silencing holes is 3-5cm.
[0014] The manufacturing method for highway sound barriers using retired wind turbine blades is as follows:
[0015] (1) Select the straight part on the retired wind turbine blade and cut it into a side plate of a certain size with a wire saw. Generally, the length of wind turbine blades is nearly 100 meters or even more than 100 meters. The front and rear edges and the internal shear web are relatively straight parts, which can be cut into side plates that meet the required size; the bottom plate and top plate can be made from the scraps of the side plates or waste fiberglass and other materials, cut into the required size.
[0016] (2) Use a laser drilling machine to make sound-absorbing holes on the sound-absorbing surface of the side panel. When drilling, control the sound-absorbing holes to not penetrate the surface layer of the sound-absorbing surface but to get as close as possible to the core layer in order to avoid damaging the core layer. The complete sandwich structure can better exert the sound insulation and sound absorption characteristics.
[0017] (3) Use epoxy resin to bond the side plate to the bottom plate and the top plate to form a sound barrier segment;
[0018] (4) Fix the base plates of multiple sound barrier segments to the concrete base on the roadside using flanges, and bond adjacent segments with epoxy resin adhesive to complete the sound barrier installation.
Claims
1. A highway sound barrier using retired wind turbine blades, characterized in that: The system comprises multiple sound barrier segments, each including a side plate, a bottom plate, and a top plate. The side plates are cut from retired wind turbine blades and include two surface layers with a core layer between them. The bottom and top edges of the side plates are bonded to one side of the bottom and top plates, respectively. Multiple sound-absorbing holes are evenly distributed on the sound-facing surface of the side plates, and these holes do not penetrate the surface layers of the sound-receiving surfaces. The bottom plates of the multiple sound barrier segments are sequentially fixed to the concrete base on the roadside via flanges, and the ends of the side plates, bottom plates, and top plates of adjacent sound barrier segments are bonded together.
2. The highway sound barrier using decommissioned wind turbine blades according to claim 1, characterized in that: The side plate is 4m long and 3m high; the bottom plate and top plate are 4m long and 0.3-0.5m wide.
3. The highway sound barrier using decommissioned wind turbine blades according to claim 1, characterized in that: The diameter of the silencing holes on the side plate is 0.5-1cm, and the spacing between adjacent silencing holes is 3-5cm.