Removable Carrier Adhesive Layer for Coating Repair
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing coating systems for surfaces exposed to erosion, such as wind turbine blades, are difficult to repair and maintain due to their resilience and adherence to the surface, leading to increased downtime and potential damage to the underlying structure, especially in offshore environments where material removal and disposal are challenging.
Innovation Solution
A coating system comprising an adhesive layer with a carrier embedded between a first adhesive layer portion on the substrate and a second adhesive layer portion on the coating, allowing for efficient peeling off of the damaged coating by applying a peeling force, leaving a clean surface for reapplication without the need for extensive chemical or mechanical cleaning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the protective coating is applied to the surface to protect against erosion, then the underlying structure is protected from damage, but the coating becomes difficult to remove when damaged, requiring extensive mechanical or chemical cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The coating system is segmented into multiple functional layers: a resilient protective coating layer for erosion resistance, an intermediate adhesive layer for bonding, and a removable carrier layer for easy removal. This segmentation allows the protective function to be maintained while enabling selective removal of the carrier without damaging the underlying structure or requiring extensive cleaning of the resilient coating.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediate adhesive layer and removable carrier as mediators between the resilient protective coating and the substrate. The carrier acts as a temporary support that facilitates easy removal of the damaged coating system, while the adhesive layer ensures proper bonding during service. This intermediary structure resolves the contradiction by enabling easy removal without compromising the protective function during operation.
2Ease of repair
If manual scraping, grit blasting or sanding is used to remove the damaged coating, then the coating can be removed to expose the underlying structure, but the process is time consuming and requires the wind turbine to be stopped for a relatively long time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the removal function from the resilient protective coating itself and transfers it to a separate removable carrier layer. The carrier is designed with specific properties that enable it to be easily peeled off together with the damaged coating, extracting the time-consuming mechanical removal process and replacing it with a simple peeling action that significantly reduces maintenance downtime.
3Ease of manufacture
If the coating is removed completely to the surface of the underlying structure, then a clean base surface is obtained for new coating application, but special tools are required and all materials must be collected and taken to shore due to environmental restrictions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a disposable removable carrier that is designed to be easily removed and discarded (or collected) along with the damaged coating. The carrier is made from materials that facilitate easy removal without requiring special tools, and its design allows for complete removal to the substrate surface, providing a clean base for new coating application while simplifying the removal process to not require complex equipment.
4Productivity
If the rotational speed of the wind turbine is increased to improve energy production, then the tip speed increases and thus the speed of the air flowing past the blade increases, but the erosion becomes more severe
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a resilient protective coating layer before the erosion problem manifests, cushioning the underlying structure against the harmful effects of erosion. The resilient material absorbs and dissipates the impact energy of particles and water droplets, providing beforehand protection that allows the wind turbine to operate at higher speeds for improved energy production without suffering from accelerated erosion of the underlying structure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables efficient removal and replacement of the coating system, reducing downtime and maintaining the aerodynamic profile of the surface, while adhering to environmental regulations by minimizing material disposal requirements, thus extending the lifespan of the coated structure.
Implementation Method 1
the adhesive layer comprises a first adhesive layer portion adjacent to the substrate and a second adhesive layer portion adjacent to the coating... the first adhesive layer material and the second adhesive layer material is having an adhesive or bond strength to the surface of the substrate and to the coating respectively that exceeds their respective cohesive or tensile strength
Implementation Method 2
a protective coating especially suited for protection against abrasion may be applied to the surface of the structure. The protective coating is usually formed of a resilient material that resists abrasion
Data Source
Figure 1a~1c
Figure 2
Figure 3a~3d
AI summary
Coating system (1) for coating a surface (3) of a substrate (5), the coating system (1) comprising; a coating (7), and an adhesive layer (9), that is disposed between the substrate (5) and the coating (7), wherein the adhesive layer (9) comprises a first adhesive layer portion (13) adjacent the substrate (5) and a second adhesive layer portion (15) adjacent the coating (7) and a carrier (11) placed between said first and second adhesive layer portions(13, 5), wherein the first adhesive layer portion (13) is composed of a first adhesive layer material, wherein the second adhesive layer portion (15) is composed of a second adhesive layer material, wherein the first adhesive layer material and the second adhesive layer material is having an adhesive or bond strength to the surface (3) of the substrate (5) and to the coating (7) respectively that exceeds their respective cohesive or tensile strength, wherein the first and second adhesive layer materials and carrier (11) combination is configured for having an adhesive strength that is less than their respective cohesive or tensile strength, wherein the carrier (11) is configured with grab tensile properties such that the carrier (11) in combination with the second adhesive layer portion (15) and the coating (7) will separate from the first adhesive layer portion (13) under the action of a peeling force.