Atmospheric Pressure Argon Plasma Jet Enhances the Surface Repair Effect of Wind Turbine Blades

With the rapid development of the global wind power industry, incidents of wind turbine blade surface damage have been steadily increasing recently. Surface pretreatment plays a crucial role in enhancing the repair effectiveness of nonstructural damage in wind turbine blades. Plasma treatment has demonstrated considerable potential in this field, particularly atmospheric pressure low temperature plasma jets(APPJ) which have been extensively applied in material processing and surface modification. In this study, an experimental platform utilizing an atmospheric-pressure argon plasma jet was established to pretreat the damaged surfaces of wind turbine blades. A range of discharge voltages, treatment distances, and exposure durations were systematically investigated to determine the optimal processing parameters. Under optimized conditions, the plasma pretreatment enhances the interfacial bonding strength between the blade substrate and the repair coating by up to 135 %.