Erosive wear of tidal turbine blades in sea water: Mapping pre-exposure effects of GFRP polymer-based composites

Erosive wear of tidal turbine blades in sea water: Mapping pre-exposure effects of GFRP polymer-based composites | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Erosive wear of tidal turbine blades in sea water: Mapping pre-exposure effects of GFRP polymer-based composites Talal F. Algaddaime, Emadelddin Hassan, Margaret M. Stack This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7102168/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 03 Jan, 2026 Read the published version in Journal of Bio- and Tribo-Corrosion → Version 1 posted 7 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The ongoing depletion of global fossil fuel resources and the intensification of the greenhouse effect have made the development of renewable energy a universally prioritised objective. Tidal energy is one of the renewable energy sources that offers a viable alternative due to its excellent predictability, high energy density, and long-term stability. However, one of the primary challenges in tidal turbine applications is the erosion of turbine blades caused by challenging marine environmental conditions. This study investigates the erosion behaviour of glass fibre-reinforced polymer (GFRP) in aquatic conditions over an extended pre-exposure period of 183 days (4,380 hours). To achieve this, a custom-designed slurry erosion impingement rig was developed and is detailed in this paper. The results reveal serious changes in the erosive mechanisms of GFRP as a function of prolonged pre-exposure, with critical implications for the suitability of the material in tidal turbine blades for tidal energy applications. Advanced characterisation techniques, including erosion wastage maps, micro-profiling, and SEM, were employed to analyse surface degradation and erosion patterns. These tools provide insight into material performance and support the optimisation of GFRP for reliable, long-term operation in tidal energy environments. Pre-exposure period GFRP tidal energy erosion SEM analysis micro-profiling erosion mode maps and mass loss Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 03 Jan, 2026 Read the published version in Journal of Bio- and Tribo-Corrosion → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 06 Nov, 2025 Reviews received at journal 06 Nov, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 04 Sep, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 04 Sep, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 14 Jul, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 14 Jul, 2025 First submitted to journal 11 Jul, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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