Scopus İndeksli Yayınlar Koleksiyonu
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12573/395
Browse
3 results
Search Results
Article A Steel-Reinforced Recycled Thermoplastic Composite for Wind Turbine Towers: Experimental and Full-Scale Validation(MDPI, 2026) Ciftci, Cihan; Altikaya, Hasan TolgaThe increasing demand for sustainable and lightweight structural systems has motivated the development of alternative materials for wind turbine tower applications, where conventional steel structures are associated with high material consumption and environmental impact. In this study, a novel steel-reinforced recycled thermoplastic composite system is proposed as an alternative structural solution. To enable the design and practical application of such composite systems, the mechanical properties of the recycled thermoplastic matrix were experimentally characterized. Compression and tensile tests revealed average yield strengths of approximately 32 MPa in compression and 7.8 MPa in tension. To account for the environmental conditions encountered in field applications, the temperature-dependent mechanical behavior of the material was investigated. Since the critical mechanical response of the thermoplastic matrix in the composite system is governed by compression rather than tension, the study was limited to compression tests under elevated temperatures. The results show that the compressive yield strength decreases to approximately 31 MPa at 55 degrees C. An analytical model based on the transformed-section approach was also developed to predict the flexural behavior of the composite section and was validated through three-point bending tests, with an analytically predicted yield load of approximately 31.5 kN showing good agreement with experimental results. To assess structural applicability at a larger scale, a full-scale composite wind turbine tower was designed and manufactured, and its dynamic performance was evaluated through field measurements under natural wind loading conditions. The results indicate that the composite tower exhibits comparable dynamic behavior to a conventional steel tower, with a first natural frequency of approximately 3.08 Hz compared to 2.89 Hz for the steel tower, along with enhanced damping characteristics. These findings demonstrate that steel-reinforced recycled thermoplastic composites offer a promising and sustainable alternative for wind turbine tower applications, with potential for broader use in structural systems.Article Citation - WoS: 33Citation - Scopus: 37Wind Farm Site Selection Using GIS-Based Multicriteria Analysis With Life Cycle Assessment Integration(Springer Heidelberg, 2024-01-19) Demir, Abdullah; Dincer, Ali Ersin; Ciftci, Cihan; Gulcimen, Sedat; Uzal, Nigmet; Yilmaz, KutayThe sustainability of wind power plants depends on the selection of suitable installation locations, which should consider not only economic and technical factors including manufacturing and raw materials, but also issues pertaining to the environment. In the present study, a novel methodology is proposed to determine the suitable locations for wind turbine farms by analyzing from the environmental perspective. In the methodology, the life cycle assessment (LCA) of wind turbines is incorporated into the decision process. The criteria are ranked using analytical hierarchy process (AHP). The study area is chosen as the western region of Turkiye. The obtained suitability map reveals that wind speed is not the sole criterion for selecting a site for wind turbine farms; other factors, such as bird migration paths, distance from urban areas and land use, are also crucial. The results also reveal that constructing wind power plants in the vicinity of Izmir, canakkale, Istanbul, and Balikesir in Turkiye can lead to a reduction in emissions. Izmir and its surrounding area show the best environmental performance with the lowest CO2 per kilowatt-hour (7.14 g CO2 eq/kWh), to install a wind turbine due to its proximity to the harbor and steel factory across the study area. canakkale and the northwest region of Turkiye, despite having high wind speeds, are less environmentally favorable than Izmir, Balikesir, and Istanbul. The findings of LCA reveal that the nacelle and rotor components of the wind turbine contribute significantly (43-97%) to the environmental impact categories studied, while the tower component (0-36%) also has an impact.Article Citation - WoS: 22Citation - Scopus: 28Loss in Moment Capacity of Tree Stems Induced by Decay(Springer Heidelberg, 2013-12-29) Ciftci, Cihan; Kane, Brian; Brena, Sergio F.; Arwade, Sanjay R.We model varying decay in tree cross-sections by considering bending theory to estimate moment capacity loss (MCL) for the sections. We compare MCL with experiments on selected oak trees. Tree failures can damage property and injure people, sometimes with fatal consequences. Arborists assess the likelihood of failure by examining many factors, including strength loss in the stem or branch due to decay. Current methods for assessing strength loss due to decay are limited by not accounting for offset areas of decay and assuming that the neutral axis of the cross-section corresponds to the centroidal axis. This paper considers that strength loss of a tree can be related to moment capacity loss (MCL) of the decayed tree cross-section, because tree failures are assumed to occur when induced moments exceed the moment capacity of the tree cross-section. An estimation of MCL is theoretically derived to account for offset areas of decay and for differences in properties of wood under compressive and tensile stresses. Field measurements are used to validate the theoretical approach, and predictions of loss in moment capacity are plotted for a range of scenarios of decayed stems or branches. Results show that the location and size of decay in the cross-section and relative to the direction of sway are important to determine MCL. The effect of wood properties on MCL was most evident for concentric decay and decreased as the location of decay moved to the periphery of the stem. The effect of the ratio of tensile to compressive moduli of elasticity on calculations of MCL was negligible. Practitioners are cautioned against using certain existing methods because the degree to which they over- or underestimate the likelihood of failure depended on the amount and location of decay in the cross-section.