Description Renewable Parts Ltd. with the Advanced Materials Research Laboratory (AMRL) are looking to remanufacture many components from wind turbines to reduce waste from parts that can be put back into service after being remanufactured. To remanufacture such components, the dimensions, materials of construction and mechanical behaviour must be identified and understood. The materials of construction as well as the dimensional requirements are proprietary to the OEM and therefore not readily available. The aim of this project is to define the mechanical behaviour, materials of construction, and failure mode for the connecting rods as part of a larger project on wind turbine decommissioning. Part of the pitch system, these rods are essential for the operations of a wind turbine and regularly replaced, particularly due to bearing failure; however, as the assets are ageing (20+ years), they are becoming hard to procure. A remanufactured solution has the potential to helping reduce the carbon footprint of wind farm operations, since a typical remanufactured part only has around 20% of the carbon footprint of the alternative new part. Initially, the project will look at inspecting the component for dimensional assessment to recreate an equivalent CAD model of the part. The part will then be sectioned and prepared for metallographic assessment. Chemical composition analysis will be completed to allow for comparison to be made against a catalogue of materials and with the final selection of a materials match for both remanufacturing and FEA. The microstructure and hardness will also be analysed, and the post processing conditions (e.g. heat treatment) interpreted. Identifying materials of construction will provide critical information to feed into the FEA to inform remanufacturing process. Knowledge of the materials of constructions and mechanical behaviour will allow the remanufacture of the component from similar or superior material. Key Objectives – Part dimensional assessment and reverse engineering – Identification of the casting alloy and characterisation of its microstructure (i.e. presence and distribution of inclusions and defects) and chemical composition. – Assessment of porosity in “critical areas”: are there clusters of porosity present in such areas, micro-/macro-cracks? Quantification of volumes, sizes and distributions. – Investigation on signs of fatigue – Mechanical behaviour assessment via FEA for both static and remaining fatigue life.