Some wind turbine blade cores are made from composite materials, while others are made from balsa wood.
The table below contains information about a glass fibre composite and balsa wood:
| Property | Glass fibre composite | Balsa wood |
|---|---|---|
| Relative strength | 85 | 15 |
| Relative cost | Medium | Low |
| Density in kg/m3\text{kg/m}^3kg/m3 | 1850 | 160 |
| Disposal at end of life | Difficult to recycle | Can be decomposed naturally |
Glass fibre composite consists of glass fibres surrounded by a synthetic polymer resin.
What type of material is glass fibre composite?
Calculate the volume of balsa wood in a wind turbine blade core of mass 2.80 kg.
Use the table and the equation:
Density=MassVolume \text{Density} = \frac{\text{Mass}}{\text{Volume}} Density=VolumeMass18 exam-style questions on AQA GCSE Chemistry 10.3 Using materials, covering 10.3.1 Corrosion and its prevention, 10.3.2 Alloys as useful materials, and 10.3.3 Ceramics, polymers and composites. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.