International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering
Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal, Volume 4, Issue 11, November 2014)
Glass Fibre Reinforced Polymer Composite Ceiling Fan Blade
Amazing Comfortson S1, Ahamed Faiyaz R2, Mohamed Yousuf Afzal M R3, Mohapilasha Nishath M4
1,2,3,4
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Aalim Muhammed Salegh College of Engineering, Chennai, India
Abstract— Energy crisis is the major problem faced widely.
Though wide range of researches is being laid in the areas of
alternate energy sources, proper management of the available
energy sources will contribute in controlling this energy crisis,
particularly in high populous countries such as India. Ceiling
fan being one of the vital electric appliance, consumes
considerable electric power in most domestic and Industrial
application. Imparting fibre reinforced composite blade in
ceiling fans reduces the weight of the blade, thereby
considerably reducing the power consumption. In this work
the fabrication of composite fan blade made up of glass fibre
reinforced polymer is carried out and the performance of this
fan is compared with the conventional fans. Compared to
existing ceiling fan blade, the composite blade saves 26% of
power, and reduces the cost by 28%. The weight is reduced by
27% thus reducing the power consumption. It is also
determined that the flow velocity through the composite blade
is 15% more than that of the conventional fan.
Keywords—composite blade; epoxy resin; E- Glass fibre;
hand lay up method; power consumption; weight; flow
velocity.
I. INTRODUCTION
A ceiling fan is a device hanging from the ceiling of a
room. Ceiling fans utilize hub-mounted rotating paddles in
order to produce a cooling effect as a result of air
circulation. The circulation of air creates a wind-chill effect
that makes a person feel cooler. The ceiling fan blades are
usually made up of aluminium, steel, wood, etc. The ceiling
fans have become a common appliance both in domestic
and industrial applications. Though the power consumed by
these fans is less, it is to be considered that these fans run on
a continuous duty and this makes the power consumption
significant. Energy crisis and less availability of natural
resources being the major challenge, selection of better
material and effective manufacturing processes, can reduce
both the power consumption and the manufacturing cost.
Composite materials have found a wide range of application
in replacing the conventional materials with enhanced
strength and mould ability.
Composites are compound materials, differ from alloys in
the fact that individual components retain their
characteristics but are so incorporated into composites so as
to take advantages only of attributes, not that characteristics
of short comings, to obtain improved materials [1].
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Composite materials (also called composition
materials or shortened to composites) are materials made
from two or more constituent materials with significantly
different physical or chemical properties, that when
combined, produce a material with characteristics different
from the individual components. The individual components
remain separate and distinct within the finished structure.
Properties of composites are strongly influenced by the
properties of their constituent materials, their type, their
distribution and the interaction between them. Like
conventional materials, composites are not homogeneous
and isotropic. Composites are generally completely elastic
up to failure exhibit no yield point or a region of plasticity.
At present aluminium is widely deployed in blade
manufacturing mainly due to the advantages such as less
density compared to steel, corrosion resistance and aesthetic
look. Though aluminium has wide advantages when
compared to steel, it stays back in certain properties such as
less strength to weight ratio, paint coating etc. Composites
have become a better replacement for conventional steel
with adequate improvement of mechanical properties and
their reduced weight.
Though a variety of resins and fibres are available,
considering the manufacturing easiness and the mechanical
aspects epoxy resin and E- glass fibre is employed in the
fabrication work. The term „epoxy‟ refers to a chemical
group consisting of an oxygen atom bonded to two carbon
atoms that are already bonded in some way. The simplest
epoxy is a three-member ring structure known by the term
„alpha-epoxy‟ or „1,2-epoxy‟. Epoxy resin is almost totally
transparent when cured. E- Glass fibre has good tensile and
compressive strength and stiffness, good electrical
properties. It is relatively low cost, but the impact
resistance is relatively poor. E-glass is the most common
form of reinforcing fibre used in polymer matrix
composites.
II. COMPOSITE BLADE
The use of a ceiling fan will allow you to operate your air
conditioner at a higher thermostat setting than usual, since
the air movement created by a fan produces a cooling effect
on the body [2]. Reduced weight and high strength to weight
ratio are the major reasons for the development of
composite ceiling fan blade over the conventional
aluminium blade.
 International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering
Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal, Volume 4, Issue 11, November 2014)
Though small scale fabrication of composite blades does A. Existing Blade Specifications
not yield a much advantage in manufacturing, but the  Manufacturer: Polar
reduced power consumption and the high strength to weight
ratio, provides a conventional manufacturing. The  Model: HS 1400
composite blades provide a good reduction in the weight,  Existing blade weight (three blades): 0.48 Kg
thereby reducing the power consumption with great stability  Material: Aluminium
and stiffness. The combined stiffness and the strength of the
fibrous material provide the necessary strength for the B. Design of Composite Fan Blade
composite blades. The existing design of the aluminium fan blade is taken
as the design for the new composite fan blade. Higher-
A. Advantages Over Existing Fan Blade
efficiency operation can be achieved for a ceiling fan by
 High strength to weight ratio making its fan blades aerodynamic, and that such a ceiling
 Excellent corrosion resistance fan can further reduce electrical use if it is operated
 No need for painting properly in the residence [4]. The aero dynamic design and
other design parameters are taken same as the existing one.
 Good aesthetic appearance
 Reduced manufacturing cost
B. Glass Fibre Reinforced Polymer
Fibre reinforced polymers are generally employed to
combine the stiffness and strength of the fibrous materials.
It has corrosion resistance, low density and mould ability.
Today most of the reinforced plastics produced are
thermosetting -glass reinforced epoxy or polyester resins.
Because of its high strength, easy availability and low cost,
generally E-glass fibre is widely employed. FRP
composites are lightweight, noncorrosive, exhibit high
specific strength, and specific stiffness, are easily
constructed, and can be tailored to satisfy performance Figure 1 Design of the Composite Blade
requirements. For structural applications, FRP composites
were typically fabricated using a polymer matrix, such as C. Raw Materials
epoxy, vinyl ester, or polyester, and reinforced with various Epoxy resin and E-glass fibre is used. The following
grades of carbon, glass, and aramid fiber [3]. table provides the raw materials used in the fabrication
High strengths can be obtained from fibres with a few process. Hardener is mixed with the resin to provide high
microns in diameter, glass fibres provide a relative ease in viscous solution. The raw materials employed here are
employing them as reinforcing agents. Composites with a mixed in a definite ratio (1:10), considering the design and
range of strength can be produced according to the glass strength aspects of the composite fan blade. Also releasing
content and the nature of reinforcement. The lower agent is applied in the mould to make the mould free from
shrinkage of epoxy resins make them readily suitable than sticking onto the composite layer formed by this process.
other resins available. TABLE I
RAW MATERIALS
III. EXPERIMENTAL STUDY
S.No. Item Grade
The existing aluminium fan blade is studied to read its
1. Epoxy Resin LY556
various design aspects such as length, thickness, width, aero
dynamic design, etc. The difficulties while manufacturing 2. Hardener HY951
such as the pressure, surroundings is determined by making 3. E-Glass Fibre Woven Roving
a few specimens of the blade. Epoxy resin (LY556), 200 GSM
hardener (HY951), E-glass fibre – Woven roving are used. 4. Releasing Agent

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 International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering
Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal, Volume 4, Issue 11, November 2014)
FIGURE 2 Raw Materials
D. Hand Layup Technique
Hand lay-up is a simple method for composite
production. A mould is used for hand lay-up parts. Existing
fan blade is used as the mould.
Figure 3 Hand Layup Technique
In this process, since curing is done at room
temperatures with less pressure, it is easier to fabricate.
Before lay-up, the mould is prepared with a release agent to
insure that the part will not adhere to the mould. The lay-up
technician is responsible for controlling the amount of resin
and the quality of saturation [5]. Liquid resin is applied to
the mould and then the glass fibre is placed on the top. A
roller is used to impregnate the fibre with the resin. Until
suitable thickness builds up, more resin and reinforcement
layer is applied. It allows the user to optimize the part by
placing different types of fabric and mat materials. It is
labour intensive but requires only a less capital.
E. Fabrication of Composite Blade
The number layers of fibre required is first determined
by finding the thickness of the fibre which is found to be
1mm.
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Allowances are provided to the mould so that they could
be trimmed to the required accurate size. The fibres are cut
to the required size.
Figure 4 Matrix Composition
In this technique, first the releasing agent is applied over
the mould. The thickness required for the composite blade
is built by applying a series of fibre glass layers and liquid
resin layers. A roller is used to squeeze the excess resin and
create uniform distribution of the resin throughout the fibre
surfaces and homogeneous wetting of the fibre is obtained
by its squeezing action. The part is then cooled at room
temperature over a little pressure.
IV. EXPERIMENTAL TESTS AND DISCUSSION
The main objective of this paper is calculating the power
conservation using the composite blade ceiling fan over the
existing fans. Also the cost for manufacturing the
composite blade, the weight of the fabricated composite
blade and the velocity of flow is compared with that of the
existing aluminium blade ceiling fan.
A. Weight Comparsion
The weight of the existing fan blade and the composite
fan blade were determined using an electronic weighing
machine. The weights of the blades were tested
individually and the mean values of the three blades are
considered for the weight comparison.
1) Aluminium Blade:
Weight of aluminium blade (1 unit) = 160 gm
Weight of aluminium blades (3×160) = 480 gm
2) Composite blade:
Weight of composite blade (1 unit) = 116 gm
Total weight of composite blades (3×116) = 348 gm
 International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering
Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal, Volume 4, Issue 11, November 2014)
3) Percentage saving in weight: 3) Percentage of power consumed:
Reduction in weight = 132 gm Cost saved for one year = Rs. 336/-
% saving in weight = 27.5 % Percentage of power saved = 26 %

Figure 6 Circuit for Power Consumption Test

Figure 5 Weight Comparison

From the weight determined in both the cases, it is clear

that the replacement of aluminium blade by composite
blade has reduced the weight by 132 gm. Thus
experimentally, it is clear that the weight gets reduced by
27.5% by replacing the existing aluminium blades with
composite blade.
B. Power Consumption
Power consumption being the main objective of this
paper, the power consumed by the composite blade ceiling
fan is compared with that of the existing aluminium blade
Figure 7 Power Consumption
fans.
The existing blades are fitted with the fan hub and tests The power consumed is saved by 26% by replacing the
are conducted. After the power consumed is noted down, aluminium blade with composite blade in the ceiling fan.
the composite blades are fitted with the fan hub and the Thus the aim in fabricating the composite blade is
tests are conducted, and the power consumed is found out. stabilized.
The calculation is done considering an average run time
C. Cost Comparsion
of 8 hours per day. The cost for running one unit is Rs.7/-
(for institutions and industries) 1) Composite Blade Cost:
1) Aluminium Blade: Cost of composite blade (1 unit) = Rs. 98/-
Total cost of composite blades (3×98) = Rs. 294/-
Unit consumed for one hour by existing fan = 0.06318
units 2) Aluminium blades Cost:
Power consumed for one year = Total cost of existing ceiling fan blades = Rs. 410/-
0.06318 units*8 hours*30 days*12 months = 182 units
Cost for running existing fan at Rs.7 per unit = Rs. 1274/- 3) Percentage saving in cost:
Total cost saved = Rs. 116/-
2) Composite blade:
% saving in cost = 28 %
Unit consumed for one hour = 0.04643 units
Power consumed for one year = It is clear that by replacing the aluminium blades with
0.04643 units*8 hours*30 days*12 months = 134 units composite ceiling fan blades results in a total reduction of
Cost for running at Rs.7 per unit = Rs. 938/- 28 % in the cost incurred for the blades.

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 International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering
Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal, Volume 4, Issue 11, November 2014)
D. Flow Velocity E. Total Comparison
The velocity of the air flow through the ceiling fan Table II
employing both the composite blade and the existing COMPARISON
aluminium fan is determined using an anemometer. At a Existing Composite %
pre determined height, the velocity of the flow is Description
blade blade reduction
determined. Since the air flow rate is a direct measure of
the flow velocity, the comparison of the flow velocity is Weight 480 gm 348 gm 27 %
considered to be significant.
At 1.65 feet above the ground level, the flow velocity of Power 0.06318
both the composite and the aluminium blade is determined. 0.04643 units 26 %
Consumption units
Flow velocity through Aluminium blade ceiling fan =
393.7 ft/min Cost of Blade Rs. 410/- Rs. 294/- 28 %
Flow velocity through Composite blade ceiling fan =
452.76 ft/min Flow velocity 393.70 ft/min 452.76 ft/min 15 %

Difference in flow velocity = 59.06 ft/min

% increase in flow velocity = 15%
Figure 8 Difference in Flow Velocity
On experimental analysis, it is found that the
replacement of the existing aluminium blade with
composite ceiling fan blade increases the flow velocity by
15%, which shows that there will be increase in air flow
through the fan employing composite blade in place of
aluminium blade.
Thus the design and fabrication of the glass fibre
reinforced polymer composite ceiling fan blade is done.
Also the composite blade is compared with the existing
aluminium blade and the results are discussed.
It is tested that the power consumed by the aluminium
blade (0.06318 units) is more than that of the composite
one (0.04643 units). So the usage of the composite fan
reduces the power consumption by 26 %. The weight of the
existing fan blade is 480 gm, whereas the weight of the
composite blade is 348 gm, contributing to a reduction of
27% in weight. The cost of composite ceiling fan blade is
Rs.294/- which is 28 % less than the existing aluminium
blade ceiling fan. The flow velocity through the composite
blade is determined to be 15% more than the flow through
the conventional aluminium blade.
V. RESULTS
Thus, from the study the following results are drawn:
i) Usage of glass fibre reinforced polymer blades in ceiling
fans reduces the weight of the blade thereby reducing the
power consumption by 26%
ii) Air flow velocity through the blade increases by 15% by
employing glass fibre blades
iii) Cost of the ceiling fan blade reduces by imparting
fibre glass polymer in place of existing blades.

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 International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering
Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal, Volume 4, Issue 11, November 2014)
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