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Simulated hail impacts on flexible photovoltaic laminates: testing and modelling

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Abstract

The problem of simulated low-velocity hail impacts on flexible photovoltaic (PV) modules resting on a substrate with variable stiffness is investigated. For this type of PV module it is shown that the prescriptions of the IEC 61215 International Standard for quality control used for rigid (glass-covered) PV modules should be augmented by taking into account their real mounting condition and the stiffness of the substrate in the simulated hail impact tests. Moreover, electroluminescence inspection of the crack pattern should be made in addition to electric power output measurements. An implicit finite element simulation of the contact problem in dynamics is also proposed, with two different degrees of accuracy, to interpret the experimentally observed extension of cracking. Results pinpoint the important role of stress wave propagation and reflection in the case of soft substrates.

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Acknowledgments

This research has received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP/2007–2013)/ERC Grant Agreement No. 306622 (ERC Starting Grant “Multi-field and multi-scale Computational Approach to Design and Durability of PhotoVoltaic Modules”—CA2PVM).

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Author notes

  1. Mauro Corrado

    Present address: Civil Engineering Institute, Materials Science and Engineering Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Station 18, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Structural, Geotechnical and Building Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129, Turin, Italy

    Mauro Corrado & Andrea Infuso

  2. IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, Piazza San Francesco 19, 55100, Lucca, Italy

    Marco Paggi

Authors
  1. Mauro Corrado
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  2. Andrea Infuso
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  3. Marco Paggi
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Correspondence to Mauro Corrado.

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Corrado, M., Infuso, A. & Paggi, M. Simulated hail impacts on flexible photovoltaic laminates: testing and modelling. Meccanica 52, 1425–1439 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11012-016-0483-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11012-016-0483-2

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