Flexible wind turbine blades: a FEM-BEM coupled model approach

The global scope of the investigation considers the modelling of flexible wind turbine blades. Due to the increase in blade size and ever present push for better blades (in any way), less stiff blade design are (re-)entering the horizon of engineers. It is argued that due to the complexity of a flexible blade design, current modelling techniques have to be adapted or at least reviewed against new designs. In order to be able to capture the complex deformations of flexible blades (which in this case also includes structural couplings due to manipulated fibre lay-up strategies in the composite glass fibre epoxy material of the blade), a finite element analysis is required. For the aerodynamic modelling, the blade element and momentum theory is expected to give satisfactory results under fast computation times. Computational fluid dynamics is considered too time consuming (with respect to both computation times and modelling) if to be considered in an engineering friendly environment which focuses on design and analysis of multiple cases.Aerospace Engineerin