convert a blade model to a FAST input file

Wind & Water Computer-Aided Engineering Software Tools
1

Hi,

I have the following information on a particular blade:

  1. an ANSYS model with a .db file extension
  2. a solidworks model with a .sldprt file extension
  3. a parasolid model with a .x_t file extension
  4. the layup sequence (material/orientation, geometry, etc.)

I need to convert this information into a blade input file for a FAST simulation. I know of the following alternatives to this problem:

  1. use ANSYS to manually evaluate section properties
  2. use NuMAD (I’m not yet sure how this works)

Are there any alternatives that I am unaware of?

Thank you,
Harry Wornick
Harvey Mudd College - Wind Turbine Clinic Team - LANL

2

Dear Harry,

FAST needs the beam section properties to define the blade and tower (e.g., mass per unit length, sectional bending stiffness in the flapwise and edgewise directions (EI), etc.). There are several ways of determining these properties:

*Sandia National Laboratory has developed NuMAD, which is a pre- and post-processor for ANSYS that can be used to generate the sectional beam properties from a 3D ANSYS model through a functionality called the Blade Property Extractor (BPE).
*NREL has developed the PreComp code, which uses a combined classical laminate theory and shear flow approach to directly determine the beam properties from a composite laminate definition.
*There are other codes available that have not been developed under the DOE wind program. From my understanding, the VABS code developed at Georgia Tech is commonly accepted as the most accurate code for determining beam properties from a composite layup.
*One can derive the properties through a testing of prototype blade.

I hope that helps.

Best regards,