Curved and Twisted Beam Models for Aeroelastic Analysis of Wind Turbine Blades in Large Displacement

The present work addresses the modeling of the mechanical behavior of wind turbine blades considered as suitable curved, twisted and tapered beam- like structures, which are likely to undergo large displacements, small strains and 3D cross-sectional warping. After an introduction to modeling approaches for structures of this kind, a model suitable for the problem at hand is proposed. Such a model is based on a geometrically exact approach. It provides a means to determine the strain and stress fields in the structure and can be used for the analyses of large deflections under prescribed loads, as well as for aero-elastic analyses, provided a suitable aerodynamic model is added.