A composite beam finite element for multibody dynamics: Application to large wind turbine modeling

This work presents a beam finite element with multibody capabilities for modeling high aspect ratio composite wind turbine components, particularly the tower and the blades. The proposed formulation is based on an Updated Lagrangian approach, in which the virtual work equations are written as a function the director field and its derivatives. The cross-sectional modeling of the wind turbine components is based on the constitutive relations obtained from the analysis of the mechanics of composite laminates. The formulation of the equations of motion and the derivation of a hinge joint is presented. Several results for a large wind turbine model are shown.