About the Blades

This section provides descriptions of the various modelling options and definitions for simulating wind turbine blades.

Bladed provides a versatile method of defining complex blade properties:

The user can define a series of blade sections, creating an arbitrary spline along the length of the blade. At each section, a new set of coordinate systems and properties are defined for structural and aerodynamic properties. This approach enables the possibility of defining aerofoil orientations and changing structural properties along the blade.
An aerofoil library is provided allowing for the definition of aerofoils that can be applied and interpolated at individual blade sections.
Advanced flexibility options are available to accurately capture the non-linear nature of long and anisotropic blades. Options include a finite element model capable of modal reduction, a multi-part blade method for increased accuracy of large deflections and a geometric stiffness model to capture second-order effects.
A suite of blade load and kinematic outputs are provided in various coordinate systems.