Features and Capabilities

BECAS comes with a number of advanced features and capabilities to facilitate the design and analysis of complex composite beams and blades.

  • Accurate anisotropic 6×6 Timoshenko-like stiffness matrix with elastic couplings
  • Accurate prediction of cross-sectional offsets, such as shear center, elastic (tension) center, and mass center
  • Accurate estimation of principal bending orientation
  • Accurate stress and strain recovery from cross-sectional loads
  • Failure analysis for composite materials, such as using the Tsai-Wu failure criterion
  • Convenient integration with known aeroelastic codes, such as HAWC2 and BLADED
  • Easy integration into the design toolchain for next-generation composite blades
  • Fast evaluation of existing blades and improved service life
  • Quick assessment of material and geometric effects on blade properties
Cross-sectional offsets of wind turbine blade computed by BECAS
Eigenmodes predicted based on cross-sectional properties from BECAS
Shear strains computed by BECAS at spar cap-shear web joint of wind turbine blade
Strain energy release rate (SERR) computed by BECAS using VCCT for a cross-section with initial crack