Damage predictions for wind turbine components using the LIFE2 computer code
The LIFE2 computer code is a fatigue/fracture analysis code that is specialized to the analysis of wind turbine components. It is a PC-compatible FORTRAN code that is written in a top-down modular format. The service lifetime of a component can be divided into three phases: crack initiation, growth and coalescence of micro-cracks and growth of a macro-crack. In the LIFE2 formulation, a ''S-n fatigue'' analysis is used to describe the first two phases and a linear, ''da/dn'' fracture analysis is used to describe the third phase. The code is divided into five main sections. The first four describe the wind resource, the constitutive properties of the turbine material, the stress state in which the turbine operates and operational parameters for the turbine system. The fifth uses the data files written by the first four sections to calculate the service lifetime of a turbine component. In addition to the main sections, auxiliary sections are included to permit the storage of data and code calculations and to permit the plotting of results. This report describes the computational framework used in the LIFE2 code to evaluate the damage rules cited above. An example problem is presented here to illustrate the capabilities of the code.
- Research Organization:
- Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-76DP00789
- OSTI ID:
- 6088129
- Report Number(s):
- SAND-88-3057C; CONF-890717-1; ON: DE89013813
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
420200* -- Engineering-- Facilities
Equipment
& Techniques
99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS
990220 -- Computers
Computerized Models
& Computer Programs-- (1987-1989)
COMPUTER CODES
CRACK PROPAGATION
DAMAGE
FATIGUE
FORTRAN
FRACTURE MECHANICS
FRACTURE PROPERTIES
L CODES
MACHINERY
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
MECHANICS
PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES
STRESSES
TURBINES
TURBOMACHINERY
WIND TURBINES