GL Renewables Certification (GL RC) has certified HBM's nCode DesignLife software. The structural integrity software for the fatigue calculation of cast and forged structural machinery components in wind turbines has been evaluated on the basis of GL RC's Guideline for the Certification of Wind Turbines 2010.
This includes fatigue analysis under complex, real-world loading conditions specified in GL RC's guidelines or IEC 61400-1 international standard. The evaluation is based on parallel calculations of intermediate and final results considering different stress hypotheses and influence factors for survival probability, cast quality, surface finish and mean stress correction.
HBM says the software is optimized for today's large model sizes and realistic loading schedules. Its fatigue solver is designed to enable wind turbine manufacturers to identify when and where failure could occur in the design by using complete loading duty cycles representing the full 20-year loading events experienced in service.
‘The certificate proves that the software is suitable for the calculation of fatigue life of forged and cast structural machinery components of wind turbines, ‘says Mike Woebbeking, vice president and head of certification body at GL Renewables Certification. "It assures users that their component designs can be analyzed in conformity with GL RC's Guideline for the Certification of Wind Turbines 2010.
