A Comprehensive Numerical Modelling of a Benchmark Wind Turbine Blade

Abstract Wind energy plays a crucial role in mitigating the environmental impact of modern society. As reliance on wind energy grows, ensuring the structural integrity of wind turbine blades becomes increasingly important. This is the main driving motivation for the development of advanced monitoring and modelling techniques capable of providing accurate and efficient predictions of blade behaviour. This study focuses on the application of finite element modelling to characterise wind turbine blades, with particular emphasis on the DTU 10MW Reference Wind Turbine — a shell model of an 89.2 m blade. The structural response of the blade is examined under various loading conditions, with increasing model complexity achieved through the incorporation of nonlinear effects and damage mechanisms. Using Hashin’s damage criterion and the energy dissipation-based damage evolution law, a progressive failure analysis reveals valuable insights into localised damage regions and stress concentrations. These findings highlight the need for further refinement to enhance model accuracy and reliability.