An analytical model for frequency analysis of composite wind turbine blades

This paper presents an analytical model for predicting the dynamic characteristics of composite wind turbine blades. In this model, the governing equations of motion are derived using Hamiltion's principle and are solved by using extended Galerkin's method. This model is capable of predicting natural frequencies of composite beams with arbitrary single-cell cross sections. For various layup configurations, the results obtained by the developed analytical model are compared with the results of the finite element analysis. It is shown that the analytical model provides reasonable accuracy in predicting natural frequency of unbalanced layup configurations with ply angles of up to 40 degrees.