4.5.6. Future Work

The following list contains future work on BeamDyn software:

• Eliminating numerical problems in single precision.

• Implementing eigenvalue analysis.

• Improving input options for stand-alone version to make it more user-friendly.

• Implementing GEBT based on modal method for computational efficiency.

• Adding more options for blade cross-sectional properties inputs. For example, for general isotropic beams, engineering parameters including sectional offsets, material properties, etc will be used to generate the 6 \(\times\) 6 matrices needed by BeamDyn.

• Writing a general guidance on modeling composite beam structures using BeamDyn, , for example, how to select a time step, how to select the model discretization, how to define the blade reference axis, where to get 6x6 mass/stiffness matrices, etc.

• Extending applications in FAST to other slender structures in the wind turbine system, for example, tower, mooring lines, and shaft.

• Developing a simplified form of GEBT with only rotational DOFs (bending, torsion) for computational efficiency.