nCode, the leading brand of durability, test and analysis products offered by HBM, announced today that its software for CAE fatigue analysis, nCode DesignLifeTM, has been certified by GL Renewables Certification (GL RC). nCode DesignLife is the first software for structural integrity to be GL RC certified for the design of cast and forged structural machinery components in wind turbines.
nCode DesignLife is a powerful, off-the-shelf CAE-based fatigue tool, optimized for today’s large model sizes and realistic loading schedules. Its advanced fatigue solver enables wind turbine manufacturers to identify when and where failure could occur and design using complete loading duty cycles representing the full 20 year loading events experienced in service. DesignLife’s graphical, process-oriented interface provides a well-proven basis for determining fatigue and structural integrity throughout the components’ life.
GL RC’s certification ensures a product will meet structural integrity requirements in accordance with the latest and applicable standards and guidelines. For nCode DesignLife, this certification assures customers that their component designs, such as wind turbine hubs and main shafts, can be analyzed in conformity with GL Renewables Certification’s Guideline for the Certification of Wind Turbines (2010) by choosing the right settings in the software. This includes fatigue analysis under complex real world loading conditions specified in GL RC’s guidelines or IEC 61400-1 international standard. The assessment was performed on standard product released in 2011 (nCode DesignLife 7) and no product modifications were required by GL Renewables Certification in order for nCode DesignLife to enable the software user to choose the correct options in order to meet the respective standard requirements.
