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b3p docs

B3P (Blade Preprocessor) is a Python-based tool designed to preprocess wind turbine blade models for structural and aerodynamic analyses. It translates blade input files into formats suitable for solvers such as CalculiX (ccx), ANBA4 (anba), and CCBlade (ccblade). B3P supports the creation of 3D blade geometries, 2D sectional meshes, and finite element analysis (FEA) inputs, enabling comprehensive blade design and analysis workflows.

Overview

B3P provides a command-line interface (CLI) and Python API to:

  • Build 3D blade models from YAML input files.
  • Generate 2D cross-sectional meshes for structural analysis.
  • Perform aerodynamic analyses using CCBlade.
  • Prepare and run 3D FEA with CalculiX.
  • Drape composite plies and compute mass properties.

The following diagram illustrates the B3P workflow:

graph TD
    A[Blade Input YAML] --> B[b3p build]
    B --> C[3D Blade Mesh]
    C --> D[2D Section Meshes]
    C --> E[3D FEA with CalculiX]
    D --> F[ANBA4 Sectional Analysis]
    A --> G[CCBlade Aerodynamic Analysis]

Key Features

  • Modular Design: Supports individual steps (e.g., geometry building, meshing, analysis) or complete workflows.
  • YAML Input: Uses human-readable YAML files to define blade geometry, materials, and loads.
  • Composite Support: Handles complex laminate definitions and ply draping.
  • Parallel Processing: Leverages multiprocessing for efficient mesh conversions and analyses.
  • Visualization: Generates output files compatible with tools like Paraview for result inspection.

Getting Started

To begin using B3P, follow these steps:

  1. Install B3P via PyPI or from source.
  2. Explore the Usage Guide for CLI and API instructions.
  3. Check out the Input File Format to create blade definitions.
  4. Run example workflows as described in Examples.

Support

For issues, questions, or feature requests, visit the GitHub repository and open an issue.