The BECASWrapper package provides a Python interface between the cross-sectional structure tool BECAS and FUSED-Wind which is built using OpenMDAO as the underlying framework.

BECAS, the BEam Cross section Analysis Software, determines cross section stiffness properties using a finite element based approach. BECAS handles arbitrary cross section geometries, any number of arbitrarily oriented anisotropic materials, and correctly accounts for all geometric and material induced couplings (e.g. bend-twist coupling).

BECAS is a licensed software, available free of charge for academic use, and available for commercial use for a small annual fee. For more information, see http://www.becas.dtu.dk.

This Python module facilitates using BECAS for evaluating blade structure beam properties based on a geometric definition of a blade given in the format defined in FUSED-Wind, and furthermore using the tool in an aero-structural blade optimization context when interfaced with with an aeroelastic code, e.g. HAWC2 or FAST.

In addition to BECAS and shellexpander itself the BECAS wrapper has the following requirements:

• Python 2.7.x
• numpy, scipy, sphinx
• Oct2Py (if you choose to use the Octave bridge)
• OpenMDAO 1.x
• FUSED-Wind > 0.3

You can either get hold of the module by downloading it as a zip archive or clone the repository:

git clone http://github.com/DTUWindEnergy/BECASWrapper.git

The module is installable as a standard Python package:

$ cd BECASWrapper
$ python setup.py develop

or using pip:

$ cd BECASWrapper
$ pip install -e .

BECASWrapper requires the path to the BECAS source code. Therefore, a system environment variable needs to be added to the system's or user's .profile pointing to the folder according to the following examples.

BECAS_BASEDIR needs to point to the folder containing src and examples:

export BECAS_BASEDIR=$HOME/git/BECAS/

If you are using shellexpander<=1.5, also the environment variable to this source code is required:

SHELLEXP_BASEDIR needs to point to the folder containing src:

export SHELLEXP_BASEDIR=$HOME/git/shellexpander/

Refresh your environment variables for verification using:

$ source ~/.profile

or if set on system's level:

$ source /etc/profile

You need to re-login to load your environment variables permanently.

The documentation is written in Sphinx and can be built this way:

$ cd docs
$ make html

To view it open _build/html/index.html in a browser.

To ensure that you have BECAS and the BECASWrapper properly installed, run the tests in becas_wrapper/test. You can find the examples accompanying the documentation in the becas_wrapper/examples directory.