Variational Asymptotic Beam Section (VABS) analysis is a method of analyzing slender structures such as rotor/turbine blades, missiles and rockets more efficiently than a full 3-D finite-element method by performing a dimensional reduction through a combination of 1-D beam analysis and 2-D cross-sectional analysis. This method has been extensively used for analyzing mechanical structures under loading (i.e. rotor blade under aerodynamic loading).

Engineering analysis of machine parts and structures requires elaborate pre-processing and postprocessing of the problem for the analysis to be successful and useful. In analyses like FEA, the process starts with creating or, acquiring a geometric model of the parts and subsequently discrediting the model geometry into grid elements that can be used for FEA. Results of the analysis which usually consist of a set of tensor, vector and scalar fields defined over the volume and the boundaries of the problem domain are visualized and post-processed for evaluation of design parameters. Parametric studies and error analysis on the computed solution may drive an adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) or re-meshing. Further in order to derive the full benefit of an engineering analysis this process needs to be put inside an iterative optimization cycle.

It is apparent that a general 3-D finite-element analysis is computationally demanding and would require large organizational resources. Fortunately, in the cases of slender structures such as rotor/turbine blades, missiles and rockets, dimensional reduction of these problems to a 2-D cross-sectional analysis and a 1-D beam analysis makes the whole process a lot more efficient. That provides the incentive for VABS based analysis. Solving a 2-D FEA problem for the cross-sectional area still requires significant pre-processing and post-processing efforts.

But one of the main technical barriers for the application of VABS in rotor blade designs is the lack of an efficient, user friendly, high-fidelity design tool to realistically represent the blade section at the conceptual level. This limitation prevents designers from accurately yet efficiently generating the sectional properties, easily invoking comprehensive analyses, and rapidly and confidently generating stress information within the material. The solution is to develop user-friendly and high-fidelity design tools that are efficient and easy to use for cross-section design of composite rotor blades and wings of future systems.

This VABS-enabled Integrated Design Environment (IDE) is a user-friendly, high-fidelity and efficient composite rotor blade and wing section design environment for rapid and confident aeromechanics assessment during conceptual design stages. The IDE seamlessly integrates the Variational Asymptotic Beam Section (VABS) analysis, the best proven technology for realistic composite rotor blade design, with a versatile CAD environment, a robust optimizer, and a general-purpose postprocessor, all of which are specially tailored for blade and wing section design. This VABS-enabled IDE provides all the tools required to design and analyze rotor blades and wings, from geometry modeling to the final steps of visualization and post processing. It enables mechanical designers to create parts with confidence and fidelity similar to utilizing a resource intensive 3-D FEA process.