Bearing of a spur gear on a planet carrier
The drive arrangement for wind turbines supports the spur gear on a planet carrier hub with a rotationally fixed sun gear connection, addressing space and differential issues to enhance bearing life and efficiency.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- DE102025101431
- Authority / Receiving Office
- DE · DE
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-01-16
- Publication Date
- 2026-03-05
- Estimated Expiration
- 2045-01-16
AI Technical Summary
Existing drive arrangements for wind turbines face challenges in reducing installation space and managing speed differentials between components, leading to potential wear and reduced service life of bearings.
The drive arrangement features a spur gear supported on a hub of a planet carrier, with a rotationally fixed connection to a sun gear, utilizing bearings within a recess and a coupling element to minimize axial space and reduce speed differentials, enhancing bearing life.
This configuration reduces installation space and minimizes speed differentials, improving the service life of bearings and overall efficiency of the drive arrangement.
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Abstract
Description
[0001] The invention relates to a drive arrangement according to the preamble of claim 1.
[0002] EP2594789 A1 discloses a transmission with a first planetary gear stage and a second gear stage. A transmission housing surrounding the first planetary gear stage and the second gear stage is also provided. One end of a sun gear shaft of the first planetary gear stage is concentrically surrounded by a hollow shaft of the second gear stage. The sun gear shaft of the first planetary gear stage is rotationally fixed to the hollow shaft by means of a gear coupling, the teeth of which are arranged inside the hollow shaft. A lubricant supply ring is arranged on an end face of the hollow shaft facing the sun gear of the first planetary gear stage. The lubricant supply ring has a conical opening, the inner diameter of which decreases towards the sun gear of the first planetary gear stage, and concentrically surrounds the sun gear shaft of the first planetary gear stage.At least one lubricant supply nozzle is aligned with a circumferential gap between the lubricant supply ring and the sun shaft of the first planetary stage.
[0003] DE102009040349 A1 relates to a wind turbine gearbox with at least one shaft and / or one bolt, on which at least one spur gear is mounted relatively rotationally fixed by means of a shaft-hub connection. The shaft-hub connection is designed as a tapered press fit.
[0004] From WO2018024761 A1, a wind turbine gearbox with a high-speed spur gear stage is known, comprising an HSS spur gear and a meshing HSS pinion on an HSS pinion shaft. The HSS spur gear is mounted directly in a gearbox housing of the wind turbine gearbox. A sun gear shaft of a gearbox stage upstream of the high-speed spur gear stage is directly coupled to the HSS spur gear (23).
[0005] DE102012205946 A1 relates to a transmission device comprising a housing device, a planetary gear stage which is received in the housing device and which includes a ring gear, a planet carrier with planet gears guided thereon and a helical sun gear, a subsequent stage which includes a spur gear which is arranged coaxially with the sun gear and is also helically toothed, and which is connected to the sun gear of the planetary gear stage via a sun shaft, and a first bearing device for supporting the planet carrier in the housing device, wherein this transmission device is characterized in that a second bearing device is provided which is designed as a bearing device that rotates with the planet carrier and axially supports the planet carrier and the spur gear of the subsequent stage against each other in such a way thatthat the axial force acting on the spur gear reduces the axial force of the planet carrier acting on the first bearing assembly.
[0006] The invention is based on the objective of providing an improved drive arrangement for a wind turbine compared to the prior art. This objective is achieved by a drive arrangement according to claim 1. Preferred embodiments are included in the dependent claims and will become apparent from the following description and the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the figures.
[0007] The drive arrangement according to the invention comprises a planet carrier and a spur gear. The planet carrier is rotatably mounted, for example in a housing or in a housing-fixed structure.
[0008] The spur gear is arranged coaxially with the planet carrier. This means that one axis of rotation of the planet carrier and one axis of rotation and / or central axis of the spur gear coincide.
[0009] The planet carrier has a hub. This hub is connected to the rest of the planet carrier in one or more parts. The term "hub" refers to a part of the planet carrier that is cylindrical or hollow cylindrical in shape, or that consists of several cylindrical or hollow cylindrical sections.
[0010] According to the invention, the spur gear is at least partially supported on the hub. This means that at least one bearing arrangement supporting the spur gear is mounted on the hub. A bearing arrangement is defined as an arrangement consisting of one or more bearings. Preferably, the gear is supported entirely on the hub. In this case, all bearing arrangements supporting the spur gear are mounted on the hub. The described mounting of the spur gear is advantageous because it reduces the required installation space in the axial direction.
[0011] Preferably, the spur gear is further developed with a recess. This recess is preferably arranged axially centrally in the spur gear. This means that a central axis of the recess coincides with the axis of rotation of the planet carrier and the spur gear. In particular, a central axis of the hub can coincide with the central axis of the recess.
[0012] According to the further development, the hub engages in the recess of the spur gear. At least part of the hub is therefore located within the recess. This at least part of the hub can be an axial end piece or a central piece. This further development simplifies the mounting of the spur gear on the hub.
[0013] In a preferred embodiment, the bearing arrangement described above is at least partially, and preferably completely, located within the recess. This allows the use of commercially available bearings for the bearing arrangement. For example, two tapered roller or ball bearings arranged in an X or O configuration can be used as the bearing arrangement.
[0014] The planet carrier is preferably further developed as part of a planetary stage, which, in addition to the planet carrier, comprises a sun gear, a ring gear and one or more planet gears, each rotatably mounted in the planet carrier and meshing with the sun gear and / or the ring gear.
[0015] In this further development, the sun gear is rotationally fixed to the spur gear. This creates a rotationally fixed connection between the sun gear and the spur gear. This connection counteracts any rotation of the sun gear and the spur gear relative to each other, ensuring that the sun gear and the spur gear – apart from deviations resulting from deformations caused, for example, by load or temperature changes – always rotate or remain stationary at the same speed. This further development, in conjunction with the rotatable mounting of the spur gear on the hub of the planet carrier, results in a reduced speed differential within the bearing arrangement supporting the spur gear on the hub. This is advantageous with regard to the service life of the bearing arrangement.
[0016] In a preferred embodiment, the rotationally fixed connection between the sun gear and the spur gear is achieved by a sun shaft, which is rotationally fixed to both the sun gear and the spur gear. According to this embodiment, the sun shaft passes through the hub and / or the spur gear. For this purpose, the hub and / or the spur gear can be hollow, i.e., with a continuous recess. In this case, the sun shaft passes through the respective recess. The sun shaft, as designed in this embodiment, simplifies the structural design of the rotationally fixed connection between the sun shaft and the spur gear.
[0017] In a preferred embodiment, the rotationally fixed connection between the sun shaft and the spur gear is established by a coupling element. This element extends essentially radially, that is, orthogonally to the aforementioned axis of rotation. It is rotationally fixed to the sun shaft and the spur gear.
[0018] The further development stipulates that the sun gear and the coupling element are arranged on opposite axial sides of the hub. This means that the hub extends axially between the sun gear and the coupling element. The coupling element further simplifies the design of the rotationally fixed connection between the sun gear shaft and the spur gear.
[0019] The coupling element is preferably further developed as an axial abutment for the aforementioned bearing arrangement. This eliminates the need for one abutment component.
[0020] In a preferred embodiment, the planet carrier is rotatably mounted in a housing or a housing-fixed support structure. A housing-fixed support structure is defined as a support structure that is fixed within the housing. In particular, the housing can form the support structure as a single piece.
[0021] A bearing arrangement, in which the planet carrier is rotatably mounted in the housing or the housing-fixed support structure, is located axially between the sun gear and the bearing arrangement in which the spur gear is mounted on the hub. This is advantageous with regard to the distribution of the loads acting on the hub from the planetary stage and via the spur gear.
[0022] The housing-mounted support structure preferably extends substantially radially, with both the housing-mounted support structure and the bearing arrangement, by which the planet carrier is rotatably mounted in the housing-mounted support structure, being arranged axially between the sun gear and the first bearing arrangement. A web of the planet carrier can be arranged axially between the sun gear and the bearing arrangement, by which the planet carrier is rotatably mounted in the housing or the housing-mounted support structure. In particular, the aforementioned components can be arranged in the following axial sequence: sun gear, web of the planet carrier, bearing arrangement, by which the planet carrier is rotatably mounted in the housing or the housing-mounted support structure, bearing arrangement, by which the spur gear is mounted on the hub, and coupling element.
[0023] Preferably, the drive arrangement is further developed with a shaft and a pinion mounted on the shaft. In particular, the pinion can be connected to the shaft by friction and / or positive locking, or be formed integrally with the shaft. The pinion meshes with the spur gear.
[0024] The further development stipulates that the shaft is rotatably mounted in the aforementioned support structure. This results in a particularly compact design of the drive assembly.
[0025] Preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the figures. Matching reference numerals denote identical or functionally equivalent features. Specifically, the figures show: Fig. 1 a sectional view of a drive arrangement; Fig. 2. A first storage configuration; and Fig. 3 a second storage configuration.
[0026] The in Fig. The drive arrangement 101 shown in Figure 1 comprises a planetary gear stage 103 and a spur gear stage 105. The planetary gear stage 103 includes a ring gear 107, several planet gears 109, a planet carrier 111, and a sun gear 113. The planet gears 109 mesh with the ring gear 107 and the sun gear 113, respectively. They are rotatably mounted in the planet carrier 111.
[0027] The spur gear stage 105 includes a spur gear 115 and an output shaft 117. The output shaft 117 forms a pinion 119 in one piece, which meshes with the spur gear 115.
[0028] The planet carrier 111 has an output-side web 121. Planet bolts are fixed in the web 121, on which the planet gears 109 are rotatably mounted. In addition to the output-side web 121, the planet carrier 111 can have a second, input-side web. In this case, the planet gears 109 are arranged axially between the input-side and the output-side web 121.
[0029] A hub 123 is integrally formed on the output side of the gear web 121. This hub extends from the web 121 towards the spur gear stage 105. An axial end of the hub 123 engages in a continuous, axially centrally located recess of the spur gear 115. The spur gear 115 is rotatably mounted on the hub 123 by means of a first bearing arrangement 125, which in the illustrated embodiment consists of two tapered roller bearings arranged in an X configuration. A sun gear shaft 127, integrally connected to the sun gear 113, runs through the hub 123 and the aforementioned recess of the spur gear 115. The sun gear 113 is located at a first axial end of the sun gear shaft 127.
[0030] A substantially disc-shaped coupling element 129 extends between a second axial end of the sun shaft 127, opposite the first axial end, and the spur gear 115. The coupling element 129 establishes a rotationally fixed connection between the sun shaft 127 and the spur gear 115. Specifically, the sun shaft 127 is rotationally fixed to the coupling element 129 via a splined connection. The coupling element 129, in turn, is screwed to the spur gear 115.
[0031] A housing section 131 extends in a substantially radial direction between the planetary gear stage 113 and the spur gear stage 105. The housing section 131 serves as a support structure for the planet carrier 111 and the hub 123. The hub 123 is mounted in the housing section 131 by means of a second bearing arrangement 133, which in the illustrated embodiment is designed as a double tapered roller bearing in an X-configuration. The output shaft 117 is mounted on the input side of the housing section 131 by means of a bearing 135.
[0032] At the in Fig. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the planet carrier 111 is supported exclusively by the second bearing arrangement 127. Apart from the bearings belonging to the second bearing arrangement 127, there are no other bearings supporting the planet carrier 111. In particular, starting from the gears 107, 109, 113 on the side opposite the bearing arrangement 133, there are no further bearings for the planet carrier 111.
[0033] At the in Fig. In the bearing configuration shown in section 2, the bearings of the first bearing arrangement 125 are arranged in an O-configuration. Apart from this, the above statements regarding the bearings in the above configuration apply. Fig. 1 illustrated embodiment mutatis mutandis for Fig. 2.
[0034] At the in Fig. In the bearing configuration shown in Figure 3, the first bearing arrangement 133 consists of a single single-row tapered roller bearing. A further tapered roller bearing 301, with which the planet carrier 111 is rotatably mounted in the housing, is located on the input side. The two tapered roller bearings can be in an O-configuration or, as shown in Figure 3, in an O-configuration. Fig. 3 shown, arranged in an X-configuration. Likewise, the bearings of the first bearing arrangement 125 can be in an O-configuration or, as shown in Fig. 3 shown, arranged in X configuration. Reference sign 101 Drive arrangement 103 Planetary Stage 105 Spur gear stage 107 Ring gear 109 Planetary gear 111 Planetary Carriers 113 Sun wheel 115 Spur gear 117 Output wave 119 sprockets 121 Cheek 123 hub 125 Storage arrangement 127 Sun wave 129 Coupling element 131 Housing section 133 Storage arrangement 301 Tapered roller bearings
Claims
[1] Drive arrangement (101) for a wind turbine, comprising a rotatably mounted planet carrier (111) and a spur gear (115) arranged coaxially to the planet carrier (111); characterized by , that the spur gear (115) is rotatably mounted at least partially on a hub (123) of the planet carrier (111). [2] Drive arrangement (101) according to claim 1; characterized by that the spur gear (115) has a recess into which the hub (123) engages. [3] Drive arrangement (101) according to the preceding claim; characterized by , that a first bearing arrangement (125), with which the spur gear (115) is mounted on the hub (123), is arranged at least partially within the recess. [4] Drive arrangement (101) according to one of the preceding claims; characterized by a planetary stage (103) comprising the planetary carrier (111) and a sun wheel (113); wherein the sun gear (113) is connected to the spur gear (115) in a rotationally fixed manner. [5] Drive arrangement (101) according to the preceding claim; characterized by a sun shaft (127) which is rotationally fixed to the sun gear (113) and the spur gear (115), and which passes through the hub (123) and / or the spur gear (115). [6] Drive arrangement (101) according to the preceding claim; characterized by a coupling element (129) extending orthogonally to an axis of rotation of the planet carrier (111), which is rotationally fixed to the sun shaft (127) and the spur gear (115); wherein the sun gear (113) and the coupling element (129) are arranged on different axial sides of the hub (123). [7] Drive arrangement (101) according to the preceding claim, with reference to claim 3; characterized by , that the coupling element (129) forms an axial abutment for the first bearing arrangement (125). [8] Drive arrangement (101) according to one of claims 4 to 7; characterized by a second bearing arrangement (133) with which the planet carrier (111) is rotatably mounted in a housing or a housing-fixed support structure (131); wherein the second bearing arrangement (133) is arranged axially between the sun gear (113) and the first bearing arrangement (125). [9] Drive arrangement (101) according to the preceding claim; characterized by a shaft (117) with a pinion (119) mounted on the shaft (117) which meshes with the spur gear (115); wherein the shaft (117) is rotatably mounted in the support structure (131).
Citation Information
Patent Citations
Wind-powered device transmission for wind power plant, has spur wheel mounted on shaft and / or anchor by shaft-hub connection in rotational-fixed manner, where shaft-hub-connection is designed as taper interference fit assembly
DE102009040349A1
Transmission device, particularly for wind turbine, has bearing unit performed as bearing unit that runs with planetary carrier, where planetary carrier and subsequent stage are supported against one another in axial manner
DE102012205946A1
Drive for a wind turbine
EP2594789A1
Wind turbine transmission
WO2018024761A1