Bell housing for fastening a wind gearbox in a wind turbine

Abstract

The invention relates to a bell housing (26) for fastening a wind gearbox (18) in a wind turbine (10), with a first fastening region (30) for fastening to a gearbox housing of the wind gearbox (18) and a second fastening region (32), axially spaced from the first fastening region (30) by an annular body (28), for fastening to a nacelle housing of the wind turbine (10) and / or to a main shaft bearing supporting a wind rotor shaft (16) of a wind rotor (12) of the wind turbine (12), wherein the annular body (28) has at least two differently designed recesses (34) for damping structure-borne sound. As a result of the asymmetry achieved in the bell housing itself (26) as a result of the differently designed recesses (34), noise emissions can be reduced in a large number of differently designed wind turbines (10).

Description

[0001] GEARBOX FOR MOUNTING A WIND GEARBOX IN A

[0002] WIND TURBINE

[0003] Description

[0004] The invention relates to a gear box with the aid of which a wind gearbox can be fastened in a wind turbine.

[0005] From DE 10 2016 001 811 Al it is known to dampen structure-borne noise in a wind turbine by means of a multi-layer structure in a shaft of a wind gearbox.

[0006] From DE 10 2018 123 733 A1 it is known to dampen structure-borne noise in a wind turbine by providing a damping element on a ring gear carrier for a planetary gear.

[0007] From DE 10 2018 123 870 A1 it is known to dampen structure-borne noise in a motor vehicle transmission by providing slots in a bearing plate which is connected to two bearings intended for supporting a transmission shaft and which change the natural frequency of the bearing plate.

[0008] From WO 2018 / 007184 A1 and DE 10 2016 212 375 A1, a gear bell housing for fastening a gear housing having a planetary gear to a nacelle of a wind turbine is known, wherein the gear bell housing has identical recesses, the number of which differs from the number of planetary gears of the planetary gear in order to improve the vibration behavior of the gear bell housing.

[0009] There is a constant need to reduce noise emissions from wind turbines.

[0010] The object of the invention is to demonstrate measures that enable wind turbines with low noise emissions.

[0011] The object is achieved by a transmission bell housing having the features of claim 1, a transmission arrangement having the features of claim 14, and a data agglomerate having the features of claim 15. Preferred embodiments are specified in the subclaims and the following description, each of which, individually or in combination, can represent an aspect of the invention, with the scope of protection being determined by the claims. If a feature is presented in combination with another feature, this only serves to simplify the presentation of the invention and is in no way intended to imply that this feature cannot also be a further development of the invention without the other feature.

[0012] One aspect of the invention relates to a gear bell for fastening a wind gearbox in a wind turbine, with a first fastening area for fastening to a gearbox housing of the wind gearbox and a second fastening area, axially spaced from the first fastening area via an annular body, for fastening to a nacelle housing of the wind turbine and / or to a main shaft bearing supporting a wind rotor shaft of a wind rotor of the wind turbine, wherein the annular body has at least two recesses of different configurations for structure-borne sound damping.

[0013] Due to the at least two, in particular at least four, preferably at least six or more, differently designed recesses, the gear housing itself is asymmetrically designed. This asymmetry in the design of the gear housing, achieved independently of the number of planetary gears of the wind turbine gearbox, can be sufficient to prevent resonance-induced vibrations within the gear housing during operation of the wind turbine gearbox. Instead, the differently designed recesses can generate different, superimposed vibrations at an exciting frequency. These vibrations are distributed over a broader frequency range and generally contain inaudible vibrations over a large frequency range of the exciting frequency.Even if audible vibrations should occur in the gearbox bell housing in individual cases, resonance-induced self-amplification is avoided or at least reduced, and the volume of the audible vibration is kept so low that the radiated structure-borne noise would be barely audible outside the nacelle of the wind turbine. Adapting the number of recesses to the parameters of the wind gearbox to be connected is not necessary, so that the gearbox bell housing can achieve structure-borne noise damping across all series, regardless of the specific design of the wind gearbox. The identically shaped gearbox bell housing can therefore be used for a wide variety of different wind gearboxes, allowing mass production of the gearbox bell housing to reduce manufacturing costs.The asymmetry in the gearbox bell housing itself, achieved with the help of the differently designed recesses, can enable a reduction in noise emissions in a large number of differently designed wind turbines.

[0014] The gear bell housing can at least partially cover a part of a gear shaft protruding from the wind turbine gearbox, in particular the hub of a planetary carrier, and / or a part of the wind rotor shaft protruding from the main shaft bearing, and in particular bridge an axial distance between the main shaft bearing and the wind turbine gearbox. Preferably, a mechanical fastening is provided between the wind rotor shaft and the gear shaft in an axial region covered in the radial direction by the gear bell housing, in particular by the annular body. Preferably, the gear bell housing is provided in addition to the main shaft bearing of the wind rotor shaft and the wind turbine gearbox, in particular as a separately designed component.The gearbox bell housing is, in particular, provided in a fixed, immovable manner in the drive train of the wind turbine and, for this purpose, is fastened to likewise fixed, immovable components, in particular the gearbox housing, the main shaft bearing, a machine frame, and / or the nacelle of the wind turbine. Particularly preferably, the gearbox bell housing, including the annular body, the first fastening region, and the second fastening region, is produced as a single-piece component by primary forming, for example by casting or sintering, with the recesses, in particular, already having been formed during the primary forming process. If necessary, post-processing, for example by cleaning, can be carried out after the primary forming process, with the aid of which, in particular, the shape of the recesses can be ensured as precisely as possible.

[0015] The first mounting area is designed for attachment to a gear housing of the wind turbine gearbox. For example, a flange connection is provided between two radially outwardly projecting flanges. However, a screw connection in the axial and / or radial direction with an internal thread can also be provided.

[0016] The gear housing can, for example, be designed as a double shell with a lower shell and an upper shell. However, it is also possible for several housing parts to be provided one behind the other in the axial direction, which can be connected to one another. In particular, if a gear stage of the wind turbine gearbox is designed as a planetary gear with a fixed ring gear, it is possible for a radially outward-facing surface of the ring gear to form a housing part of the gear housing, and for separate housing parts to be provided on one or both axial sides of the ring gear. Particularly preferably, the gear housing is free of protruding torque supports, thereby reducing the installation space required for the wind turbine gearbox.If no torque arms are connected to the gearbox housing that can support torque on a machine frame and / or the nacelle, the torque arms have no stiffening effect, so the gearbox housing and the bell housing attached to the gearbox housing are comparatively sensitive to vibration. However, the recesses' ability to provide structure-borne sound insulation allows for the omission of the torque arms without having to accept unnecessary noise emissions, thus saving the costs and space required for at least one additional torque arm.

[0017] The second fastening area can be designed for direct or indirect fastening to the nacelle housing and / or to the main shaft bearing. For example, the gearbox bell housing can fully or partially encompass the main shaft bearing provided within the nacelle housing and be fastened directly to the nacelle housing. Preferably, the second fastening area is fastened to the main shaft bearing, in particular to a fixed bearing housing of the main shaft bearing, so that the gearbox bell housing can also dampen vibrations occurring in the main shaft bearing. The gearbox bell housing can thus also dampen vibrations occurring outside the wind turbine gearbox and reduce the emission of structure-borne noise.

[0018] The annular body of the transmission bell housing can be provided in the axial direction between the first fastening area and the second fastening area and can bridge the axial distance between the first fastening area and the second fastening area, preferably in one piece. Apart from the recesses, the annular body can essentially be based on a rotationally symmetrical base body as a semi-finished product, which can serve as the starting body for the design of the differently shaped recesses.

[0019] The respective recess is primarily intended for structure-borne sound dampening and can be shaped accordingly for this purpose. In particular, the recesses intended for structure-borne sound dampening are provided exclusively in the annular body, i.e. not in the first fastening area or the second fastening area, since the annular body bridging the axial distance between the fastening areas is most prone to vibration compared to the fastening areas and any structure-borne sound that may arise can be dampened or eliminated in the area of ​​the annular body. The respective recess can be designed as a flat material taper with a smaller material thickness than in the area outside the recess, so that the recess can in particular have a smaller material thickness than the average material thickness of the annular body.Preferably, the material thickness of the ring body in the area of ​​the recess is zero, i.e. the recess is designed as a through opening.

[0020] The different designs of the recesses are particularly characterized by the fact that it is not possible to bring one recess into exact alignment with the other recess by rotating one recess around a designated (main) axis of rotation of the wind gear and / or the wind rotor shaft. For one recess to exactly align with the other recess, at least one further conceptual transformation is required in addition to the imaginary rotation of one recess around the axis of rotation, provided that exact alignment is even possible after performing a finite number of transformations. Particularly preferably, the recesses are shaped so differently that even any number of affine transformations cannot bring one and the other recess into alignment. In particular, the differently designed recesses are linearly independent surfaces.

[0021] The structure-borne sound attenuation achieved by the differently shaped recesses can reduce, in particular, the audible sound otherwise emitted by the transmission bell housing through damping and / or cancellation. In this case, it is possible that structure-borne sound radiated by the transmission bell housing may still occur at frequencies that are too high or too low for the human ear, whereby infrasound can also be eliminated as much as possible, particularly with the help of elastic damping elements. In particular, audible structure-borne sound radiated by the transmission bell housing may only occur at a volume that is no longer perceptible to the human ear outside the nacelle.

[0022] A remaining material area of ​​the transmission bell housing that is distinct from the recesses can be shaped in a three-dimensional manner to meet rigidity requirements, particularly for supporting yaw and tilt vibrations during yaw and / or pitch caused by vibrations introduced into the transmission bell housing by an electric motor connected to the wind turbine gearbox. Thus, the recesses not only dampen structure-borne sound but also reduce the material used for the transmission bell housing, thereby reducing weight and manufacturing costs.

[0023] In particular, it is provided that the at least two differently designed recesses differ with regard to a position of their center of gravity in the axial direction and / or their surface size and / or their shape and / or their orientation in the tangential direction and axial direction. Such differences in the design of the recesses can already provide an effect for structure-borne sound dampening, wherein preferably several of these differences can be present in combination. Particularly preferably, not just two different types of recesses are provided, but three or more differently shaped types of recesses, which can differ from one another in one or more of the aforementioned differences.For example, one recess may have a square edge and the other recess may have a rounded edge, wherein the position in the axial direction and / or the surface area and / or the orientation may be the same or partially or entirely different. For example, one recess may have a maximum extent in a first direction, for example, the axial direction, and the other recess may have a maximum extent in a second direction different from the first direction, for example, the circumferential direction, wherein the position in the axial direction and / or the surface area and / or the shape may be the same or partially or entirely different.

[0024] Preferably, the shape of at least two differently designed recesses represents an affine mapping to one another that is different from an identity. The affine mapping of one recess to the other recess can in particular be subject to a parallel translation and / or a mirroring and / or a scaling and / or a rotation and / or a shearing, whereby an identical mapping as a result of the affine mapping is excluded. Since one recess represents an affine mapping of the other recess, the recesses are sufficiently similar to be able to foresee and anticipate possible vibration behavior during the design process. This makes it possible to identify a particularly promising design of various recesses during the design process and to carry out a test on a prototype only for this candidate.This can simplify the design process and keep the associated development costs low.

[0025] Particularly preferably, a first type of recesses are provided which are of different configurations to one another and / or which represent affine mappings to one another, and a second type of recesses are provided which are of different configurations to one another and / or which represent affine mappings to one another, wherein the recesses of the first type are shaped differently from the recesses of the second type by an affine mapping. The affine mapping of one recess to the other recess can in particular be subject to a parallel translation and / or a mirroring and / or a scaling and / or a rotation and / or a shearing, wherein in particular an identical mapping as a result of the affine mapping should be excluded. Within the respective type of recesses, the vibration behavior can be predicted comparatively well.However, since non-affine representations of recesses are also provided, the structure-borne sound attenuation effect can be disproportionately strong. With a reasonable amount of effort in the design process and prototype construction, particularly strong structure-borne sound attenuation can be achieved.

[0026] In particular, it is provided that the recesses extend completely open in the radial direction through the annular body and are preferably delimited exclusively by the material of the annular body. The recesses can thus be formed exclusively in the annular body as a through-opening.

[0027] Preferably, the annular body has a material thickening at one edge of the respective recess. The material thickening can be of varying or equal thickness along the edge. The material thickening can divert forces acting on the edge of the recess around the recess and prevent damage to the edge of the recess due to stress peaks.

[0028] Particularly preferably, at least two material thickenings formed at the edge of different recesses are connected to one another via a stiffening rib, wherein in particular the stiffening rib is formed by a further material thickening of the annular body. The stiffening rib in particular has a small extent transverse to its longitudinal direction as the smallest extent of the respective recess. Preferably, the stiffening rib runs essentially in the circumferential direction. Due to its stiffening effect, the stiffening rib can prevent or at least impede vibration in the region of the stiffening rib, so that for the generation of structure-borne sound only correspondingly short freely vibrating paths with correspondingly high frequencies remain for the structure-borne sound, which are unlikely to be perceived by the human ear.

[0029] In particular, the first fastening region and / or the second fastening region are defined by an axial region that projects radially outward and / or radially inward relative to the annular body. The first and / or second fastening region can be formed, for example, by a flange.

[0030] Preferably, a damping element that is elastically deformable under the influence of vibration is inserted into the respective recess. In particular, the material of the damping element is different from the material of the annular body. Preferably, the damping element has different stiffnesses and / or different spring characteristics in different directions within a developed circumferential plane. Preferably, the damping element can provide a different deformation behavior under load than the rest of the annular body. This makes it possible to impart additional damping effects that can provide structure-borne sound attenuation even in frequency ranges that are not as well damped by the rest of the annular body.With the help of the damping element, the structure-borne sound damping of the transmission bell housing can be further improved, individualized and / or adapted to changing boundary conditions without the need to replace the transmission bell housing.

[0031] Particularly preferably, the surface area of ​​the recesses is dimensioned for the purpose of inserting a tool, in particular a screwdriver, for manipulating components positioned within the annular body. The surface area of ​​at least some of the recesses, preferably all of the recesses, can have a minimum size that allows the tool to access the interior of the gear housing for maintenance and / or assembly purposes. For example, the respective recess dimensioned in this way makes it possible to perform a screw connection between a gear shaft of the wind gearbox and the wind rotor shaft with the gear housing already installed within a volume delimited by the gear housing. This can improve ease of assembly and maintenance.In particular, it is provided that the first fastening area and / or the second fastening area has and / or is integrally formed with a bearing seat for supporting a planetary carrier of the wind turbine gearbox or for supporting the wind turbine rotor shaft. A separate bearing in the wind turbine gearbox or in the main shaft bearing can be eliminated. This allows, in particular, a bearingless planetary carrier or a sun gear shaft, which does not have a bearing directly engaging the planetary carrier within the gearbox housing of the wind turbine gearbox, to be supported on one side in the gearbox bell housing outside the wind turbine gearbox.This allows an axial play within a short toothing inside the wind gearbox to be exploited with a gearbox component following in the torque flow via the planet carrier or sun gear shaft mounted exclusively in the gearbox bell housing in order to compensate for an axial offset between the wind gearbox and the wind rotor shaft, whereby the axial relative position of the planet carrier or sun gear shaft mounted on one side can be specified by the one-piece or separately designed bearing seat in the gearbox bell housing.

[0032] Preferably, the first fastening area is formed integrally with the gear housing or a gear housing part of the wind turbine gearbox, and / or the second fastening area is formed integrally with a bearing housing of the main shaft bearing. This allows the number of components to be reduced and component integration to be increased.

[0033] Particularly preferably, the first fastening region is connected to the annular body and / or the second fastening region is connected to the annular body and / or a first partial body of the annular body is connected to a second partial body of the annular body via a welded joint. The welded production of the transmission bell housing results in structural changes in the joined parts in the area of ​​the weld seams, which in turn can reduce a freely vibrating path within the transmission bell housing. The generation and transmission of excited vibrations in the transmission bell housing are thereby at least reduced. In addition, the welded joint can result in additional rigidity, which reduces the vibration capacity of the transmission bell housing and enables better support of forces and moments occurring during operation.

[0034] A further aspect of the invention relates to a gear arrangement for a wind turbine with a wind gearbox having at least one gear stage configured as a planetary gear and with a gear housing fastened to a gear housing of the wind gearbox on an axial side facing a wind rotor, which can be designed and developed as described above, wherein in particular the number of recesses in the gear housing is divisible by the number of planet gears of at least one gear stage configured as a planetary gear, wherein preferably the number of recesses is divisible by the number of planet gears of all gear stages configured as planetary gears. The asymmetry in the gear housing itself achieved with the aid of the differently designed recesses can enable a reduction in noise emissions in a large number of differently designed wind turbines.

[0035] A further aspect of the invention relates to a data agglomerate with data packets summarized in a common file or distributed across different files for depicting the three-dimensional shape and / or the interactions of all components provided in the gear bell housing, which can be designed and further developed as described above, or in the gear arrangement, which can be designed and further developed as described above, wherein the data packets are prepared for the purpose of additive manufacturing of the gear bell housing or the gear arrangement, in particular by 3D printing, when processed by a data processing device for operating a machine tool for the additive manufacturing of devices.and / or when processed by a data processing device for carrying out a technical simulation, to carry out a simulation of the functioning of the transmission bell housing or the transmission arrangement and to output the simulation results generated thereby for further use, in particular for the purpose of providing proof of fatigue strength as a function of variable loads and / or variable temperature loads and, if necessary, to compare it with measurement data determined on a real-life device according to the invention and / or on a prototype of the device according to the invention. The data packets of the data agglomerate are specifically adapted to the inventive design of the respective device according to the invention described above, i.e. the transmission bell housing and / or the transmission arrangement.in order to adequately represent the inventive interaction of the components of the device according to the invention during processing in the data processing device. The data packets can, in particular, be stored spatially distributed, but adapted to one another in such a way that, in the event that all data packets are combined in a common data processing device, the data agglomerate thus assembled provides all the necessary data for additive manufacturing and / or a technical simulation with the aid of the data processing device for the device according to the invention. For example, the data packets are each separate parts of a data library ("library"),which are combined to form the data agglomerate and are adapted to each other with respect to their relative dimensions and / or absolute dimensions and / or material properties corresponding to the respective device according to the invention. The data agglomerate can represent a virtual embodiment of the respective device according to the invention in the manner of a so-called "digital twin," which enables a virtual examination in the form of a simulation or a real objectification using an additive manufacturing process. Such a digital twin is described, for example, in US 2017 / 286572 A1, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference as part of the invention.

[0036] When the data processing device of the machine tool processes the data agglomerate, the device according to the invention is produced, so that after processing the data agglomerate in the data processing device, the device according to the invention is obtained, at least in the form of a prototype. In particular, each data packet can represent a separately implemented component of the respective associated device according to the invention, so that the individual components can easily be assembled, actually and / or virtually, in terms of their relative position and / or relative mobility in order to realize the interactions essential to the invention. In particular, it is possible, with the aid of the respective data packets, to produce the various components of the respective device separately and, if appropriate, from different materials by additive manufacturing and subsequently assemble them to form a prototype of the respective device.The division of the data of the data agglomerate into different data packets thus enables a simple sequential additive production of components of the respective device that are movable relative to one another in the form of a kit (“kit of parts”), which is designed to only be assembled in a meaningful way for the inventive interaction of the components of the prototype for the solution of the problem underlying the invention.

[0037] Additionally or alternatively, it is possible to use the data packets of the data agglomerate in a virtual environment during a technical simulation to calculate and / or predict the individual components of the respective device, their interactions, the physical state, and / or the change in physical parameters as a function of various boundary conditions and / or over time of the associated device according to the invention, and to further use them to check whether the device according to the invention is sufficiently suitable for the intended purpose based on the assumed design and taking into account the assumed simulated influences. If the data agglomerate is processed by a data processing device that maps the simulation environment, it is possible to examine the behavior of the device according to the invention taking into account boundary conditions, in particular changing ones.This makes it possible, for example, to investigate centrifugal force effects on individual components of the device according to the invention as a function of various static and / or dynamic loads and / or different operating temperatures, whereby such simulation results can be incorporated into the preparation of a fatigue strength verification. Preferably, the simulation results obtained after processing the data agglomerate in the data processing device for the simulation environment are stored in order to compare them with measurement data determined on an actually produced device according to the invention and / or on a prototype of the device according to the invention. This makes it possible to assess the quality of the simulation results obtained with the aid of the data agglomerate and / or, in particular in the case of particularly significant deviations, to identify measurement errors and / or an erroneous measurement.Non-destructive quality control of the device according to the invention is thereby simplified and improved.

[0038] The data agglomerate enables the cost-effective production of prototypes and / or computer-based simulations to study the functionality of the device under consideration, identify problems in the specific application, and find improvements. The solution to the problem underlying the invention can be easily and cost-effectively verified using the data agglomerate.

[0039] The invention will now be explained by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings using preferred embodiments. The features presented below may represent an aspect of the invention, both individually and in combination, with the scope of protection being determined by the claims. They show:

[0040] Fig. 1 : a schematic perspective view of a wind turbine,

[0041] Fig. 2: a schematic perspective view of a gear box for the wind turbine from Fig. 1,

[0042] Fig. 3: a schematic side view of the gear bell from Fig. 2 and

[0043] Fig. 4: a schematic side view of the gear bell from Fig. 2, offset in the circumferential direction compared to the gear bell from Fig. 3. The wind turbine 10 shown in Fig. 1 can be used to generate electrical energy from wind power. For this purpose, the wind turbine 10 has a wind rotor 12 which can be rotated by wind power. The wind rotor 12 is coupled to a drive train 14. For this purpose, the wind rotor 12 is connected to a wind rotor shaft 16, which is coupled within the drive train 14 to a wind gearbox 18 in order to convert the torque introduced via the wind rotor 12 and the wind rotor shaft 16. The torque converted in the wind gearbox 18 is fed via a motor shaft 19 to an electrical machine operated in generator mode, which can form a generator 20.The electrical energy generated by the electric machine can be fed to a rechargeable battery and / or a power grid. In the illustrated embodiment, the drive train 14 is entirely housed in a nacelle 22, which is attached to an upper free end of a tower 24. The wind rotor 12, the wind gearbox 18, and the generator 20 can be arranged coaxially with one another and preferably extend at an angle to the horizontal. A pitch tube can run from the generator 20 through the wind gearbox 18 to the wind rotor 12 in order to route electrical lines to a blade pitch control system (pitch control) of the wind rotor 12.

[0044] The wind rotor shaft 16, which is mounted in a main shaft bearing, can be connected to an input-side gear shaft of the wind gearbox 18, which faces the wind rotor 12, within the gearbox bell 26 shown in Fig. 2. The wind gearbox 18 has at least one gear stage, wherein preferably at least one gear stage is designed as a planetary gear. The input-side gear shaft is formed in particular by a hub of a bearingless planet carrier. The gearbox bell 26 has an annular body 28, to the axial ends of which a first fastening region 30 and a second fastening region 32 are attached, in particular in one piece. For example, the first fastening region 30 and the second fastening region 32 protrude radially outward, in particular to form a flange for a flange connection.The first fastening area 30 can be connected to a gear housing of the wind gearbox 18, while the second fastening area 32 can be connected to the main shaft bearing and / or to a nacelle housing of the nacelle 22.

[0045] Formed in the annular body 28 are a plurality of recesses 34 configured as through-openings, which differ in terms of their position in the axial direction, their surface area, their shape, and / or orientation within the annular body 28, whereby the respective recess 34 primarily contributes to structure-borne sound damping when the transmission bell housing 26 is caused to vibrate during operation of the drive train 14. In contrast to the recesses 34 in the annular body 28, the openings provided in the fastening areas 30, 32 are primarily intended for fastening the transmission bell housing 26 and do not make a significant, measurable contribution to structure-borne sound damping.A minimum size of the respective recess 34 is significantly larger than a maximum diameter of screws used to connect the fastening areas 30, 32, so that the respective recesses 34 can be large enough to allow a tool or, in the case of individual recesses 34, even a mechanic's hand to pass through. Particularly preferably, the annular body 28 is designed to be continuous and free of recesses 34 in a lower angular range in the direction of gravity, for example, of 30° ± 10°, since the gear bell 26 can rest on a base, for example a machine support, in this angular range, and the support itself can provide stiffening leading to structure-borne sound damping.

[0046] As shown in Fig. 2, the respective recess 34 can have a reinforced edge 36 provided by a material thickening of the annular body 28. In particular, the annular body 28 has a, preferably also by a

[0047] The ring body 28 has a stiffening rib 38 formed as a thickened material, which in particular runs essentially in the circumferential direction. Preferably, the stiffening rib 38 can connect two reinforced edges 36 of different recesses 34 to one another, wherein it is possible for the stiffening rib 38 not to extend completely closed in the circumferential direction in the same axial region of the ring body 28, but rather to be provided only in partial angular regions.

[0048] As shown in Fig. 3, for example, oval-shaped recesses 34 of different lengths and widths can be provided, which, although they represent an affine mapping to one another, are not identical. Furthermore, these recesses 34 can be offset from one another in the axial direction and in the circumferential direction.

[0049] As shown in Fig. 4, a first type 40 of, for example, oval-shaped identical recesses 34 can be provided one behind the other in a common axial region in the circumferential direction, while at the same time a second type 42 of, for example, circular identical recesses 34 can be provided one behind the other in a common axial region in the circumferential direction. The first type 40 of recesses 34 and the second type 42 of recesses 34 can differ with regard to their position in the axial direction, their surface area, their shape and / or orientation within the annular body 28, wherein the recesses 34 can be formed identically within their respective type 40, 42. Preferably, the recesses 34 of the first type 40 do not represent an affine mapping of the recesses 34 of the second type 42.

[0050] Optionally, a damping element that is elastically deformable under load can be inserted into at least one of the recesses 34, whereby the damping element can completely or partially close the recess 34. The damping element can be made, for example, from a thermoplastic or elastomeric material, whereby the damping element can dampen a different frequency range for structure-borne sound attenuation compared to the recess 34 that accommodates the damping element.

Claims

Patent claims 1. Gearbox bell (26) for fastening a wind gearbox (18) in a wind turbine (10), with a first fastening area (30) for fastening to a gearbox housing of the wind gearbox (18) and a second fastening area (32) axially spaced from the first fastening area (30) via an annular body (28) for fastening to a nacelle housing of the wind turbine (10) and / or to a main shaft bearing supporting a wind rotor shaft (16) of a wind rotor (12) of the wind turbine (12), wherein the annular body (28) has at least two recesses (34) of different configurations to dampen structure-borne noise.

2. Gear bell (26) according to claim 1, wherein the at least two recesses (34) which are differently designed from one another differ with regard to a position of their center of gravity in the axial direction and / or their surface size and / or their shape and / or their orientation in the tangential direction and the axial direction.

3. Gearbox bell housing (26) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the shape of at least two recesses (34) which are differently designed from one another represent an affine mapping to one another which is different from an identity.

4. Gearbox bell housing (26) according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a first type (40) of recesses (34) which are differently designed and / or represent mutually affine images and a second type (42) of differently designed and / or mutually affine images (34) representing recesses (34) are provided, wherein the recesses of the first type (40) are shaped differently from the recesses (34) of the second type (42) by an affine mapping.

5. Gear bell (26) according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the recesses (34) extend completely open in the radial direction through the annular body (28) and are delimited exclusively by the material of the annular body (28).

6. Gearbox bell housing (26) according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the annular body (28) has a material thickening at an edge (36) of the respective recess (34).

7. Gearbox bell housing (26) according to claim 6, wherein at least two material thickenings formed on the edge (36) of different recesses (34) are connected to one another via a stiffening rib (38), wherein the stiffening rib (38) is formed by a further material thickening of the annular body (28).

8. Gearbox bell housing (26) according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the first fastening region (30) and / or the second fastening region (32) is defined by an axial region projecting radially outwards and / or radially inwards in comparison to the annular body (28).

9. Gearbox bell housing (26) according to one of claims 1 to 8, wherein a damping element which is elastically deformable under the influence of vibration is inserted in the respective recess (34), wherein the material of the damping element is different from the material of the annular body (28), wherein the damping element has different stiffnesses and / or different spring characteristics in different directions within a developed circumferential direction plane.

10. Gear bell (26) according to one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the surface area of ​​the recesses (34) is dimensioned for the purpose of inserting a tool, in particular a screwdriver, for manipulating components positioned within the annular body (28).

11. Gear bell (26) according to one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the first fastening region (30) and / or the second fastening region (32) has and / or is formed in one piece with a bearing seat for supporting a planet carrier of the wind gear (18) or for supporting the wind rotor shaft (16).

12. Gear bell (26) according to one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the first fastening region (30) is formed integrally with the gear housing or a gear housing part of the wind gear (18) and / or the second fastening region (32) is formed integrally with a bearing housing of the main shaft bearing.

13. Gearbox bell housing (26) according to one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the first fastening region (30) is connected to the annular body (28) and / or the second fastening region (32) is connected to the annular body (28) and / or a first partial body of the annular body (28) is connected to a second partial body of the annular body (28) via a welded connection. 14 Gear arrangement for a wind turbine (10) with a wind gearbox (18) having at least one gear stage designed as a planetary gearbox and a gearbox bell (26) fastened to a gearbox housing of the wind gearbox (18) on an axial side facing a wind rotor (16) according to one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the number of recesses (34) of the gearbox bell (26) is divisible by the number of planet wheels of at least one gear stage designed as a planetary gearbox, wherein preferably the number of recesses (34) is the number of planetary gears of all gear stages designed as planetary gears is divisible.

15. Data agglomerate with data packets summarized in a common file or distributed across different files for mapping the three-dimensional shape and / or the interactions of all components provided in the gear housing (26) according to one of claims 1 to 13 or the gear arrangement according to claim 14, wherein the data packets are prepared to carry out additive manufacturing of the components of the gear housing (26) or the gear arrangement, in particular by 3D printing, when processed by a data processing device for operating a machine tool for the additive manufacture of devices and / or to carry out a simulation of the functioning of the gear housing (26) or the gear arrangement when processed by a data processing device for carrying out a technical simulation and to output the simulation results generated thereby for further use,in particular for the purpose of providing proof of fatigue strength in dependence on changing loads and / or changing temperature loads.

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