Gear fastening device

Abstract

The present invention describes a gear fastening device, comprising: a body with an external radius curvature, a first intermediate radius curvature, a second intermediate radius curvature and an internal radius curvature; wherein a first body portion is formed between the external radius curvature and the first intermediate radius curvature, an intermediate body portion is formed between the first intermediate radius curvature and the second intermediate radius curvature, and a second portion of body is formed between the second intermediate radius curvature and the internal radius curvature; and wherein a lower portion of the intermediate body portion is in the same height as the first body portion, and an upper portion of the intermediate body portion is in the same height as the second body portion.

Description

"GEAR FASTENING DEVICE"TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a gear fastening device . More speci fically, the present invention relates to a gear fastening device that is used so that the planetary gears o f a wind turbine multiplier box do not move from their axis of rotation .BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The multiplier box is a piece of equipment made up of a set of planetary gears and parallel stages of helical gears with the aim of increasing the rotation speed of a low-speed main shaft to a high-speed shaft connected to an electrical generator .

[0003] The multiplier boxes installed in wind turbines present a speci fic failure mode in the first stage , with the first stage of the boxes being composed of a set of planetary gears responsible for absorbing high torques arising from dynamic loads of the main shaft and the kinetic speed of the winds .

[0004] After a period of use , an axial di splacement of the planetary gears is observed in the opposite direction of the main axis . When a signi ficant axial displacement is detected, the planetary gears move , causing friction against the housing, causing material to detach and contamination of the lubrication system by metallic particles .

[0005] Due to friction and the detachment of metallic particles inside the crankcase , this failure mode is also responsible for propagating damage to other components of the gearbox, such as the lubrication pumps , bearings and gears on the low, medium and high-speed axles .

[0006] The effects of this specific failure mode directly impact the performance of wind turbines, reliability, estimated useful life of equipment components, in addition to the large loss of electricity generation. To avoid the unavailability of wind turbines, one of the necessary actions is to axially reposition the planetary gears and reduce the wind turbine power by 50%.

[0007] Therefore, a problem in the prior art is that the power of the wind turbine is substantially reduced after this failure occurs.

[0008] Additionally, another problem in the prior art is the fact that the cost of replacing a planetary gear can exceed five hundred thousand dollars, so this is not an economically viable option.SUMMARY

[0009] The objective of the present invention is to provide a gear fastening device that avoids the drawbacks of the prior art.

[0010] This objective is achieved by means of a gear fastening device, comprising: a body with an external radius curvature, a first intermediate radius curvature, a second intermediate radius curvature and an internal radius curvature; wherein a first body portion is delimited between the external radius curvature and the first intermediate radius curvature, an intermediate body portion is delimited between the first intermediate radius curvature and the second intermediate radius curvature, and a second body portion is delimited between the second intermediate radius curvature and the internal radius curvature; andwherein a lower portion of the intermediate body portion is in the same height as the first body portion, and an upper portion of the intermediate body portion is in the same height as the second body portion .

[0011] Conveniently, the device according to the present invention consists in the fact that the external radius curvature is greater than the first intermediate radius curvature , the second intermediate radius curvature and the internal radius curvature ; the first intermediate radius curvature is greater than the second intermediate radius curvature and the internal radius curvature ; and the second intermediate radius curvature is greater than the internal radius curvature .

[0012] The device according to the present invention further consists in the fact that the first body portion and the second body portion are not in the same height .

[0013] Additionally, the device according to the present invention consists in the fact that the first body portion comprises two or more holes .

[0014] Furthermore , the device according to the present invention consists in the fact that the first body portion comprises , on its lower surface , a recess ; wherein the recess extends , along the entire lower surface , between the external radius curvature and the two or more holes .

[0015] An advantage of the device according to the present invention consists in the fact that , after its installation on the defective planetary gear , the wind turbine can operate at its maximum capacity, so that reducing the turbine power by 50% is not necessary .

[0016] A further advantage of the device according to the present invention is the fact that it is substantially more economical than a planetary gear replacement . Installation costs for this device are around three thousand dollars , generating considerable savings for any company that uses this solution .BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The obj ects and advantages of the present invention will become clearer through the following detailed description of the examples and non-limiting drawings presented at the end of this document :

[0018] Figure 1 illustrates a top view of the gear fastening device in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention .

[0019] Figure 2 illustrates the details of the G-G cut made in Figure 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] According to Figure 1 , the gear fastening device comprises a body 10 with an external radius curvature Rl , a first intermediate radius curvature R2 , a second intermediate radius curvature R3 and an internal radius curvature R4 .

[0021] As can be seen, a first body portion 20 is delimited between the external radius curvature Rl and the first intermediate radius curvature R2 , an intermediate body portion 21 is delimited between the first intermediate radius curvature R2 and the second intermediate radius curvature R3 , and a second body portion 22 is delimited between thesecond intermediate radius curvature R3 and the internal radius curvature R4 .

[0022] According to Figure 2 , the intermediate body portion 21 compri ses a lower portion 21A and an upper portion 21B, the lower portion 21A being in the same height as the first body portion 20 , and the upper portion 21B being in the same height as the second body portion 22 . Thus , since the first body portion 20 and the second body portion 22 are not in the same height , a space is created below the second body portion 22 that can be used to fit the gear fastening device in a gear, such as a planetary gear .

[0023] As can be seen in Figure 1 , the external radius curvature R1 is greater than the first intermediate radius curvature R2 , the second intermediate radius curvature R3 and the internal radius curvature R4 ; the first intermediate radius curvature R2 is greater than the second intermediate radius curvature R3 and the internal radius curvature R4 ; and the second intermediate radius curvature R3 is greater than the internal radius curvature R4 . In this way, the body 10 comprises a shape that fits the surface of a gear .

[0024] Still according to Figure 1 , the first body portion 20 compri ses two holes 30 that assist in fitting the fastening device over a gear . When the fastening device is disposed over a gear, a screw is inserted through hole 30 and extends into a hole present in the gear . According to a preferred embodiment , two screws are used . However, more screws , such as three , four or more , can be used for a better fixation of the device to the gear .

[0025] According to Figure 2 , the first body portion 20 comprises , on its lower surface , a recess 40 , wherein therecess 40 extends , along the entire lower surface , between the external radius curvature R1 and the two holes 30 . The recess 40 is to better seat the gear fastening device on the surface of the gear that has a protrusion, so this recess 40 accommodates this small protrusion of the gear .

[0026] In addition to the embodiments presented above , the same inventive concept may be applied to other alternatives or possibilities for using the invention . For example , in air compressors and vehicle starters .

[0027] Although the present invention has been described in relation to certain preferred embodiments , it should be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to those particular embodiments . Rather, it is intended to cover all possible alternatives , modi fications and equivalences within the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined by the appended claims .

Claims

CLAIMS1. Gear fastening device, comprising: a body (10) with an external radius curvature (Rl) , a first intermediate radius curvature (R2) , a second intermediate radius curvature (R3) and an internal radius curvature (R4) ; wherein a first body portion (20) is delimited between the external radius curvature (Rl) and the first intermediate radius curvature (R2) , an intermediate body portion (21) is delimited between the first intermediate radius curvature (R2) and the second intermediate radius curvature (R3) , and a second body portion (22) is delimited between the second intermediate radius curvature (R3) and the internal radius curvature (R4) ; and wherein a lower portion (21A) of the intermediate body portion (21) is in the same height as the first body portion (20) , and an upper portion (21B) of the intermediate body portion (21) is in the same height as the second body portion (22) .

2. Device, as in claim 1, wherein: the external radius curvature (Rl) is greater than the first intermediate radius curvature (R2) , the second intermediate radius curvature (R3) and the internal radius curvature (R4) ; the first intermediate radius curvature (R2) is greater than the second intermediate radius curvature (R3) and the internal radius curvature (R4) ; and the second intermediate radius curvature (R3) is greater than the internal radius curvature (R4) .

3. Device, as in claim 1, wherein the first body portion (20) and the second body portion (22) are not in the same height .

4. Device, as in claim 1, wherein the first body portion (20) comprises two or more holes (30) .

5. Device, as in claim 4, wherein the first body portion (20) comprises, on its lower surface, a recess (40) ; wherein the recess (40) extends, along the entire lower surface, between the external radius curvature (Rl) and the two or more holes (30) .

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