Drivetrain and wind turbine generator system

Abstract

A drivetrain (10), comprising: a bearing housing (110); and a main shaft (120) that is rotatably supported in the bearing housing and has a front end and a rear end opposite to each other; a gearbox (200), comprising a box body (220) and a planet carrier (210) arranged in the box body, wherein the box body is fixedly connected to the rear end of the bearing housing, and the planet carrier is rigidly connected to the rear end of the main shaft; and a thrust bearing (230) arranged in the gearbox. The overall structure of the drivetrain is compact, and the shaft system and the gearbox are highly integrated; thus, the drivetrain has the advantages of light weight and low overall cost. The present disclosure further relates to a wind turbine generator system comprising the drivetrain.

Description

Drive chains and wind turbines

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on December 29, 2023, with application number 202311870715.8 and invention name “Transmission chain and wind turbine generator set”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of wind turbines, and in particular to a transmission chain for a wind turbine generator set and a wind turbine generator set having the transmission chain. Background Art

[0003] Wind turbines use large rotors to capture wind power, which drives a generator to generate electricity, thus achieving wind power generation. The rotor transmits power to the generator via a transmission chain. Because the rotor's rotation speed under wind pressure is slow, far below the speed required by the generator, the transmission chain includes not only the main shaft but also a gearbox connected to the rear end of the main shaft. The gearbox increases the rotor's lower speed to a sufficiently high speed to drive the generator for power generation.

[0004] Traditional main shaft systems consist of a bearing housing, a main shaft, and rolling bearings positioned between the main shaft and the bearing housing. However, the installed capacity of wind turbines is increasing, and so are the sizes of these units. As wind turbines grow in size, the cost of shaft systems using rolling bearing designs is increasing due to factors such as the difficulty of manufacturing rolling bearings, high material requirements, and difficulty in installation. Currently, sliding shaft systems are becoming a new technical solution for the main drive train of wind turbines. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a shaft system structure using sliding bearings, as used in the prior art.

[0005] As shown in Figure 1, the radial bearing and thrust bearing are respectively arranged at the front and rear ends of the main shaft 10. The secondary thrust bearing 40 and the front radial bearing 60 are arranged at the front end of the main shaft 10, while the main thrust bearing 50 and the rear radial bearing 70 are arranged at the rear end of the main shaft 10. This structural design requires the radial bearings to have a larger diameter, especially the front radial bearing, and the bearing seat 20 can only be a one-piece bearing seat. This solution has disadvantages such as high cost and difficulty in bearing installation and maintenance. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of the present disclosure is to provide a transmission chain and a wind turbine generator set to solve the problems of the sliding bearing transmission chain in the prior art, such as large size, difficulty in installation and maintenance.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a transmission chain is provided, which includes: a bearing seat; a main shaft rotatably supported in the bearing seat and having relative front and rear ends; a gear box including a housing and a planetary carrier arranged in the housing, the housing being fixedly connected to the rear end of the bearing seat, and the planetary carrier being rigidly connected to the rear end of the main shaft; and a thrust bearing arranged in the gear box.

[0008] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the gearbox includes at least one stage planetary gear train, the planet carrier is a first-stage planet carrier arranged in the gearbox, and the thrust bearing is a sliding bearing arranged between the axial end of the planet carrier and the box body.

[0009] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the thrust bearing is mounted on the housing to form a friction pair with the axial end face of the planet carrier, or the thrust bearing is mounted on the axial end face of the planet carrier to form a friction pair with the housing.

[0010] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the housing includes a front housing, a middle housing, and a gear ring connected between the front housing and the middle housing, and the thrust bearing includes a main thrust bearing and a secondary thrust bearing, the main thrust bearing is arranged between the axial rear end of the planetary carrier and the middle housing, the secondary thrust bearing is arranged between the axial front end of the planetary carrier and the rear end of the bearing seat, or the secondary thrust bearing is arranged between the axial front end of the planetary carrier and the support flange of the front housing.

[0011] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the transmission chain further includes a plurality of planetary wheels mounted on the planetary carrier, the plurality of planetary wheels are spaced apart in the circumferential direction of the planetary carrier, and the main thrust bearing is mounted on the axial rear end face of the planetary carrier between two adjacent planetary wheels.

[0012] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the planetary carrier is an annular cylinder, the axial length of the annular cylinder is greater than the axial length of the planetary gear, a plurality of planetary gear mounting grooves are opened on the annular cylinder, and a plurality of planetary gears are respectively mounted in the planetary gear mounting grooves, and annular planes are formed at both axial ends of the annular cylinder.

[0013] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the bearing seat includes a front bearing seat and a rear bearing seat that are separately arranged, and the radial bearing includes a front radial bearing and a rear radial bearing, the front radial bearing is arranged between the front bearing seat and the main shaft, and the rear radial bearing is arranged between the rear bearing seat and the main shaft.

[0014] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the auxiliary thrust bearing is arranged between the rear end surface of the rear bearing seat and the front end surface of the planetary carrier.

[0015] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the bearing seat and the front box body are provided as an integral structure, or the bearing seat and the front box body are provided as separate bodies and are connected to each other via fasteners.

[0016] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the radial bearing includes a front radial bearing and a rear radial bearing, the front radial bearing is arranged between the bearing seat and the front end periphery of the main shaft, the rear radial bearing is arranged on the radial outer surface of the planetary carrier, and forms a friction pair with the radial inner surface of the housing, or the rear radial bearing is installed on the radial inner surface of the housing, and forms a friction pair with the radial outer surface of the planetary carrier.

[0017] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the main shaft and the planet carrier are provided as an integral structure, or the main shaft and the planet carrier are provided as separate bodies and are connected to each other via fasteners.

[0018] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the radial bearing is mounted on the main shaft to form a friction pair with the bearing seat, or the radial bearing is mounted on the bearing seat to form a friction pair with the main shaft.

[0019] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the radial bearing and the thrust bearing include one of a tapered bearing shell and a spherical bearing shell.

[0020] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the transmission chain is used to be installed between the impeller and the generator of the wind turbine generator set.

[0021] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a wind turbine generator set is provided, comprising the transmission chain as described above.

[0022] According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, a split bearing seat design layout of a sliding bearing fan main shaft system can be realized, convenient unit maintenance can be achieved, and the weight and cost of the transmission chain can be reduced. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The above and other objects and features of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings which exemplarily illustrate an example, in which:

[0024] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a shaft system structure in the prior art;

[0025] FIG2 is a schematic structural diagram of a transmission chain according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0026] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the installation of a main thrust bearing in a transmission chain according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0027] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of the installation of an auxiliary thrust bearing in a transmission chain according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0028] FIG5 is a schematic diagram illustrating the installation of a radial bearing according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0029] FIG6 is a perspective view showing a gear box according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0030] FIG7 is a schematic diagram showing a bearing seat having a split structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0031] FIG8 is a schematic diagram showing that the bearing seat is an integrated structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0032] FIG9 is a schematic diagram illustrating the installation of a rear radial bearing according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0033] FIG10 is another schematic diagram showing the installation of the rear radial bearing according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0034] FIG11 is a perspective view showing a wind turbine generator set according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The following detailed description is provided to help the reader gain a comprehensive understanding of the methods, devices and / or systems described herein. However, various changes, modifications and equivalents of the methods, devices and / or systems described herein will be clear after understanding the disclosure of the present disclosure. For example, the order of operations described herein is merely an example and is not limited to those orders set forth herein, but can be changed as will be clear after understanding the disclosure of the present disclosure, except for operations that must occur in a specific order. In addition, for greater clarity and conciseness, descriptions of features known in the art may be omitted.

[0036] The features described herein can be implemented in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the examples described herein. Rather, the examples described herein are provided to illustrate only some of the many possible ways to implement the methods, devices, and / or systems described herein, which will become clear after understanding the disclosure of this disclosure.

[0037] As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any one of the associated listed items and any combination of any two or more.

[0038] Although terms such as "first," "second," and "third" may be used herein to describe various members, components, regions, layers, or portions, these members, components, regions, layers, or portions should not be limited by these terms. Instead, these terms are used solely to distinguish one member, component, region, layer, or portion from another member, component, region, layer, or portion. Thus, what is referred to as a first member, first component, first region, first layer, or first portion in the examples described herein may also be referred to as a second member, second component, second region, second layer, or second portion without departing from the teachings of the examples.

[0039] In the specification, when an element such as a layer, a region, or a substrate is described as being “on,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” another element, the element may be directly “on,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” the other element, or one or more other elements may be present therebetween. Conversely, when an element is described as being “directly on,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another element, no other elements may be present therebetween.

[0040] The terms used herein are only used to describe various examples and are not intended to limit the disclosure. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular form is also intended to include the plural form. The terms "comprising," "including," and "having" indicate the presence of the described features, quantities, operations, components, elements, and / or combinations thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, quantities, operations, components, elements, and / or combinations thereof. The term "plurality" represents any number of two and more than two.

[0041] The definitions of locative terms in this disclosure are based on the product's position in normal use, unless otherwise specified.

[0042] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical and scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains after understanding the present disclosure. Unless expressly defined otherwise herein, terms such as those defined in general dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal manner.

[0043] In order to solve the problems of heavy weight, high cost, and complex structure of the transmission chain in the prior art, the embodiment of the present disclosure provides a transmission chain for a wind turbine generator set.

[0044] As shown in FIG2 , the transmission chain 10 includes a shaft system 100 and a gear box 200 connected to each other. The shaft system 100 includes a bearing seat 110 and a main shaft 120 rotatably disposed in the bearing seat 110. The gear box 200 includes a housing 220 and a planetary carrier 210 disposed in the housing 220. The housing 220 is fixedly connected to the axial rear end of the bearing seat 110 to form a stationary support structure. The planetary carrier 210 and the rear end of the main shaft 120 are rigidly connected to form a rotating structure for transmitting power. The transmission chain according to the embodiment of the present disclosure also includes a bearing assembly installed between the support structure and the rotating structure to support the rotating structure, reduce the friction coefficient during movement, make the rotation smoother and more stable, reduce energy loss and transmission noise, and reduce component wear, thereby increasing the service life of the components and ensuring stable operation of the equipment.

[0045] According to the direction of torque transmission, the main shaft 120 has opposite front and rear ends along the axial direction. More specifically, the end of the main shaft 120 that receives torque input is defined as the front end, and the end of the main shaft 120 that outputs torque is defined as the rear end.

[0046] When applied to a wind turbine generator set, the front end of the main shaft 120 is used to connect to the hub of the wind turbine generator set 1, and after receiving the torque from the hub, it is transmitted to the generator through the gearbox 200. The bearing assembly needs to withstand the radial force caused by the weight of the impeller and the hub, and also needs to withstand the force caused by the wind acting on the main shaft through the impeller. Therefore, in the transmission chain according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the bearing assembly includes a radial bearing 130 and a thrust bearing 230. The radial bearing 130 is arranged between the support structure and the rotating structure, and is used to withstand the load in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the main shaft 120, that is, the load in the radial direction of the main shaft 120. The thrust bearing 230 is also arranged between the support structure and the rotating structure, and is used to withstand the load in the axial direction.

[0047] As shown in Figure 2, the gearbox 200 is used to increase the low-speed, high-torque of the hub to a high-speed, low-torque and then transmit it to the generator. The gearbox 200 generally includes a housing 220, an input shaft, a speed-increasing gear set, and an output shaft. The input shaft is used to connect to the main shaft 120 of the shaft system 100, and the output shaft is used to connect to the rotor of the generator. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the gearbox 200 includes at least one-stage planetary gear train. However, the present invention does not limit the number of speed-increasing stages of the gearbox, and the gearbox 200 may also include a two-stage or three-stage planetary gear train. In the case where the gearbox 200 is a two-stage or three-stage planetary gear train, since the planet carrier 210 needs to be rigidly connected to the main shaft 120, the planet carrier 210 is a one-stage planetary carrier in the gearbox 200, and one end of the planet carrier 210 serves as the input shaft of the gearbox to receive torque input.

[0048] An outer ring gear 223 is provided on the housing 220 of the gearbox, and the planetary carrier 210 is provided in the housing 220. Planetary gears 250 are mounted on the planetary carrier 210 and mesh with the outer ring gear 223. One axial end of the planetary carrier 210 forms the input shaft of the gearbox 200 and is fixedly connected to the main shaft 120. When the main shaft 120 rotates, it can drive the multiple planetary gears 250 to rotate. The inner sides of the multiple planetary gears 250 mesh with the sun gear 260, and the speed is increased by the sun gear 260 and then transmitted to the next stage speed-increasing gear set or to the generator. The setting structure of the speed-increasing gear set of the gearbox 200 is not the focus of the present invention, so it will not be described in detail here. Below, the setting structure of the bearing assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention is described in detail.

[0049] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a thrust bearing 230 is disposed in the gearbox 200, specifically, between the axial end of the planetary carrier 210 and the support structure of the transmission chain, and bears the axial load through the planetary carrier 210. The thrust bearing 230 includes a main thrust bearing 231 and a secondary thrust bearing 232. According to an embodiment of the present invention, at least one of the main thrust bearing 231 and the secondary thrust bearing 232 is installed between the planetary carrier 210 and the support structure. For example, the main thrust bearing 231 is installed at the axial rear end of the planetary carrier 210, and the secondary thrust bearing 232 is installed at the axial front end of the planetary carrier 210.

[0050] As shown in Figure 1, thrust bearings are usually installed in the shaft system in the prior art. However, in this case, the bearing seat 20 needs to be an integrated bearing, which is inconvenient for the maintenance of the radial bearing. If the bearing seat 20 is set as a split structure to facilitate the installation and maintenance of the radial bearing, it is necessary to set an outward-convex thrust plate on the outer periphery of the main shaft 10, and install the main thrust bearing and the secondary thrust bearing on both axial sides of the thrust plate. In addition, a clamping structure for clamping the thrust bearing and a corresponding support structure, an external sealing structure, etc. need to be provided. This setting structure will make the structure of the shaft system more complicated and the number of additional components increased, thereby leading to various problems such as increased weight and increased cost of the transmission chain.

[0051] However, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the thrust bearing 230 is installed in the gear box 200, and the thrust bearing is installed or a friction pair is formed with the thrust bearing by utilizing the existing planetary carrier structure in the transmission chain. Therefore, even if the bearing seat 110 is designed as a split structure, there is no need to additionally provide a thrust plate and corresponding clamping structure and support structure and other components on the main shaft 120, thereby reducing the components of the transmission chain, and the overall structure is compact and highly integrated with the gear box, with the advantages of light weight and low cost.

[0052] The embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to FIG2 to FIG4 .

[0053] As shown in Figure 2, housing 220 includes a front housing 221 and a middle housing 222, mounted at the axial front and rear ends of planetary carrier 210, respectively. An outer ring gear 223 is connected between the front and middle housings 221 and 222, with internal teeth formed on the inner side of outer ring gear 223. Planetary carrier 210 is provided with a plurality of planetary gears 250. The outer circumferences of the planetary gears 250 protrude radially outward from the planetary carrier 210, thereby meshing with the outer ring gear 223. The front housing 221 is located at the front end of the planetary carrier 210, while the middle housing 222 is located at the axial rear end of the planetary carrier 210. Specifically, as shown in Figures 2 and 6, the planetary carrier 210 is formed as an annular cylinder with a plurality of planetary gear mounting grooves spaced circumferentially therefrom. The plurality of planetary gears 250 are respectively mounted in the plurality of planetary gear mounting grooves via planetary gear shafts 251. It can be seen that the axial length of the planet carrier 210 is greater than the axial length of the planet wheel 250, so that the axial ends of the planet carrier 210 extend relative to the planet wheel 250, so that the axial ends of the planet carrier 210 can form a planar structure as a thrust washer mounting plane or friction plane.

[0054] The main thrust bearing 231 is disposed between the axial rear end of the planetary carrier 210 and the middle housing 222. The main thrust bearing 231 can be fixedly mounted on the planetary carrier 210, forming a rotating friction pair with the middle housing 222 as the planetary carrier 210 rotates. Alternatively, the main thrust bearing 231 can be fixedly mounted on the axial inner surface of the middle housing 222 facing the planetary carrier 210, with the axial rear end of the planetary carrier 210 serving as the friction surface, thereby forming a rotating friction pair between the main thrust bearing 231 and the planetary carrier 210.

[0055] Figure 3 shows an example of a main thrust bearing 231 fixedly mounted on a planetary carrier 210. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, multiple planetary gears 250 are rotatably mounted on the planetary carrier 210 via multiple planetary gear shafts 251 and are spaced apart circumferentially around the planetary carrier 210. The main thrust bearing 231 includes multiple main thrust bearing shells 2311, which are spaced apart circumferentially around the planetary carrier 210, with each main thrust bearing shell 2311 positioned between two adjacent planetary gears 250. This fully utilizes the axial end surface of the planetary carrier 210 while utilizing the free space between the planetary gears 250 to avoid interference with the planetary gear shafts 251.

[0056] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the secondary thrust bearing 232 may also be installed in the gearbox 200 . For example, the secondary thrust bearing 232 may be installed at the axial front end of the planet carrier 210 .

[0057] As shown in FIG2 , the front end of the planetary carrier 210 has a relatively flat surface. The secondary thrust bearing 232 can be mounted between the axial front end of the planetary carrier 210 and the axial rear end of the bearing seat 110 of the shaft system 100. The secondary thrust bearing 232 can be fixedly mounted on the bearing seat 110, thereby forming a friction pair with the axial front end surface of the planetary carrier 210. Alternatively, the secondary thrust bearing 232 can be mounted on the axial front end surface of the planetary carrier 210, and as the planetary carrier 210 rotates, thereby forming a friction pair with the axial rear end surface of the bearing seat 110.

[0058] When the auxiliary thrust bearing 232 is installed between the front end face of the planetary carrier 210 and the rear end face of the bearing seat 110, the front box body 221 is formed into a cylindrical shape and is located radially outside the auxiliary thrust bearing 232. It is formed separately from the bearing seat 110 and fixedly connected by fasteners, and can also form an integrated structure with the bearing seat 110.

[0059] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 8 to 10 , the secondary thrust bearing 232 may also be installed between the front housing 221 and the axial front end face of the planetary carrier 210. For example, the inner side of the front housing 221 may also be formed with a radially inwardly extending support flange, with the secondary thrust bearing 232 installed between this support flange and the planetary carrier 210. As an example, the secondary thrust bearing 232 may be installed on the axial front end face of the planetary carrier 210, forming a friction pair with the inner support flange of the front housing 221, or vice versa.

[0060] Figure 4 shows an example of the auxiliary thrust bearing 232 being mounted on the planet carrier 210. As shown in Figure 4, the auxiliary thrust bearing 232 includes a plurality of auxiliary thrust bearing pads 2321, which are arranged on the axial front end surface of the planet carrier 210 at intervals in the circumferential direction of the planet carrier 210.

[0061] According to an embodiment of the present invention, by utilizing the axial end surface of planet carrier 210 to mount thrust bearing 230, thrust bearing 230 is highly integrated into gearbox 200, eliminating the need for a separate thrust plate and corresponding thrust pad support or clamping structure on main shaft 120. By leveraging the existing structure of planet carrier 210, minimal modifications to existing transmission structures are required, fully utilizing existing mold structures, simplifying the manufacturing process, and reducing manufacturing costs.

[0062] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the bearing assembly further comprises a radial bearing 130. The radial bearing 130 is disposed radially outside the rotating structure and radially inside the supporting structure, so as to bear radial loads.

[0063] Figure 5 shows a schematic diagram of the installation structure of the radial bearing 130. The radial bearing 130 comprises multiple radial bearing pads, located between the main shaft 120 and the bearing seat 110 and spaced apart circumferentially around the main shaft 120. The radial bearing 130 can be fixed to the main shaft 120 and rotate with it, using the inner surface of the bearing seat 110 as a friction surface. Alternatively, the radial bearing 130 can be fixedly mounted to the bearing seat 110, forming a friction pair with the outer circumferential surface of the main shaft 120.

[0064] As shown in FIG. 2 , the radial bearing 130 includes a front radial bearing 131 and a rear radial bearing 132 , which are spaced apart in the axial direction of the main shaft 120 and provide rotational support at the front and rear ends of the main shaft 120 .

[0065] The bearing seat 110 can be an integral structure, with the front radial bearing 131 and the rear radial bearing 132 respectively located radially inward at the front and rear ends of the bearing seat 110. In order to facilitate the maintenance of the radial bearing, a radial bearing maintenance hole can be opened on the bearing seat 110. For example, the radial bearing is fixedly mounted on the main shaft 120. When a radial bearing needs to be repaired or replaced, the main shaft 120 can be rotated to rotate the bearing to be replaced to a position corresponding to the maintenance hole. As shown in Figure 2, a front radial bearing maintenance hole is opened at the front end of the bearing seat 110, and a rear radial bearing maintenance hole is opened at the rear end of the bearing seat 110. A front maintenance cover plate 141 and a rear maintenance hole cover plate 142 can also be provided on the maintenance hole to cover the front radial bearing maintenance hole and the rear radial bearing maintenance hole, respectively.

[0066] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in Figures 8 to 10, a rear radial bearing 132 may also be provided in the gearbox 200. More specifically, the rear radial bearing 132 may be provided between the radially outer side of the planet carrier 210 and the radially inner side of the housing 220, for example, between the radially outer side of the planet carrier 210 and the radially inner side of the front housing 221, or between the radially outer side of the planet carrier 210 and the radially inner side of the middle housing 222. Similarly, the rear radial bearing 132 may be fixed to the radially outer side of the planet carrier 210 or to the radially inner side of the housing 220.

[0067] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the front box body 221 can be separately provided with the bearing seat 110 and connected to each other by fasteners, or can be formed into an integral structure. For example, as shown in Figures 2, 8 and 10, the front box body 221 and the rear end of the bearing seat 110 are formed into an integral structure, thereby providing more stable rotation support for the rotating parts. By designing the front box body 221 and the bearing seat 110 as an integral whole, the two are combined into one. Since the connecting surface between the bearing seat 110 and the front box body 221 is removed, the processing, surface treatment and other processes of the connecting surface are also removed, and the connecting parts between the two are removed, which is conducive to reducing manufacturing costs.

[0068] For example, as shown in Figures 7 and 9, bearing seat 110 is formed as a split structure, including a front bearing seat 1101 for supporting the front radial bearing and a rear bearing seat 1102 for supporting the rear radial bearing. In this case, by designing the rear bearing seat and front housing 221 as a single component, the loads of thrust bearing 230 and rear radial bearing 132 are both applied to the rear bearing seat, while front bearing seat 1101 only experiences radial forces, without thrust. This provides more stable support for the hub and impeller, and helps fully utilize the advantages of structural integration to reduce overall design costs.

[0069] According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the main shaft 120 and the planetary carrier 210 can be provided as separate components and connected to each other via fasteners, or they can be designed as an integrated structure, combining the two into one. By providing the main shaft 120 and the planetary carrier 210 as an integrated structure, the coupling surface between the main shaft 120 and the planetary carrier 210 is eliminated, and the machining and surface treatment processes required for the joint surface are also eliminated. Furthermore, the connecting parts between the two components are eliminated, which helps reduce manufacturing costs.

[0070] According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the bearing seat 110 can be designed as a split structure, which helps provide more maintenance space. For example, the space between the front bearing seat 1101 and the rear bearing seat 1102 can be used to remove the bearing shells to be replaced in the front radial bearing 131 and the rear radial bearing 132 along the axial direction of the main shaft 120 and replace them. In addition, the split design of the bearing seat 110 can reduce the material used in the bearing seat 110, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost and design weight of the bearing seat.

[0071] According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, radial bearings and thrust bearings may adopt other forms such as tapered bearings, spherical bearings, and combinations of tapered bearings of different angles.

[0072] According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the planetary carrier 210, the front housing 221, and the middle housing 222 are all conveniently provided with smooth, continuous support planes, which can be used for installing bearings or as sliding friction surfaces. The embodiments of the present disclosure make full use of the structural characteristics of these components to set the installation structure of radial bearings and thrust bearings, which is conducive to simplifying the structure of the transmission chain, reducing costs, and improving reliability.

[0073] Placing the thrust bearing in the gearbox facilitates the design layout of a split bearing seat for the main shaft system of a sliding bearing fan. By fully utilizing the axial end faces of the planetary carrier, there's no need for a thrust plate or other corresponding structures within the shaft system 100. This solution offers significant advantages in overall design weight and manufacturing costs, reducing both shaft system weight and costs. The split bearing seat design facilitates unit maintenance.

[0074] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above, those skilled in the art may make various modifications and variations to the embodiments of the present disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. It should be understood that, in the opinion of those skilled in the art, such modifications and variations will still fall within the spirit and scope of the embodiments of the present disclosure as defined by the claims.

Claims

1. A transmission chain (10), characterized in that, The transmission chain includes: A bearing housing (110); A main shaft (120) rotatably supported in the bearing housing (110) and having opposite front and rear ends in the axial direction; A gearbox (200) including a housing (220) and a planet carrier (210) disposed in the housing (220), the housing (220) being fixedly connected to the axial rear end of the bearing housing (110), and the planet carrier (210) being rigidly connected to the rear end of the main shaft (120); A thrust bearing (230) disposed in the gearbox (200).

2. The drive chain according to claim 1, characterized in that, The gearbox (200) includes at least one stage of planetary gear train, the planet carrier (210) being a first-stage planet carrier disposed in the gearbox (200), and the thrust bearing (230) being a sliding bearing disposed between the axial end of the planet carrier (210) and the housing (220).

3. The drive chain according to claim 2, characterized in that, The thrust bearing (230) is mounted on the housing (220) to form a friction pair with the axial end face of the planet carrier (210), or the thrust bearing (230) is mounted on the axial end face of the planet carrier (210) to form a friction pair with the housing (220).

4. The drive chain according to claim 3, characterized in that, The housing (220) includes a front housing (221), a middle housing (222), and a ring gear (223) connected between the front housing (221) and the middle housing (222). The thrust bearing (230) includes a main thrust bearing (231) and a secondary thrust bearing (232). The main thrust bearing (231) is disposed between the axial rear end of the planet carrier (210) and the middle housing (222), and the secondary thrust bearing (232) is disposed between the axial front end of the planet carrier (210) and the axial rear end of the bearing housing (110), or the secondary thrust bearing (232) is disposed between the axial front end of the planet carrier (210) and the radially inward support flange of the front housing (221).

5. The drive chain according to claim 4, characterized in that, The transmission chain further includes a plurality of planet gears (250) mounted on the planet carrier (210). The plurality of planet gears (250) are spaced apart circumferentially on the planet carrier (210), and the main thrust bearing (231) is mounted on the axial rear end face of the planet carrier (210) between two adjacent planet gears (250).

6. The drive chain according to claim 5, characterized in that, The planet carrier (210) is an annular cylinder, the axial length of the annular cylinder being greater than the axial length of the planet gear (250). A plurality of planet gear mounting grooves are formed in the annular cylinder, and the plurality of planet gears (250) are respectively mounted in the planet gear mounting grooves. Annular planes are formed at both axial ends of the annular cylinder.

7. The drive chain according to claim 4, characterized in that, The bearing housing (110) includes a separately provided front bearing housing (1101) and a rear bearing housing (1102). The transmission chain further includes a front radial bearing and a rear radial bearing. The front radial bearing is disposed between the front bearing housing (1101) and the main shaft (120), and the rear radial bearing is disposed between the rear bearing housing (1102) and the main shaft (120).

8. The drive chain according to claim 7, characterized in that, The auxiliary thrust bearing (232) is arranged between the rear end face of the rear bearing seat (1102) and the front end face of the planet carrier (210).

9. The drive chain according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that, The bearing seat (110) and the front housing (221) are integrally provided, or the bearing seat (110) and the front housing (221) are separately provided and connected to each other by fasteners.

10. The drive chain according to claim 1, characterized in that, The transmission chain further includes a front radial bearing (131) and a rear radial bearing (132). The front radial bearing (131) is arranged between the bearing seat (110) and the outer periphery of the front end of the main shaft (120). The rear radial bearing (132) is installed on the radially outer surface of the planet carrier (210), and a friction pair is formed between the radially inner surface of the housing (220), or the rear radial bearing (132) is installed on the radially inner surface of the housing (220), and a friction pair is formed with the radially outer surface of the planet carrier (210).

11. The drive chain according to claim 1, characterized in that, The main shaft (120) and the planet carrier (210) are of an integral structure, or the main shaft (120) and the planet carrier (210) are separately provided and connected to each other by fasteners.

12. The drive chain according to claim 1, characterized in that, The transmission chain further includes a radial bearing (130). The radial bearing (130) is installed on the main shaft (120), and a friction pair is formed with the bearing seat (110), or the radial bearing (130) is installed on the bearing seat (110), and a friction pair is formed with the main shaft (120).

13. The transmission chain according to claim 1, wherein The radial bearing (130) and the thrust bearing (230) include one of a tapered bearing bush and a spherical bearing bush.

14. The drive chain according to any one of claims 1-13, characterized in that, The transmission chain is used to be installed between the impeller and the generator of the wind turbine generator set.

15. A wind power generating set, characterized in that, The wind turbine generator set includes the transmission chain according to any one of claims 1-14.

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