Wind gearbox for a wind turbine

Abstract

The invention relates to a wind gearbox (118) for a wind turbine (110), having at least one planetary gearbox for transmitting and converting power generated by wind energy, wherein: the planetary gearbox has a plain bearing arrangement (10) for supporting a gearbox component; the plain bearing arrangement (10) has a workpiece produced from a weldable material and comprising, at least in a portion, a cylindrical bolt (12) and / or a hollow cylindrical hub, and has a plain bearing sleeve (20) fitted onto the bolt (12) or inserted into the hub; the plain bearing sleeve (20) has a plain bearing surface (24) facing away from the workpiece and has a weldable holding body (22) abutting the workpiece; the holding body (22) is welded to the workpiece along at least one fastening line extending in the circumferential direction; and a continuous weld seam (26), or a plurality of weld spots arranged in succession in the circumferential direction, is or are formed along the fastening line. By virtue of the plain bearing sleeve (20) being welded to the workpiece, a mechanically highly loadable plain bearing can be provided cost-effectively, making it possible to provide a cost-effective and highly loadable plain bearing arrangement (10) for use in industrial wind turbines (110).

Description

[0001] FLENDER GMBH Düsseldorf, September 3, 2025

[0002] Our reference number: FD 45629 / GR 2024P04712WO

[0003] Flender GmbH

[0004] Alfred-Flender-Str. 77, 46395 Bocholt, Germany

[0005] Wind gearbox for a wind turbine

[0006] Description

[0007] The invention relates to a wind turbine gearbox in which a hollow body can be slidably mounted on a bolt by means of a sliding bearing arrangement, and to a wind turbine with such a wind turbine gearbox. The invention further relates to a data agglomerate for the additive manufacturing and / or simulation of such a wind turbine gearbox.

[0008] From US 10 436 249 B2 and EP 4 446 604 Al, a sliding bearing arrangement for the support of a planet gear on a planet gear bolt of a planetary gearbox for a wind turbine is known, in which a sliding bearing bushing is welded to the planet gear bolt along an axially extending remaining gap via an axially extending weld seam.

[0009] From US 2015 / 0133260 Al, a sliding bearing arrangement for supporting a planet gear on a planet gear pin of a planetary gearbox for a wind turbine is known, in which L-shaped sliding bearing sleeves are mounted on the planet gear pin. The surfaces of these sleeves facing the planet gear are coated with a sliding bearing material to form one radial sliding bearing and two axial sliding bearings for the planet gear. The sliding bearing sleeves are pressed between two webs of the planet carrier to fix them to the planet gear pin formed by one of the webs. From WO 2019 / 178630 Al, it is known to apply a sliding bearing material directly to an outer surface of a planet gear shaft of a planetary gearbox for a wind turbine by overlay welding.

[0010] From EP 4 323 663 Bl it is known to support a rotor blade of a Kaplan turbine wheel via a sliding bearing bushing, wherein the sliding bearing bushing inserted in a housing is welded to the housing via annular welds.

[0011] From GB 440 970 A it is known to weld a sliding bearing bushing inserted in a housing to the housing at its end faces via a weld point on each side.

[0012] From DE 10 2016 220 550 B4 it is known to connect a plastic hood to a metallic cylinder head of an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle by holding a plastic joining element in the cylinder head in a form-fitting manner with the aid of a bushing having a radially projecting collar and by joining the joining element to the hood by ultrasonic plastic welding.

[0013] Typically, in wind turbine gearboxes, planetary gears are mounted on robust rolling bearings on a planetary gear pin that is fixed to the planetary gear carrier. Attempting to replace this rolling bearing with a plain bearing presents numerous challenges regarding lubrication, installation space requirements, wear, load-bearing capacity, temperature resistance, static and dynamic load capacity, start-up behavior, peel strength, etc., because in a wind turbine, the gearbox is only set in motion under suitable weather conditions, but must be able to transmit extremely high power immediately upon commencement of movement and withstand the resulting loads.For example, the wind gearbox for onshore wind turbines must be designed for a rated power of 2 to 5 MW and for offshore wind turbines for a rated power of up to 15 MW, which leads to extreme requirements for the bearing of the planet gear on the planet gear bolt.

[0014] The purpose of the invention is to demonstrate measures that enable a cost-effective and highly durable sliding bearing arrangement for use in industrial wind turbines.

[0015] The problem is solved by a wind gearbox with the features of claim 1, a wind turbine with the features of claim 14, and a data agglomerate with the features of claim 15. Preferred embodiments are specified in the dependent claims and the following description, each of which, individually or in combination, can represent an aspect of the invention. When a feature is presented in combination with another feature, this serves only 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, the scope of protection of the invention being defined by the independent claims.

[0016] One aspect of the invention relates to a wind turbine gearbox, comprising at least one planetary gearbox for transmitting and converting wind-generated power, wherein the planetary gearbox has a sliding bearing arrangement for supporting a gearbox component, wherein the sliding bearing arrangement comprises a workpiece made of a weldable material, wherein the workpiece has at least in a partial area a cylindrical bolt and / or a hollow cylindrical hub, and a sliding bearing sleeve mounted on the bolt or inserted into the hub, wherein the sliding bearing sleeve has a sliding bearing surface pointing away from the workpiece and a weldable retaining body abutting the workpiece, wherein the retaining body is welded to the workpiece along at least one circumferentially extending fastening line.wherein a continuous weld seam or several weld points arranged one behind the other in the circumferential direction are formed along the fastening line.

[0017] It was recognized that a mechanically jammed or pressed-in plain bearing sleeve of a plain bearing in a wind turbine, for example, can overcome its frictional fixation and rotate due to weather-related temperature differences and thermal expansion effects occurring during operation under the applied loads, if it is not additionally secured by a separate mechanical fixation. This would result in severe wear of the plain bearing sleeve at the resulting abrasion points and / or block the supply of lubricant from the workpiece through the plain bearing sleeve to the bearing surface. Furthermore, the rotating plain bearing sleeve would cause significant wear on the planetary gear pin and impair the kinematics of the plain bearing in relation to the supported body.This can particularly impair or even prevent the lubrication system for a planetary gear at the plain bearing sleeve, potentially leading to its destruction. It has also been found that coating the planetary gear pin by weld overlay can result in significant thermal stress on both the planetary gear pin and the plain bearing layer.

[0018] During weld overlay, structural changes can occur in the planetary gear pin and / or the bearing surface, which can impair the load-bearing capacity, bearing strength, and peel strength of the bearing. Weld overlay can easily create structural changes that are not externally visible and can compromise the long-term mechanical strength of the bearing. To identify weld overlay bearing assemblies that do not meet the required quality standards and reject them, costly non-contact measurement methods would be necessary.

[0019] Instead, a cost-effective sliding bearing sleeve, providing the desired sliding bearing surface, can be fitted as a separate component onto the bolt, particularly a planet gear bolt, and / or inserted into the hub, particularly a central opening of a planet gear, and welded in the desired relative position. It has been recognized that only a few weld points and / or weld seams are required for sufficient, movement-resistant fixation of the sliding bearing sleeve. This ensures that the sleeve cannot detach, even under extreme conditions such as those that can occur in a wind turbine, due to the resulting material bond, and that the material bond does not break down. This prevents an undesirable rotating sliding bearing sleeve, even under extreme conditions.Since only a few weld points and / or weld seams are sufficient, thermal stress and thermal impairment of the mechanical properties of the sliding bearing sleeve, bolt, and / or hub can be avoided. Instead, it is possible to create each weld joint in a comparatively short time interval, thus preventing excessive heating. Furthermore, sufficient time can easily elapse before the next spatially offset weld joint is created for cooling, particularly through natural convection, to occur, and the subsequent heat input during the creation of the next weld joint will also result in only a minor and non-critical increase in temperature.Unlike weld overlay, where the material to be welded is continuously fed in, continuous welding is not strictly necessary for welding the bearing sleeve to the workpiece to achieve a sufficient material bond. Therefore, welding the bearing sleeve to the workpiece can be performed discontinuously and / or intermittently. Welding the bearing sleeve to the workpiece allows for the cost-effective creation of a mechanically robust bearing, thus enabling a cost-effective and high-load-bearing bearing arrangement for use in industrial wind turbines.

[0020] The circumferential weld seam, particularly a continuous, ring-shaped weld along the imaginary fastening line, allows the applied loads to be distributed evenly to the workpiece in the circumferential direction when the sliding bearing sleeve is subjected to torsional stress. This ensures that loads occurring during start-up, especially when lubrication between the sliding bearing sleeve and the supported body is not yet optimal, are effectively supported without the sliding bearing sleeve breaking free and rotating. Instead of a continuous, ring-shaped weld seam, several welds arranged one after the other can also be provided, preferably evenly distributed in the circumferential direction and / or spaced at the same circumferential angle to each other.Multiple welds, particularly spot welds, arranged along the imaginary fastening line can also achieve sufficient uniformity of the applied loads in the circumferential direction. Unlike a longitudinal weld seam, the torsional forces to be supported can be supported not just at one or two points in the circumferential direction, but at a multitude of points in the circumferential direction and / or over almost the entire circumference. This uniformity of force distribution between the sliding bearing sleeve and the workpiece prevents or at least significantly reduces load peaks around the circumference.Since the planetary gear of a wind turbine transmission stage typically has a planet gear pin with a very large outer diameter compared to the outer diameter of the planet gear being supported, a correspondingly long mounting line results in the circumferential direction of the retaining body of the sliding bearing sleeve. Preferably, the mounting line, in particular the weld seam running circumferentially along the mounting line, is longer than the axial extent of the retaining body. This reduces the load on the circumferentially extending weld seam or weld points compared to an axially extending weld seam. The loads can be further reduced by...

[0021] The plain bearing arrangement is designed for use in a wind turbine gearbox, preferably for supporting a planetary gear on a planetary gear bolt fixed to a planet carrier. The plain bearing arrangement can also be used in other applications with similarly high requirements. When the plain bearing arrangement refers to the bearing sleeve mounted on the bolt, the corresponding statements also apply analogously to the kinematic reversal where the bearing sleeve is additionally or alternatively inserted into the hub, and vice versa, provided that this does not lead to substantive contradictions in a specific case that are clearly not intended to be covered by the analogy. In particular, the plain bearing arrangement is designed as a radial plain bearing.Preferably, in addition to a radial sliding bearing function, the sliding bearing arrangement also has the function of at least one axial sliding bearing and / or the function of an axial contact surface against which a relatively rotatable body can run in the axial direction. Particularly preferably, the bodies, which are rotatably mounted relative to one another via the sliding bearing arrangement, are supported in the radial direction exclusively by the sliding bearing arrangement, with axial support preferably also being provided exclusively by the sliding bearing arrangement.

[0022] The workpiece to which the sliding bearing sleeve is welded can have a cylindrical surface. Depending on the design of the sliding bearing arrangement, this surface faces radially outwards if the workpiece is configured as a bolt, and radially inwards if it is configured as a hub. During assembly, a clearance fit, transition fit, or interference fit can be formed between the sliding bearing sleeve and the workpiece's surface. In particular, after assembly, any radial play between the sliding bearing sleeve and the workpiece's surface is eliminated. The fit between the workpiece and the sliding bearing sleeve can allow for axial relative movement during assembly and a small, preferably eliminated, gap between the workpiece and the sliding bearing sleeve after assembly. This prevents unnecessary stress on the welded joint during operation.

[0023] The weldable material of the workpiece is selected with particular consideration for the weldable material of the retaining body of the sliding bearing sleeve. It can be taken into account that in highly stressed applications where extreme conditions may occur, a high-alloy and / or hardened steel, especially with a high carbon content preferably above 0.22% by mass, is frequently used, which is generally considered unweldable or difficult to weld. However, if the material of the retaining body and the workpiece are sufficiently similar, a low contact resistance and / or comparable thermal conductivity and melting point may be present, which facilitates a metallurgical bond, especially by resistance spot welding.Since only a few weld points are required, even limited hardening and embrittlement can be permitted at these few weld points, as these only occur at the contact surfaces between the sliding bearing sleeve and the workpiece, do not extend into the interior of the material, and can be easily taken into account when dimensioning the workpiece and the sliding bearing sleeve. This makes it possible to select a material from group 3 "conditionally suitable" according to DVS leaflet 2902-2 for resistance spot welding with regard to the weldability of metallic materials according to EN ISO 18278-1 as the weldable material for the workpiece and / or for the retaining body of the sliding bearing sleeve.

[0024] The sliding bearing surface of the sliding bearing sleeve is the surface that is in direct contact with the relatively rotatable body in order to support it. The sliding bearing surface can at least partially, preferably largely, and particularly preferably completely cover a cylindrical surface of the retaining body intended for the formation of a radial sliding bearing. The sliding bearing surface can be provided by a surface of a sliding bearing material. If the retaining body itself is made of a sliding bearing material, the sliding bearing surface can coincide with the cylindrical surface of the retaining body. However, the sliding bearing surface can also be provided by a sliding bearing material applied to the retaining body by an additive material deposition process and / or by coating, for example, thermal spraying, weld overlay, or laser powder deposition.The sliding bearing surface of the bearing sleeve can be provided with a running-in layer when new. This layer is worn away, particularly during regular operation, to expose the sliding bearing surface made of a bearing material. The running-in layer can be, for example, a pure metal layer, such as tin. Preferably, however, the running-in layer is polymer-based. A polyimide or a polyamide-imide is particularly suitable as the polymer. Furthermore, the running-in layer can also contain a proportion of solid lubricants, such as M0S2 and / or graphite. The proportion of the polymer in the running-in layer can be between 40 wt.% and 80 wt.%. The remaining 100 wt.% can be made up of the solid lubricants.

[0025] The bearing material for the bearing surface can preferably be selected from the group comprising aluminum-based alloys, bismuth-based alloys, silver-based alloys, and copper-based alloys. However, other alloys are also suitable, for example, indium-based alloys. Lead-free alloys are preferred. Lead-free alloys are defined as alloys containing lead in a maximum proportion corresponding to the proportion of typical impurities in such alloys. The bearing material can also, for example, be a tin-based alloy, an AlSn-based alloy, an alloy based on AlZn, AlSi, AlSnSi, CuAl, CuSn, CuZn, CuSnZn, CuZnSn, CuBi, or AlBi, or a pure metal layer of Al, Ni, Co, Sn, etc. Furthermore, the bearing material may contain hard particles and / or soft phase particles.The hard particles can be selected from a group comprising metal oxides, such as MgO, TiC₂, ZrCl₂, Al₂O₃, metal nitrides, metal carbides, such as SiC, WC, B₄C, metal borides, and metal silicides. The soft-phase particles can be selected from a group comprising graphite, hexagonal BN, and metal sulfides. The hard particles exhibit a greater hardness than the matrix in the bearing material in which they are embedded. Conversely, the soft-phase particles exhibit a lower hardness than the matrix in the bearing material in which they are embedded. The proportion of hard particles and / or soft-phase particles in the bearing material can be selected from a range of 3 wt.% to 25 wt.%, particularly from 5 wt.% to 20 wt.%. The mean particle size of the soft-phase particles and / or...

[0026] The hard phase particles should be between 1 pm and 100 pm, preferably between 5 pm and 20 pm.

[0027] Wind turbines, particularly industrial ones, are primarily designed for generating energy from wind power. The electrical energy generated from wind power can be fed into a public electricity grid to supply energy consumers with renewable energy. A wind turbine gearbox designed for an industrial wind turbine is specifically designed for a power output exceeding 1.0 MW, preferably 5.0 MW, more preferably 7.5 MW, and most preferably 15 MW, and is correspondingly robust and large-volume. Preferably, a drive train of the wind turbine, and thus also a centerline of the wind turbine gearbox that coincides with the axis of rotation of a rotor of a connected generator, is slightly inclined to the horizontal, for example by 5° to 12°.

[0028] Preferably, a fastening line is provided at each axial end of the retaining body. This allows the retaining body, and thus also the sliding bearing surface, to be fixed and its position precisely defined at its axial ends. Torsion of the sliding bearing sleeve under load, particularly during start-up, can thereby be avoided or at least minimized. Relative movement of the sliding bearing sleeve due to elastic and / or plastic deformation can be prevented by fixing the axial ends of the retaining body with welds along the fastening line. Compared to a single fastening line for attaching the sliding bearing sleeve to the workpiece, the at least two, preferably exactly two, fastening lines significantly reduce the stress on the welds and / or weld points running along the fastening lines.

[0029] In particular, a circumferentially closed weld is provided at each axial end of the retaining body of the sliding bearing sleeve. This allows for the sealing of a gap between the sliding bearing sleeve and the workpiece, preventing lubricating oil transferred between the workpiece and the sliding bearing sleeve from leaking out at the axial ends of the sliding bearing sleeve. This ensures, for example, that lubricating oil transferred via a lubricating oil channel in the workpiece to a lubricating oil opening in the sliding bearing sleeve must pass through the sliding bearing sleeve via the lubricating oil opening with its full mass flow, thus ensuring good lubricating oil application to the sliding bearing surface of the sliding bearing sleeve without unnecessary leakage.

[0030] The retaining body is preferably welded to the workpiece via a fillet weld oriented axially and / or radially. This allows the weld to be produced with a welding electrode that is axially or radially oriented and optionally angled towards the feed direction. This ensures good accessibility to the welding partners during the welding process. Furthermore, the welding can be easily carried out by rotating the workpiece together with the sliding bearing sleeve, thus requiring minimal space for a welding robot. By rotating the workpiece relative to the welding electrode, a continuous weld can be easily created, and / or by slightly moving the welding electrode away from and back towards the workpiece, multiple weld points can be produced along the imaginary annular mounting line.

[0031] In particular, the workpiece has an axial stop, which is circumferentially closed and can be axially abutted against the sliding bearing sleeve, with the retaining body being welded to the axial stop. The axial relative position of the sliding bearing sleeve can be defined by the axial stop of the workpiece. This, in turn, causes the retaining body to automatically rest against the axial stop. The contact point between the retaining body of the sliding bearing sleeve and the axial stop of the workpiece represents a particularly suitable contact line along which the fastening line for welding the sliding bearing sleeve to the workpiece can be provided.If necessary, a free axial area is provided between the sliding bearing surface and the axial stop, in which the retaining body is not covered by the sliding bearing surface on its outer surface and / or in which the sliding bearing sleeve has a smaller outer diameter than the axial area of ​​the remaining sliding bearing sleeve adjoining the free axial area. This provides sufficient free space for a welding electrode and for creating the weld.

[0032] Preferably, in a sectional view along a radial plane, the holding body has an L-shaped cross-section with an axially extending, in particular long, first leg and a radially extending, in particular short, second leg, wherein the second leg in particular abuts the axial stop and preferably extends to a radial end of the axial stop. The radially extending second leg of the holding body can also be provided with the sliding bearing surface and thereby form an axial bearing. In particular, if the second leg abuts the axial stop of the workpiece over a flat surface, the holding body can be welded to the axial stop at the radial end of the axial stop and / or the holding body.If the radial end of the axial stop and / or the holding body is provided on the same constant radius, a welding electrode can easily be applied in the radial direction and moved relatively in the circumferential direction to produce the weld cost-effectively and simply.

[0033] The sliding bearing sleeve particularly preferably has tangentially facing side surfaces, wherein the side surfaces are unconnected and / or separated from each other by a joint. The sliding bearing sleeve, especially the retaining body, can be made from an unshaped sheet that has been bent into a cylindrical shape. Instead of welding the facing side surfaces along their axial extent, a direct connection between the side surfaces is avoided. This facilitates insertion of the sliding bearing sleeve, in its expanded state, onto the workpiece designed as a bolt, or, in its compressed state, into the workpiece designed as a hub. The side surfaces of the sliding bearing sleeve, which are openly accessible at the joint, can provide a good weld line for welding the retaining body of the sliding bearing sleeve to the workpiece, particularly via a fillet weld.Furthermore, it is possible to compress or expand the sliding bearing sleeve, which is open longitudinally on the side surfaces, using a tool to facilitate the assembly of the sliding bearing sleeve before welding.

[0034] In one embodiment, it is particularly provided that the side surfaces define a lubricating oil channel for supplying lubricating oil into a sliding bearing gap. The gap between the side surfaces can be used to distribute a lubricant, in particular lubricating oil, along the longitudinal extent of the sliding bearing sleeve, so that lubricant is available along the entire longitudinal extent of the sliding bearing sleeve for lubricating the sliding bearing. In particular, lubrication pockets distributed circumferentially and / or longitudinally are fluidically connected to the lubricating oil channel formed between the side surfaces. The lubricating oil channel formed between the side surfaces can, in particular, eliminate and / or replace a lubricating oil channel provided in the workpiece, for example, as a bore.

[0035] Preferably, the side surfaces are welded to the workpiece, with both side surfaces being welded to the workpiece by exactly one common weld seam. Any remaining gap in the joint between the two side surfaces can be small enough that both side surfaces can be welded to the workpiece simultaneously with exactly one weld seam. It is possible that the space in the joint between the side surfaces can be substantially completely filled with the weld material from a welding electrode up to the sliding bearing surface. Preferably, the weld material remains set back from the sliding bearing surface in the gap, thereby facilitating the distribution of a lubricant in the axial direction.It is particularly preferred that the material of the retaining body forms the sliding bearing surface, or that the retaining body is provided on a cylindrical surface, particularly indirectly via an adhesion promoter layer, with a separate sliding layer forming the sliding bearing surface, especially by coating. The sliding bearing sleeve can consist of the retaining body, which is made of a sliding bearing material, as a single piece, thus making the manufacture of the sliding bearing sleeve simple and cost-effective. Alternatively, the sliding bearing surface and the retaining body are made of different materials, so that a sliding bearing material optimized for the formation of the sliding bearing can be used for the sliding bearing surface, while a material optimized for weldability with the workpiece and / or the loads to be withstood can be used for the retaining body.If direct attachment of the sliding bearing material to the holding body should prove difficult, an intermediate layer can form the adhesion promoter layer, which can be well bonded to both the holding body and the sliding layer forming the sliding bearing surface, in particular by material bonding.

[0036] In particular, it is provided that a planet gear pin of the planetary gear forms the workpiece pin, or that a central opening of a planet gear of the planetary gear forms the hub of the workpiece, with the planet gear being supported by a sliding bearing surface relative to the planet gear pin. By welding the sliding bearing sleeve to the planet gear pin and / or to the planet gear, a mechanically robust sliding bearing can be provided cost-effectively, thus enabling a cost-effective and high-load planet gear bearing for use in industrial wind turbines.

[0037] In particular, the planetary gear bolt has a mounting stub at at least one of its axial ends for rotationally fixed attachment to a web of a planet carrier, wherein the outer diameter of the mounting stub is smaller than the inner diameter of the sliding bearing sleeve. The web of the planet carrier can be attached to the planetary gear bolt at one or both axial ends to form a single-web or double-web planet carrier. The mounting stub can be pressed into a corresponding opening in the web, welded, bolted, and / or otherwise secured in a way that prevents movement. During assembly, the sliding bearing sleeve can be easily slipped onto the planetary gear bolt via the mounting stub.

[0038] One further aspect concerns a wind turbine for the industrial generation of electrical energy from wind power, featuring a wind gearbox that can be designed and further developed as described above. By welding the plain bearing sleeve to the planet gear pin and / or to the planet gear, a mechanically robust plain bearing can be provided cost-effectively, thus enabling a cost-effective and high-load planet gear bearing for use in industrial wind turbines.

[0039] One further aspect concerns a data agglomerate with data packages summarized in a common file or distributed across different files for representing the three-dimensional shape design and / or the interactions of all components provided in the wind turbine, which can be designed and further developed as described above, wherein the data packages are prepared, when processed by a data processing device for operating a machine tool for the additive manufacturing of devices, to perform the additive manufacturing of the components of the wind turbine, in particular by 3D printing, and / or, when processed by a data processing device for carrying out a technical simulation, to perform a simulation of the functioning of the wind turbine and to output the simulation results generated in this way for further use.In particular, for the purpose of providing proof of fatigue strength as a function of variable loads and / or variable temperature stresses and, if necessary, comparing it with measurement data obtained on a real, manufactured device according to the invention and / or on a prototype of the device according to the invention. In particular, various types and forms of welded joints can be simulated and analyzed in a virtual environment in order to draw conclusions about the behavior of the welded joints in real environments from the results obtained therefrom. The data packages of the data agglomerate are specifically adapted to the inventive design of the respective device according to the invention described above.in order to adequately represent the interaction of the components of the device according to the invention during processing in the data processing unit. The data packets can, in particular, be stored in a spatially distributed manner, but be adapted to one another in such a way that, in the event that all data packets are combined in a common data processing unit, 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 unit for the device according to the invention.

[0040] For example, the data packages 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 form of a so-called "digital twin," enabling a virtual investigation in the form of a simulation or a physical realization using an additive manufacturing process. Such a digital twin is, for example, presented in US 2017 / 286572 A1, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated as part of the invention.

[0041] When the data processing unit 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 unit, the device according to the invention is obtained, at least in the form of a prototype. In particular, each data package can represent a separately executed component of the respective associated device according to the invention, so that the individual components can be easily assembled in their relative position and / or relative mobility, both physically and / or virtually, in order to realize the interactions essential to the invention. In particular, it is possible to use the respective data packages to produce the various components of the respective device separately and, if necessary, from different materials by additive manufacturing and subsequently assemble them into a prototype of the respective device.The division of the data of the data agglomerate into different data packages thus enables in a simple way a sequential additive manufacturing of components of the respective device that can be moved relative to each other in the form of a kit of parts, which is prepared for the interaction of the components of the prototype in accordance with the invention and can only be meaningfully assembled to solve the problem underlying the invention.

[0042] Additionally or alternatively, it is possible to use the data packages 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 changes in physical parameters depending on various boundary conditions and / or over time of the associated device according to the invention. Furthermore, this data can be used to verify whether the device according to the invention, based on the assumed design and taking into account the assumed simulated influences, is sufficiently suitable for its intended purpose. If the data agglomerate is processed by a data processing device that models the simulation environment, it is possible to investigate the behavior of the device according to the invention, taking into account boundary conditions, particularly 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 creation of a fatigue strength analysis. Preferably, the simulation results obtained after processing the data agglomerate in the data processing unit for the simulation environment are stored in order to compare them with measurement data obtained from a real, manufactured device according to the invention and / or from a prototype of the device according to the invention. This makes it possible to assess the quality of the simulation results obtained with the help of the data agglomerate and / or, in particular in the case of particularly large deviations, to identify measurement errors and / or faulty measurements.This simplifies and improves non-destructive quality control of the device according to the invention.

[0043] 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.

[0044] The invention is now explained by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings and preferred embodiments, wherein the features shown below can represent an aspect of the invention both individually and in combination. If a feature is shown in combination with another feature in a specific embodiment, this serves only to simplify the presentation of the invention with reference to that embodiment and is in no way intended to imply that this feature cannot also be a further development of the invention without the other feature, the scope of protection of the invention being defined by the independent claims. The drawings show:

[0045] Fig. 1: a schematic sectional side view of a first embodiment of a sliding bearing arrangement during assembly; Fig. 2: a schematic sectional side view of the sliding bearing arrangement from Fig. 1 after assembly.

[0046] Fig. 3: a schematic cutaway side view of a second embodiment of the sliding bearing arrangement,

[0047] Fig. 4: a schematic cutaway side view of a third embodiment of the sliding bearing arrangement,

[0048] Fig. 5: a schematic representation of a manufacturing plant for a sliding bearing sleeve for the sliding bearing arrangement according to the invention,

[0049] Fig. 6: a schematic detail view of a retaining body of the sliding bearing sleeve for the sliding bearing arrangement according to the invention,

[0050] Fig. 7: a perspective view of an industrial wind turbine and Fig. 8: a schematic sectional view of a part of the wind gearbox according to the invention for the wind turbine from Fig. 7 with a sliding bearing arrangement according to the invention.

[0051] The sliding bearing arrangement 10 shown in Figs. 1 and 2 can be used, in particular, as a planetary gear bearing for supporting a planetary gear in a wind turbine gearbox 118 for an industrial wind turbine 110. For this purpose, the sliding bearing arrangement 10 can have a cylindrical bolt 12 as a workpiece, which can be part of a planetary gear bolt 14. A mounting stub 16 can project axially from the cylindrical bolt 12 of the planetary gear bolt 14, via which the planetary gear bolt 14 can be connected to a planet carrier 126 of a planetary gearbox in a movement-resistant manner. At an axial end pointing away from the mounting stub 16, the cylindrical bolt 12 can have an axial stop 18, in particular designed as a circumferential flange.A sliding bearing sleeve 20 can be pushed axially past the mounting stub 16 onto the bolt 12 until the sliding bearing sleeve 20, or a retaining element 22 of the sliding bearing sleeve 20, abuts the axial stop 18 in a defined axial relative position and preferably makes contact with the axial stop 18. A sliding bearing surface 24 can be provided on a cylindrical surface of the sliding bearing sleeve 20 facing away from the bolt 12, and this surface is provided in particular by a sliding bearing material. A hub of a body to be supported, in particular a central opening of a planetary gear 128, can slide on the sliding bearing surface 24.

[0052] As shown in Fig. 2, at the radially and axially easily accessible contact points between the retaining body 22 of the sliding bearing sleeve 20 and the bolt 12, a circumferentially closed fastening line can be provided, along which the retaining body 22 can be welded to the bolt 12. The welding, in particular fusion welding, can be carried out using a weld seam 26 extending completely or only partially circumferentially, which is particularly designed as a fillet weld. However, it is also possible to provide several weld points spaced apart from each other along the fastening line, which can, for example, be designed as spot welds.

[0053] In the embodiment of the sliding bearing arrangement 10 shown in Fig. 3, in contrast to the embodiment of the sliding bearing arrangement 10 shown in Fig. 2, the sliding bearing surface 24 is not enclosed by the retaining body 22, but by a separate

[0054] A sliding bearing layer 28 is formed, which can be made of a material different from that of the retaining body 22. The sliding bearing layer 28 can be made of a sliding bearing material, while the material of the retaining body 22 can be selected for good weldability with the bolt 12. If necessary, an adhesion promoter layer 30 can be provided between the single-layer or multi-layer sliding bearing layer 28 and the retaining body 22, which ensures good bonding of the material of the sliding bearing layer 28 to the material of the retaining body 22. In the figure shown,In the embodiment shown in Fig. 3, the retaining body 22 is cylindrical and only partially covered by the adhesion promoter layer 30 and the sliding bearing layer 28, so that a free axial area 32 is created between the adhesion promoter layer 30 and the sliding bearing layer 28 on the one hand and the axial stop 18 on the other. A welding electrode, for example, can be inserted into this area to weld the retaining body 22 to the axial stop 18. In the embodiment of the sliding bearing arrangement 10 shown in Fig. 4, the retaining body 22 has an L-shaped cross-section compared to the embodiment of the sliding bearing arrangement 10 shown in Fig. 3. A long first leg 34 extends axially and a short second leg 36 extends radially. The second leg 36 can bear against the axial side of the axial stop 18 and, in particular, can extend to essentially the same radius as the axial stop 18.This allows the free axial area 32 to be saved, since the welding of the holding body 22 to the axial stop takes place in an easily accessible radially outer area and it is not necessary to immerse a welding electrode in a radially inner space.

[0055] The above-described sliding bearing arrangement 10 has been explained by way of example in an embodiment in which the sliding bearing sleeve 20 is mounted radially outward onto the bolt 12 as the workpiece. Additionally or alternatively, a kinematic reversal is also possible in which the workpiece is not designed as a bolt 12, but as a hub, in particular the central opening of a planetary gear, and the sliding bearing sleeve 20 is inserted radially inward into the hub, with the sliding bearing surface 24 facing radially inward rather than radially outward. The above descriptions apply analogously to this kinematic reversal.

[0056] As illustrated in Fig. 5, the sliding bearing sleeve 20 can be manufactured cost-effectively, for example, by producing it at least partially in a manufacturing plant 38 through a sequence of individual manufacturing steps. For this purpose, a sheet 42, particularly in the form of a coil 40, which is intended to form the retaining body 22 of the sliding bearing sleeve 20, can be rolled smooth in a rolling mill 44. In a subsequent manufacturing step, the sheet 42 can optionally be cleaned. It is also possible to apply an adhesion promoter layer 30. In particular, the sliding bearing layer 28 is applied to the retaining body 22 in a coating unit 46 provided for this purpose.Preferably, the applied sliding bearing layer 28 can be further processed in a conditioning unit 30 in a further manufacturing step, depending on the manufacturing process and the material used for the sliding bearing layer 28. This may involve heating, for example sintering, cooling, changing the hardness, or other treatment. Preferably, the sliding bearing layer 28 can be provided with a protective layer and / or a break-in layer, for example made of PTFE, in a further coating unit 48. The protective layer and / or break-in layer can, if necessary, be treated in a further conditioning unit 50. Subsequently, the resulting multi-layered sheet 52 can be wound into a coil as a semi-finished product 54, and the sliding bearing sleeve 22 can be manufactured at another location.

[0057] The multi-layered sheet metal 52 can be separated into strips in the same production plant 38 or in a different production plant, and each strip is bent into a cylindrical shape. Edges can also be chamfered, polished, or otherwise processed. As shown in Fig. 6, the sliding bearing sleeve 20 to be manufactured can be in a state during the manufacturing process in which tangentially oriented side surfaces 56 face each other separated by a joint 58. Normally, the joint 58 can be closed by longitudinally welding the two side surfaces 56 together. In this case, however, welding the side surfaces 56 together can be deliberately omitted, so that the sliding bearing sleeve 20, with the existing joint 58, can be mounted to the workpiece, in particular the bolt 12 or the hub, in a slotted state.If the welds already planned between the sliding bearing sleeve 20 and the workpiece provide sufficient strength to bear loads, it is generally possible to leave the joint 58 open. Preferably, at least one side surface 56 can be welded in the already assembled state of the sliding bearing sleeve 20, whereby the side surface 56 can be welded to the other side surface and / or to the workpiece. It is even possible to use the joint 58 remaining in the welded state of the sliding bearing sleeve 20 as a lubricating oil channel for lubricating a sliding bearing that forms between the sliding bearing sleeve and the body to be supported. The industrial wind turbine 110 shown in Fig. 1 can be used to generate electrical energy from wind power. For this purpose, the wind turbine 110 has a wind rotor 112, which can be set in rotation by wind power.The wind rotor 112 is coupled to a drive train 114. For this purpose, the wind rotor 112 is connected to a wind rotor shaft 116, which is coupled within the drive train 114 to a wind gearbox 118 to convert the torque introduced via the wind rotor 112 and the wind rotor shaft 116. The torque converted in the wind gearbox 118 is supplied to an electric machine 120 operating in generator mode. The electrical energy generated by the electric machine 120 can be supplied to a rechargeable battery and / or a power grid. In the illustrated embodiment, the drive train 114 is completely housed in a nacelle 122, which is attached to an upper free end of a tower 124.

[0058] As shown in Fig. 8, the wind turbine 118 can, for example, have the sliding bearing arrangement 10 shown in Fig. 3, or alternatively, the sliding bearing arrangement 10 shown in Fig. 2 or Fig. 4 can also be provided. With the aid of the sliding bearing arrangement 10, the planet gear 128 can be supported radially on the planet gear pin 14, while axial support and / or axial bearing of the planet gear 128 on a planet carrier 126, in particular a two-sided one, can be achieved via axial sliding bearing discs 130. It is possible that at least one axial sliding bearing disc 130 can be replaced by a radially projecting portion of at least one L-shaped sliding bearing sleeve 20, as shown in the embodiment of Fig. 4.The planet gear pin 14 and / or the planet carrier 126 can have at least one lubricating oil channel 132, preferably produced by drilling, which can supply lubricating oil to the sliding bearing surface 24 via lubricating oil openings 134 in the sliding bearing sleeve 20. Preferably, lubricating oil pockets 136 are formed in the sliding bearing surface 24 for this purpose. Any excess lubricating oil can be drained via the lubricating oil channel 132 provided for this purpose and, for example, forced out at an outlet 138. The lubricating oil drained via the outlet 138 can be collected, in particular in a lubricating oil sump, and reused.

Claims

Patent claims 1. Wind gearbox (118) for a wind turbine (110), comprising at least one planetary gearbox for transmitting and converting wind-generated power, wherein the planetary gearbox has a sliding bearing arrangement (10) for supporting a gearbox component, wherein the sliding bearing arrangement (10) is a workpiece made of a weldable material, wherein the workpiece has at least in a partial area a cylindrical bolt (12) and / or a hollow cylindrical hub, and a sliding bearing sleeve mounted on the bolt (12) or inserted into the hub (20) having a sliding bearing sleeve (20) having a sliding bearing surface (24) pointing away from the workpiece and a weldable retaining body (22) in contact with the workpiece, wherein the retaining body (22) is welded to the workpiece along at least one circumferentially extending fastening line, wherein a continuous weld seam (26) or several weld points arranged one behind the other in the circumferential direction are formed along the fastening line.

2. Wind gearbox (118) (10) according to claim 1, wherein a fastening line is provided at each axial end of the retaining body (22).

3. Wind gear (118) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a maximum or exactly two fastening lines are provided for fastening the holding body (22) to the workpiece.

4. Wind gearbox (118) (10) according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the retaining body (22) is welded to the workpiece via a fillet weld oriented in the axial direction and / or in the radial direction.

5. Wind gearbox (118) (10) according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the workpiece has an axial stop (18) that can be axially attached to the sliding bearing sleeve (20), wherein the retaining body (22) is welded to the axial stop (18).

6. Wind gearbox (118) (10) according to one of claims 1 to claim 5, wherein the retaining body (22) has an L-shaped cross-section in a sectional view extending along a radial plane, with a first leg (34) extending in an axial direction and a second leg (36) extending in a radial direction.

7. Wind gearbox (118) (10) according to one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the sliding bearing sleeve (20) has side surfaces (56) facing each other in a tangential direction, wherein the side surfaces (56) are unconnected and / or separated from each other by a joint (58).

8. Wind gearbox (118) (10) according to claim 7, wherein the side surfaces (56) define a lubricating oil channel for supplying lubricating oil into a sliding bearing gap.

9. Wind gearbox (118) (10) according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the side surfaces (56) are welded to the workpiece, wherein in particular both side surfaces (56) are welded to the workpiece by only exactly one common weld seam.

10. Wind gearbox (118) (10) according to one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the material of the retaining body (22) forms the sliding bearing surface (24) or the retaining body (22) is provided on a lateral surface with a separate sliding layer (28) forming the sliding bearing surface (24).

11. Wind gearbox (118) according to one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the at least one circumferentially extending fastening line is longer than an axial extent of the retaining body (22).

12. Wind gear (118) according to one of claims 1 to 11, wherein a planet gear pin (14) of the planet gear forms the pin (12) of the workpiece or a central opening of a planet gear (128) of the planet gear forms the hub of the workpiece, wherein the planet gear (128) is slidably supported relative to the planet gear pin (14) via the sliding bearing surface (24).

13. Wind gear (118) according to claim 12, wherein the planet gear bolt (14) has at least one of its axial ends a fastening stub (16) for rotationally fixed attachment to a cheek of a planet carrier (126), wherein an outer diameter of the fastening stub (16) is smaller than an inner diameter of the sliding bearing sleeve (20).

14. Wind power plant (110) for the industrial generation of electrical energy from wind power, with at least one wind gearbox (118) according to one of claims 1 to 13.

15. Data agglomerate comprising data packages combined in a common file or distributed across different files for representing the three-dimensional shape design and / or the interactions of all components provided in the wind gearbox (118) according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the data packages are prepared for processing by a data processing device for operating a machine tool for the additive manufacturing of devices to carry out additive manufacturing of the components of the wind gearbox (118), in particular by 3D printing, and / or, in the case of processing by a data processing device for the purpose of carrying out a technical simulation, to perform a simulation of the to carry out the operation of the wind gearbox (118) and to output the simulation results generated in the process for further use, in particular for the purpose of providing proof of fatigue strength depending on variable loads and / or variable temperature loads.

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