Gear Mounting Spindle Flexure for High-Torque Wind Turbines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gear systems for high-torque applications, such as wind turbines, face challenges with significant bending moments on pin and carrier components, leading to increased size and weight, and limited compactness due to the need for substantial pin and carrier designs to manage radial movement of planet gears.
Innovation Solution
A gear mounting system featuring a carrier with radially movable spindles, each comprising a tubular member that flexes to resist radial movement, and a common inner member that compresses the spindles against the carrier, canceling out bending moments and allowing for a compact, high-power-density design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a flexible pin is used to mount planet gears on the carrier, then radial movement of planet gears is allowed and even meshing is achieved, but the pin and carrier become substantial in size due to significant bending moments
Solution Approach 1:
The spindle is divided into two separate functional components: a flexible tube that allows radial movement and an inner member that resists bending moments. This segmentation enables each component to be optimized for its specific function, reducing the overall size and weight of the carrier while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The tube acts as an intermediary element between the planet gear and the carrier body. It provides the necessary flexibility for radial movement while transferring loads to the inner member, which handles the bending moments. This intermediary structure eliminates the need for a substantial carrier design.
2Strength
If a substantial pin and carrier are used to handle bending moments, then structural strength is sufficient, but the gear system size increases and compactness is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The load-bearing function is segmented from the flexibility function. The inner member (such as a tension bolt) is specifically designed to handle bending moments and provide structural strength, while the tube provides flexibility. This allows the gear system to be compact without compromising strength.
Solution Approach 2:
Strength is concentrated where needed - in the inner member that resists bending moments - rather than distributing substantial material throughout the entire carrier. The tube can be thinner and more flexible since it only needs to accommodate radial movement, not resist bending.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables a compact gear system with reduced size and weight, capable of handling high torques while minimizing bending moments, allowing for efficient torque extraction and increased planet carrier flexibility, suitable for integration within turbines.
Implementation Method 1
each tube flexes in order to resist radial movement of the spindle
Implementation Method 2
there is provided a common inner member for each pair which passes through the tube of each spindle and the carrier and acts to compress the spindles against the carrier
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~5
AI summary
A gear mounting, comprising a carrier (1) having two opposing faces (2, 3) and at least one pair of spindles (4), each pair of spindles (4) comprising a spindle (4) on each face (2, 3) of the carrier (1), the spindles (4) extending in opposing directions away from the carrier (1) along an axis (5), in which the spindles (4) are mounted on the carrier (1) so as to be capable of radial movement relative to the axis (5), in which each spindle (4) comprises a tube (7) positioned along the axis (5), each tube (7) flexes in order to resist radial movement of the spindle (4), and in which there is provided a common inner member (10) for each pair (4) which passes through the tube (7) of each spindle (4) and the carrier (1) and acts to compress the spindles (4) against the carrier(1). Also disclosed is a dual epicyclic gear using the gear mounting, a gear system using the dual epicyclic gear and a turbine using the gear system.