Walkable Generator Shaft Hub Safety Locking Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wind turbines pose safety risks for technicians entering the hollow hub from the generator shaft due to height differences and the complexity of accommodating multiple maintenance positions, requiring effective safety measures to prevent accidental falls and ensure safe access.
Innovation Solution
A rotatably supported safety element with a door is mounted over the hub entrance, featuring a locking arrangement and detection device to secure the door in the entering position, allowing safe entry and exit while preventing unintentional rotation, and incorporating a spring-loading mechanism for automatic closure and a climbing aid for safe access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a fixed safety structure is provided for each maintenance position, then safety for technicians is ensured, but device complexity and material requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The safety element is made rotatable rather than fixed, allowing a single dynamic structure to serve multiple maintenance positions. The safety element can rotate to align with different blade positions (12 possible positions), replacing the need for 12 separate fixed safety structures. This dynamic approach reduces device complexity while maintaining safety across all positions.
Solution Approach 2:
The single rotatable safety element serves multiple functions by being able to position itself for different maintenance scenarios. It can accommodate any of the 12 maintenance positions (combinations of 3 blades in different orientations), making one structure universal for all safety needs rather than requiring position-specific structures.
2Reliability
If multiple predetermined maintenance positions are accommodated with fixed structures, then all service tasks can be performed safely, but material and space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
A single rotatable safety element replaces multiple fixed structures, significantly reducing material consumption. The safety element rotates into position as needed, requiring only enough material for one structure rather than 12 separate structures for 12 maintenance positions.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety element is designed as a modular, rotatable component that can be positioned independently for each maintenance task. This segmentation allows one versatile component to replace multiple dedicated components, reducing overall material requirements while maintaining the ability to service all positions.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the safety element is made rotatable to accommodate maintenance positions, then adaptability increases, but the risk of unintentional rotation and falling increases
Solution Approach 1:
The safety element incorporates self-locking capability that automatically secures it in the correct position once rotated. The locking arrangement detects when the safety element is properly aligned with the maintenance position and automatically engages to prevent unintentional rotation, making the system self-regulating and reducing the risk of falling while maintaining adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking arrangement provides feedback control by monitoring the position of the safety element and automatically engaging the lock when the correct position is reached. This feedback mechanism ensures that the rotatable safety element remains secure during technician entry and exit, preventing unintentional rotation while maintaining the ability to be repositioned for different maintenance tasks.
Data Source
AI summary
Wind turbine having a hollow, walkable generator shaft of a generator assembly and a hollow hub attached to the generator shaft and having at least two blades attached to it, wherein the hub is enterable from the generator shaft and the wind turbine is stoppable in at least two predetermined maintenance positions of the blades, wherein the wind turbine further comprises a safety arrangement, in which a rotatably supported safety element having a door is mounted covering the opening leading from the generator shaft into the hub, wherein a locking arrangement for fixing the safety element in an entering position, in which the door is vertically oriented, is provided.