Wind Turbine Pitch Apparatus Inversion for Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wind turbine pitch apparatuses suffer from low safety factors in pitch bearing races, wheel hub connection bolts, and transmission belts, leading to potential failures.
Innovation Solution
The pitch apparatus connects the blade to the bearing inner race instead of the outer race, increasing the size of the pitch bearing, pitch diameter, and number of bolts, and distributing the transmission element, thereby enhancing the anti-load capacity and safety factors of the blade root, bearing, and transmission elements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the blade is connected to the bearing outer race in conventional pitch apparatuses, then the structure is simpler, but the safety factor of the pitch bearing, connection bolts, and transmission elements is low
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional connection configuration by connecting the blade to the bearing inner race instead of the outer race. This inversion allows the bearing outer race to be fixed to the wheel hub while the bearing inner race rotates with the blade, thereby increasing the pitch bearing size, pitch diameter, and number of bolts to improve safety factors of all components
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a connection plate with varying axial thickness (thicker at inner and outer circumferential portions, thinner at middle transition portion) to accommodate the inverted connection configuration. This dimensional variation in the connection plate enables the blade to be fixed to the bearing inner race while maintaining structural integrity and distributing loads effectively
2Strength
If the pitch bearing size and pitch diameter are increased, then the anti-load capacity and safety factors improve, but the device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The connection plate is segmented into different thickness zones (inner circumferential portion, middle transition portion, outer circumferential portion) with varying axial thicknesses. This segmentation allows the structure to accommodate larger pitch bearing dimensions and improved load capacity while managing manufacturing complexity through localized thickness variations rather than uniform thickening throughout
Solution Approach 2:
The connection plate exhibits local quality variation through its non-uniform axial thickness distribution, with thicker regions at the inner and outer circumferential portions providing enhanced strength where loads are highest, and a thinner middle transition portion reducing material usage and manufacturing complexity in lower-stress areas
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is a pitch apparatus of a wind turbine. The wind turbine includes a wheel hub (1) and multiple blades (6). The pitch apparatus includes a pitch bearing (4), a transmission element and a driving mechanism (4) for driving the transmission element. The pitch bearing includes a bearing inner race (21) and a bearing outer race (22). The bearing inner race is fixedly connected to the blade, the bearing outer race is fixedly connected to the wheel hub. The transmission element is driven by the driving mechanism, and drives the blade and the bearing inner race to rotate in relative to the wheel hub. A load level of ultimate bending moment for a blade root and a safety factor of the pitch apparatus increase, failure risks of the pitch bearing, bolts and the transmission belt are reduced. A wind turbine having pitch apparatus are provided.