Plain Bearing Pad Mounting for Secure Replacement and Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing plain bearings for wind turbines face challenges in easy assembly and replacement of plain bearing pads, leading to potential vibration and displacement issues during operation.
Innovation Solution
A plain bearing design featuring an inner ring element with receiving profiles for easy connection and replacement of plain bearing pads, utilizing a dovetail connection and clamping device with wedges for secure fixation, allowing for axial and radial mounting, and tilting segments to compensate for manufacturing tolerances and deformations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If sliding bearing pads are securely fixed to prevent vibration and displacement, then reliability is improved, but assembly and replacement complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sliding bearing is divided into modular components: the inner ring element with receiving profiles and the sliding bearing pads with mounting profiles. This segmentation allows individual pads to be easily replaced while maintaining secure fixation through the profile connection system, resolving the contradiction between reliability and assembly complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting profile and receiving profile act as intermediary elements that facilitate easy assembly and replacement. These profiles enable simple insertion and removal of sliding bearing pads while ensuring stable connection during operation, thus improving both ease of repair and reliability.
2Ease of repair
If sliding bearing pads are easily assembled and replaced, then ease of repair is improved, but connection stability may worsen
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the bearing into replaceable pads with standardized mounting profiles, the system enables easy repair while maintaining stable connection through the designed profile interface that ensures proper fitting and positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting profile design enables self-aligning and self-securing of the sliding bearing pads during insertion. The profiles automatically ensure correct positioning and stable connection without requiring additional fastening operations, thus improving ease of repair while maintaining reliability.
3Strength
If clamping device with wedges is used to secure sliding bearing pads, then connection strength is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The clamping function is segmented into modular wedge elements that can be independently positioned and adjusted. This allows strong connection through the wedge mechanism while keeping each component simple and the overall system manageable in terms of complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The wedge-based clamping device provides dynamic adjustment capability, allowing the connection strength to be optimized during assembly. The wedges can be positioned to achieve the required clamping force while maintaining a relatively simple device structure.
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
The invention relates to a plain bearing arrangement (9) comprising: - an inner ring element (13); - an outer ring element (14); - at least one plain bearing element (15) which is arranged between the inner ring element (13) and the outer ring element (14). The plain bearing element (15) has multiple plain bearing pads (20), wherein the individual plain bearing pads (20) each have a radial bearing surface (23) and a fastening profile (21) situated opposite the radial bearing surface (23). The inner ring element (13) has, on its radial outer side (32), at least one receiving profile (22) which serves for the positively locking connection of the plain bearing pads (20) to the inner ring element (13).