Wind Turbine Bearing Housing With Integrated Axial Stop
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current bearing arrangements in wind turbines face issues with axial load taking capabilities, as existing solutions like bolt connections between the axial collar and drive shaft lead to leakage potential and are cumbersome to manufacture and maintain.
Innovation Solution
A bearing arrangement with a monolithically designed axial bearing stop integrated into the bearing housing and an axial collar extending from the drive shaft, eliminating weak points like bolt connections, and incorporating multiple axial bearing pads for effective load distribution and easy maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a bolt connection is used between the axial collar and the drive shaft, then the axial bearing can be assembled, but leakage potential increases and maintenance becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The axial bearing stop is integrally formed with the bearing housing as a single piece, eliminating the need for separate components and connections. This merging of parts removes potential leakage points while simplifying the manufacturing process, as the integral structure requires fewer assembly steps and eliminates bolt connections that could leak lubricant.
2Force
If multiple axial bearing pads are attached to the axial bearing stop, then load distribution improves, but assembly complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The axial bearing is divided into multiple axial bearing pads that are reversibly attached to the axial bearing stop. This segmentation allows the load to be distributed across multiple contact points, improving axial load handling. The reversible attachment method maintains simplicity by allowing easy assembly and disassembly without complex fastening mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The axial bearing pads are designed to be serviceable and replaceable when worn. This approach allows the bearing pads to be discarded when depleted and recovered/replaced without affecting the entire bearing assembly, maintaining simplicity while ensuring continuous load distribution capability.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a bearing arrangement (70) for a wind turbine (10) comprising a bearing housing (80) and a drive shaft (90), whereby the drive shaft (90) is arranged within the bearing housing (80) in an axial direction along a longitudinal axis (A) of the bearing housing (80), the bearing arrangement (70) further comprising a downwind bearing (100) and an upwind bearing (200) as radial fluid bearings, whereby the downwind bearing (100) and the upwind bearing (200) are arranged between the bearing housing (80) and the drive shaft (90), the bearing arrangement (70) further comprising an axial bearing (300). The axial bearing (300) comprises an axial bearing stop (302) for limiting a movement of the drive shaft (90) in the axial direction along the longitudinal axis (A), whereby the axial bearing stop (302) is integrally formed with the bearing housing (80) as a protrusion extending from the bearing housing (80) in a radial direction of the bearing housing (80).