Wind Turbine Brake Piston With Swiveling Pad Carrier
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing braking devices for wind turbines face issues with absorbing lateral forces, leading to damage and failure due to non-ideal geometries and wear of brake discs or counterbearings, and are prone to overloading and friction welding.
Innovation Solution
A braking device with a brake piston composed of a tubular section, a holding and bearing part, and a brake pad carrier part, featuring dome-shaped surfaces for large contact areas and adjustable mounting, allowing even force transmission and protection against overloading.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a plate-shaped brake pad carrier part rests against a cylindrical housing with very small contact area, then the structure is simple, but lateral forces cannot be effectively absorbed and dissipation is problematic
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies spherical curvature to the bearing surfaces by providing a spherical bearing surface on the housing and a complementary spherical counter-bearing surface on the brake pad carrier part. This spherical contact geometry transforms the small-area cylindrical contact into a large-area spherical contact, enabling effective absorption and dissipation of lateral forces while maintaining structural simplicity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If brake components are mounted floatingly with compression spring preloading, then adjustment flexibility is provided, but buckling moments are generated and compression springs can be overstressed leading to damage
Solution Approach 1:
The spherical bearing surfaces enable the brake pad carrier part to pivot and adapt to non-ideal geometries and wear conditions without generating buckling moments in the supporting structure. The curved contact surfaces distribute forces evenly, preventing overstress of compression springs while maintaining adjustment flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The spherical bearing surfaces act as an intermediary between the floating brake components and the housing, mediating the forces and movements. This intermediary mechanism allows adjustment flexibility while protecting the compression spring assembly from damaging buckling moments and overstress.
3Force
If brake pad carrier plate absorbs large share of acting force, then force transmission is efficient, but friction welding phenomena can occur and damage or failure can result
Solution Approach 1:
The spherical bearing surfaces distribute the acting forces over a large contact area, preventing concentration of forces on the brake pad carrier plate. This curvature-based force distribution maintains efficient force transmission while preventing friction welding phenomena and protecting against damage or failure of the brake piston components.
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 device effectively absorbs transverse forces, preventing damage and friction welding, and adapts to dynamic loading and wear, ensuring durable operation.
Implementation Method 1
The holding and bearing part (5) is held in a fixed position relative to the tubular section (4)
Implementation Method 2
The holding and bearing part (5) has a dome-shaped bearing surface (24) on the inside, against which the brake pad carrier part (6) can be placed with a complementary counter-bearing surface (26)
Implementation Method 3
the brake piston, with its tubular section, is longitudinally guided over large surfaces against a cylinder chamber
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The invention relates to a brake device (64) in a wind turbine (40) having a shaft (62) assigned to a rotor (41) and a brake disc (14) assigned to the shaft (62) and coupled to same in a rotationally fixed manner, comprising a brake piston (2), wherein the brake piston (2) can be applied against the brake disc (14), characterised in that the brake piston (2) has a tubular section (4) with a longitudinal central axis (8) and with an end face (12) facing the brake disc (14) and with a through-opening (10), and the tubular section (4) of the brake piston (2) is designed for being guided in a longitudinally moveable manner in a cylinder space (40) accommodating the brake piston (2), and an annular retaining and mounting part (5) is introduced in the through-opening (10) in the region of the end face (12) of the tubular section (4) such that it moves longitudinally or is fixed relative to the tubular section (4), the retaining and mounting part (5) has a dome-shaped mounting surface (24) radially on the inside for mounting a brake lining carrier part (6), and the brake lining carrier part (6) has a dome-shaped counter mounting surface (26) that is complementary to the mounting surface (24), such that the brake lining carrier part (6) is mounted and retained such that it can swivel in relation to the retaining and mounting part (5). The invention also relates to a brake device (64) in a wind turbine (60) having a nacelle (66) retaining and mounting a rotor (61) and having a carrier tower (70) for the nacelle, wherein the nacelle (66) is mounted such that it can rotate about an axis (68) in relation to the carrier tower (70), wherein the brake device (64) is designed for securing the nacelle (66) in relation to the carrier tower (70) in a selectable rotational position, wherein the brake device (64) comprises a brake piston (2), characterised in that the brake piston (2) is arranged either on the nacelle (66) or on the carrier tower (70) and can be applied against a counter bearing (72) on the respective other part for exerting the braking force, and the brake piston (2) has a tubular section (4) with a longitudinal central axis (8) and with an end face (12) facing the counter bearing (72) and with a through-opening (10), and the tubular section (4) of the brake piston (2) is designed for being guided in a longitudinally moveable manner in a cylinder space (40) accommodating the brake piston (2), and an annular retaining and mounting part (5) is introduced in the through-opening (10) in the region of the end face (12) of the tubular section (4) such that it moves longitudinally or is fixed relative to the tubular section (4), the retaining and mounting part (5) has a dome-shaped mounting surface (24) radially on the inside for mounting a brake lining carrier part (6), and the brake lining carrier part (6) has a dome-shaped counter mounting surface (26) that is complementary to the mounting surface (24), such that the brake lining carrier part (6) is mounted and retained such that it can swivel in relation to the retaining and mounting part (5).