Wind Turbine Slewing Ring Bracing via Periodic Torque Reversal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wind turbine components face excessive stress and potential damage due to repetitive bracing in the same position, leading to pitting effects in the slewing ring and toothed elements, which existing methods fail to adequately mitigate.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the controlled use of opposing torques from multiple drives to brace wind turbine components, with a switching condition to alternate stress application, ensuring varied bracing and minimizing local stress by recording and switching the orientation and duration of applied stress across sectors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the slewing ring is clamped in the same position repeatedly to brace the component, then the component is stabilized in position, but pitting effects occur in the teeth and toothed element due to excessive local stress
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic action by alternating the bracing position of the slewing ring between at least two different positions. Instead of continuously clamping in the same position, the system periodically switches between different angular positions (e.g., 0° and 180°), allowing any given tooth or toothed element location to experience stress only intermittently rather than continuously, thereby preventing progressive pitting damage while maintaining overall bracing effectiveness.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the pinions are braced against each other in the same orientation, then the component is fixed in position, but the same teeth are subjected to repeated stress leading to damage
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic action by alternating the bracing orientation between at least two different angular positions. The pinions are braced against each other in one orientation for a predetermined period, then the orientation is switched to an alternative position for another predetermined period. This periodic reversal ensures that no single set of teeth is continuously loaded, distributing the mechanical stress across different tooth pairs and preventing strength degradation from repetitive loading in the same orientation.
Data Source
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AI summary
Method for operating a wind turbine comprising a support structure and a component rotatably mounted on the support structure about an axis, wherein a rotary connection between the component and the support structure includes a bearing with an inner and an outer ring, and a toothed element and at least two drives, each with a pinion engaging in the toothed element, are provided to rotate the component relative to the support structure about the axis via the toothed element, characterized by: a) bracing the component in a first orientation on the support structure by actuating the drives in opposite directions, wherein the first orientation is provided for applying bracing,and b) upon the occurrence of at least one switching condition, either the applied stress is released and an opposite stress is applied, or upon the occurrence of at least one switching condition, the applied stress is maintained and the opposite stress is made available as a stress to be applied for a later clamping operation of the component.