Zf Wind Power Antwerpen N.v.

Zf Friedrichshafen Ag

Hansen Transmissions International N.v.

Gamesa Innovation & Technology, S.l.

Hansen Transmissions International

Hansen Transmissiosn International N.v.

Warren Smook

Peter Flamang

Rik Verbiest

Roger Bogaert

Marcel De Wilde

Javier Baranano Etxebarria

Annaïk Van Bogaert

Patrik Seanz De Ugarte

Wouter Remmerie

Gerhard Diekhans

Andy Maes

A drive arrangement for a wind turbine includes a main shaft, a housing, and a nacelle-mounted support structure. The main shaft of the drive arrangement for the wind turbine is completely supported in the housing. The housing of the drive arrangement for the wind turbine is at least partially resiliently mounted in the support structure.

Spring-mounted gear mechanism housing

A drive arrangement for a wind turbine includes a sun shaft, which is non-rotatably connected or connectable to a sun gear arranged on a rotor side with respect to the sun shaft, and a shaft or hub for receiving a rotor of a generator. The drive arrangement includes a connecting element, which is connected non-rotatably to the sun shaft and the shaft or hub and which is arranged inside the shaft or hub or on a generator side relative to the shaft or hub, and one or more spring and/or damping elements that decouple the connecting element from the sun shaft and/or the shaft or hub.

Drive arrangement with vibration decoupling

A wind turbine transmission including a first planetary stage and a second planetary stage, wherein a sun gear of the first planetary stage and a planet carrier of the second planetary stage are interconnected for conjoint rotation by means of a spline joint, the sun gear integrally forms an internal toothing, and a first web of the planet carrier or a sun shaft integrally connected to the first web integrally forms an external toothing of the spline joint.

Integrated design of a sun shaft

A planetary carrier includes a first cheek, a second cheek, at least one pin, and at least one bushing. A first axial end of the pin is fixed in the first cheek, and a first axial end of the bushing is fixed in the second cheek. At least a portion of the pin protrudes into the bushing, and a second axial end of the pin is fixed in the bushing. A second axial end of the bushing is free-floating, and the bushing forms at least a first cavity and a second cavity. The portion of the pin that protrudes into the bushing protrudes into the first cavity. The bushing forms a wall that separates the first cavity and the second cavity from each other and at least one stiffening rib extends through the second cavity.

Planetary carrier having flexible bolts

A series of transmissions includes a first transmission, a second transmission, a third transmission, and a fourth transmission. Each of the first, second, third and fourth transmissions has a first planetary stage and a second planetary stage. The first planetary stage and the second planetary stage in each case have an internal gear, a sun gear, a planetary carrier, and one or more planetary gears. The planetary carriers of the first planetary stages of the first transmission and of the second transmission are structurally identical. The planetary carriers of the first planetary stages of the third transmission and of the fourth transmission are structurally identical. A width of teeth of the planetary gears of the first planetary stage of the first transmission is smaller than a width of teeth of the planetary gears of the first planetary stage of the second transmission.

Series of gearboxes

An assembly for use in a drive-train of a wind turbine having a transmission, a generator and a module. The module includes a shaft or hub, at least one bearing and a support structure. The shaft of the module or the hub is mounted by the bearing so as to rotate in the support structure. The shaft or the hub can be connected in a rotationally fixed manner to a shaft of the transmission. A rotor of the generator can be fixed to the shaft of the module or to the hub. The support structure can be fixed to a housing of the transmission or the generator. At least one assembly safety device is provided in order to be able to fix the rotor of the generator. When the rotor of the generator is fixed by way of the assembly safety device, the module can be fitted and removed.

Modular coupling of a wind turbine gearbox to a generator

A nacelle main frame structure and drive train assembly () for mounted on a tower () of a wind turbine (). The nacelle main frame structure and drive train assembly () comprise a nacelle main frame structure () and at least part of a drive train (). The at least part of the drive train () comprises a first connection interface () with the nacelle main frame structure () at a rotor side (R) of the nacelle main frame structure and drive train assembly () and a second connection interface () with the nacelle main frame structure (). The second connection interface () is axially displaced with respect to the first connection interface () with respect to a direction away from the rotor side (R).

Nacelle main frame structure and drive train assembly for a wind turbine

A transmission () with at least one planetary carrier (), at least one ring gear (), at least one planetary gearwheel (), at least one planetary bolt (), one or more planetary bearings () and at least one sun gear (). The planetary bolt () is fixed into the planetary carrier (). The planetary gearwheel () is mounted to rotate on the planetary bolt () by way of the planetary bearing (). The planetary gearwheel () meshes with the ring gear () and/or the sun gear (). The transmission () includes at least one nut (). The nut () screws onto an external thread () of the planetary bolt (). The planetary bearings () are axially fixed by the nut () and a shoulder () of the planetary bolt ().

Fixation of planetary bearings

A wind turbine nacelle () which comprises a frame () and a drive train which comprises a gearbox (). The nacelle () has a rotor attached thereto and comprises a rotor hub (), with one or more blades (), which supported by a rotor bearing(s) () located on a tubular part () at an end of the frame () furthest from the tower (). The gearbox () comprises a gearbox housing (), not constituting part of the frame (), which is rigidly and axially connected to the frame () by a gearbox flange () such that a side of the gearbox flange (), furthest from the gearbox input side (I), is connected to an end of the frame flange () furthest away from the tower (). An input shaft () of the gearbox () is connected to the rotor hub () via a separate connection part ().

Wind turbine nacelle

A nacelle main frame structure and drive train assembly () for being mounted on a tower () of a wind turbine. The nacelle main frame structure and drive train assembly () comprises a nacelle main frame structure () with a central part () connecting a first part () to a second part (). The first part (), during wind turbine operation and/or servicing activities, takes up loads of a rotor (). A drive train () is at least partially located between the first and second parts (). The central part () of the main frame structure () is located substantially above at least part of the drive train () and is such that at least part of the drive train () can only be removed from the main frame structure () by lowering at least part of the drive train () from the main frame structure ().

A wind turbine drive train () comprising a gearbox (), a generator () and a coupling () located between an output shaft () and a rotor shaft (). The gearbox and the generator are separate components which have their own housings (). The output and rotor shafts are respectively supported by a shaft bearing arrangement () and a generator rotor shaft bearing arrangement (). The generator housing is directly connected to the gearbox housing. The drive train further comprises a gearbox output module (), which comprises the output shaft, the shaft bearing arrangement and an output shaft bearing housing (). The gearbox output module at least partly extends into the generator and the gearbox output module at least partly extends beyond a plane (P) defined by the generator. The coupling extends through the rotor shaft and is coupled, on a generator side (G), to the generator rotor shaft.

Drive train for a wind turbine

Planet carrier of an epicyclic gear system with planetary shafts which are connected fixedly to the planet carrier, onto which planet wheels are mounted rotatably using planetary bearings, the teeth of the planetary wheels being helical or chevron teeth, the planet carrier being of the cage type, and where at least two separate planetary wheels are mounted on each planetary shaft, each wheel of which being supported by at least one double-row tapered roller bearing, the outermost bearing ring of each double-row tapered roller bearing being integrated into the planetary wheel concerned.

Planet carrier of the cage type

A planetary gear transmission unit () includes a ring gear (), a sun gear () and a planet carrier () driving a plurality of planet shafts () onto which planet gears () are rotatably mounted by way of planet bearings (). The planet shafts are flexpin shafts () and each flexpin shaft () includes a pair of planet gears (), each planet gear () of the pair being of the single helical type having a helix angle opposite to that of the other planet gear () of the pair. A gearbox () including a planetary gear transmission unit () according to embodiments of the invention and a wind turbine including such a gearbox () are also described.

Planetary gear transmission unit

A planetary gear unit includes a planet carrier having a backplate and being provided with planet shafts distributed uniformly around the planet carrier's axis and extending through bores in the backplate, each planet shaft rotatably supporting a pair of planet gears by planet bearings, the planet gears being mounted between a ring gear and a sun gear for mutual interaction. The planetary gear unit further includes a key provided in a keyway of the planet shaft and extending to the backplate for preventing the at least one planet shaft from rotating around its own axis. The key and keyway are provided at a location positioned between 45&#xb0; and 270&#xb0; in a clockwise direction around the circumference of the planet shaft, with 0&#xb0; being defined as a point at the planet shaft circumference corresponding with the largest distance from the centre of the back plate seen from the rotor side onwards.

Planetary gear unit

Wind turbine drive which is formed of a rotor with a rotor shaft and of a transmission box with a planetary gear unit which is connected to the rotor shaft, which drive is of the type whereby the transmission box is supported by the far end of the rotor shaft and is provided with a reaction arm, whereby the rotor shaft is bearing-mounted with at least one bearing which is directly fixed to the nacelle and a second bearing which is either fixed to the nacelle or which is part of the transmission box, whereby the planet carrier of the planetary gear unit is bearing-mounted in the gearbox via one bearing at the most.

Growing community of inventors

Huldenberg, Belgium

Warren Smook