896
Views
1
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Articles

The Cause of Premature Wind Turbine Bearing Failures: Overloading or Underloading?

, , &
Pages 850-860 | Received 30 Sep 2017, Accepted 22 Jan 2018, Published online: 30 Apr 2018

References

  • Brändlein, J., Eschmann, P., Hasbargen, L., and Weigand, K. (1999), Ball and Roller Bearings: Theory, Design and Application, 3rd ed., Wiley.
  • Kotzalas, M. N. and Doll, G. L. (2010), “Tribological Advancements for Reliable Wind Turbine Performance,” Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical & Engineering Sciences, 368, pp 4829–4850.
  • Sheng, S. (2014), Gearbox Reliability Database: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO.
  • “Statistics Show Bearing Problems Cause the Majority of Wind Turbine Gearbox Failures,” Available at: http://energy.gov/eere/wind/articles/statistics-show-bearing-problems-cause-majority-wind-turbine-gearbox-failures (accessed May 5, 2017).
  • Dvorak, P. (2013), “Repair Strategies for Wind Turbine Gearboxes,” Available at: http://www.windpowerengineering.com/design/mechanical/gearboxes/repair-strategies-for-wind-turbine-gearboxes/ ( accessed February 23, 2016).
  • Spinato, F., Tavner, P. J., Van Bussel, G. J. W., and Koutoulakos, E. (2009), “Reliability of Wind Turbine Subassemblies,” IET Renewable Power Generation, 3, pp 387–401.
  • Monthly, Windpower. (2005), “Facing Up to the Gearbox Challenge: A Survey of Gearbox Failure and Collected Industry Knowledge,” Windpower Monthly, 21, pp 3.
  • Tavner, P. J., Xiang, J., and Spinato, F. (2007), “Reliability Analysis for Wind Turbines,” Wind Energy, 10, pp 1–18.
  • Rasmussen, F., Thomsen, K., and Larsen, T. J. (2004), “The gearbox problem revisited.” Risø Fact-Sheet AED-RB-17 (en), Risø National Laboratory, Roskilde, Denmark.
  • Musial, W., Butterfield, S., and McNiff, B. (2007), “Improving Wind Turbine Gearbox Reliability,” Conference paper: NREL/CP-500-41548, European Wind Energy Conference, Milan, Italy, pp 7–10.
  • Rezaeiha, A., Pereira, R., and Kotsonis, M. (2017), “Fluctuations of Angle of Attack and Lift Coefficient and the Resultant Fatigue Loads for a Large Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine,” Renewable Energy, 114, pp 904–916.
  • Kang, Y. S., Evans, R. D., and Doll, G. L. (2010), “Roller–Raceway Slip Simulations of Wind Turbine Gearbox Bearings Using Dynamic Bearing Model,” STLE/ASME 2010 International Joint Tribology Conference, San Francisco, CA, USA, pp 407–409.
  • Gould, B., Greco, A., Stadler, K., and Xiao, X. (2017), “An Analysis of Premature Cracking Associated with Microstructural Alterations in an AISI 52100 Failed Wind Turbine Bearing Using X-ray Tomography,” Materials & Design, 117, pp 417–429.
  • Gould, B., Greco, A., Stadler, K., Vegter, E., and Xiao, X. (2017), “Using Advanced Tomography Techniques to Investigate the Development of White Etching Cracks in a Prematurely Failed Field Bearing,” Tribology International, 116, pp 362–370.
  • Singh, H., Pulikollu, R. V., Hawkins, W., and Smith, G. (2017), “Investigation of Microstructural Alterations in Low- and High-Speed Intermediate-Stage Wind Turbine Gearbox Bearings,” Tribology Letters, 65, pp 65–81.
  • Gould, B. and Greco, A. (2015), “The Influence of Sliding and Contact Severity on the Generation of White Etching Cracks,” Tribology Letters, 60, pp 1–13.
  • Gould, B. and Greco, A. (2016), “Investigating the Process of White Etching Crack Initiation in Bearing Steel,” Tribology Letters, 62, pp 1–14.
  • Archer, C. L. and Jacobson, M. Z. (2003), “Spatial and Temporal Distributions of U.S. Winds and Wind Power at 80 m Derived from Measurements,” Journal of Geophysical Research D: Atmospheres, 108, pp 10–1–10–20.
  • Guo, Y., Keller, J., and LaCava, W. “Combined Effects of Gravity, Bending Moment, Bearing Clearance, and Input Torque on Wind Turbine Planetary Gear Load Sharing,” Conference Paper NREL/CP-5000-55968 28–30 October, 2012, AGMA Fall Technical Meeting, Dearborn, MI.
  • Guo, Y., Keller, J., and LaCava, W. (2014), “Planetary Gear Load Sharing of Wind Turbine Drivetrains Subjected to Nontorque Loads,” Wind Energy, 18, pp 757–768.
  • Gould, B. J. and Burris, D. L. (2015), “Effects of Wind Shear on Wind Turbine Rotor Loads and Planetary Bearing Reliability,” Wind Energy, 19, pp 1011–1021.
  • Rosinski, J. and Smurthwaite, D. (2010), “Troubleshooting Wind Gearbox Problems,” Gear Solutions, 8, pp 22–33.
  • Evans, M. H. (2012), “White Structure Flaking (WSF) in Wind Turbine Gearbox Bearings: Effects of ‘Butterflies’ and White Etching Cracks (WECs),” Materials Science and Technology, 28, pp 3–22.
  • Evans, M.-H. (2016), “An Updated Review: White Etching Cracks (WECs) and Axial Cracks in Wind Turbine Gearbox Bearings,” Materials Science and Technology, 32(11), pp 1133–1169.
  • Link, H., LaCava, W., van Dam, J., McNiff, B., Sheng, S., Wallen, R., McDade, M., Lambert, S., Butterfield, S., and Oyague F. (2011), “Gearbox Reliability Collaborative Project Report: Findings from Phase 1 and Phase 2 Testing,” NREL/TP-5000-51885 Contract, 303, pp 275–3000.
  • Oyague, F. (2011), Gearbox Reliability Collaborative Description and Loading. Technical Report NREL/TP-5000-47773.
  • Nejad, A. R., Xing, Y., Keller, J., Zhen, G., and Moan, T. (2015), “Effects of Floating Sun Gear in a Wind Turbine's Planetary Gearbox with Geometrical Imperfections,” Wind Energy, 18, pp. 2105–2120.
  • “Requisite Minimum Load,” Available at: http://www.skf.com/us/products/bearings-units-housings/principles/bearing-selection-process/bearing-size/size-selection-based-on-rating-life/equivalent-dynamic-bearing-load/index.html. (accessed February 2, 2017).
  • Miner, M. A. (1945), “Cumulative Damage in Fatigue,” Journal of Applied Mechanics, 12, pp A159–A164.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.