Winclusion" Research Project Better Predicting the Service Life of Wind Gearboxes

Related Vendors

Werkzeugmaschinenlabor WZL der RWTH Aachen

FAULHABER Drive Systems

dataTec AG

Wuxi InfiMotion Technology Co., Ltd.

In the "Winclusion" research project, the WZL at RWTH Aachen University (Germany) is working with industrial partners to develop new methods for precisely predicting the service life of wind gearboxes. The aim is to avoid unplanned downtimes.

The Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering WZL at RWTH Aachen University is officially launching the new research project "Winclusion—Life cycle parallel determination of the distribution of defects for improved service life prediction of wind gearboxes". The project aims to better understand the service life prediction of wind gearboxes through new analysis and modeling approaches and to enable reliable predictions about their reliability.

Higher Power Density Promotes Fatigue in the Tooth Volume

Against the backdrop of the EU's ambitious CO₂ reduction targets and the associated expansion of wind energy, the focus is shifting to optimizing gearbox reliability. The continuous increase in the power density of wind power gearboxes means that gear damage is increasingly caused by fatigue at non-metallic inclusions (defects) in the tooth volume. This can lead to the total failure of the gearbox and thus to the standstill of the wind turbine and the interruption of electricity production.

Winclusion therefore pursues an interdisciplinary approach: a methodology for the uncertainty-based determination of the distribution of defects is being developed along the entire product life cycle. Knowledge of the distribution of defects can then be used to feed simulation models in order to derive uncertainty-based service life predictions for the gears in operation.

Steel Manufacturer, Flender And Karl Deutsch As Project Partners

The 42-month project, which is funded by the European Union, is being coordinated by the WZL at RWTH Aachen University, Germany. Together with the industrial partners Sidenor (Spain) and Ovako (Sweden)—two leading European steel manufacturers -, the German specialist for ultrasonic testing technology Karl Deutsch Prüf- und Messgerätebau and the gearbox manufacturer Flender, a consortium of research and industry with comprehensive expertise along the entire process chain of a gearbox has come together.

With this interdisciplinary approach, Winclusion aims to make an important contribution to improving the service life prediction of wind turbine gearboxes and reducing unplanned downtimes—and thus to a sustainable, reliable energy supply in Europe.

New Standard for Predicting the Service Life of Wind Gearboxes

"With Winclusion, we want to set a new standard for predicting the service life of wind gearboxes—not just theoretically, but with a view to real industrial applications. The ability to understand and model defect distributions over the entire life cycle creates a completely new basis for reliable service life predictions," explains Johannes Rolzhäuser, M.Sc., project manager at the WZL.

The project was launched with a successful kick-off meeting at which the partners defined initial work packages and set milestones for the coming months. The combination of university research and industrial cooperation is a key component in bringing the research results quickly and practically into application. With Winclusion, the WZL wants to strengthen its contribution to energy-efficient and reliable production technology and make an important contribution to the innovative strength of the wind energy sector.

Future-Proof Authentication with Universal RFID Readers

Universal RFID Readers: One Solution for All Credentials