Bearings and gearbox Closed-loop engineering for wind turbines

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Schaeffler relies on the so-called closed-loop engineering approach, which consists of three components, in the design and further development of wind turbines.

With the closed-loop engineering approach, Schaeffler, as a development partner in the wind industry, goes far beyond providing bearing solutions for onshore and offshore wind turbines: In collaboration with plant and gearbox manufacturers, the company supports plant development through system simulation, realistic test bench trials, and field measurement campaigns.

"We are pursuing a holistic approach with closed-loop engineering that significantly contributes to the advancement of wind turbines and enhances their cost-effectiveness and efficiency," says Bernd Endres, Vice President of the Regional Business Unit Wind at Schaeffler. "In the spirit of a closed loop, the insights gained are incorporated into product developments."

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System optimization through simulation

Crucial for the most reliable and economical operation of wind turbines is the design of the bearings. Therefore, the starting point in Closed Loop Engineering is calculation and simulation programs. These realistically model individual rolling bearings, connection structures, and even complete drivetrain models using special multi-body simulation programs. In the simulations, both the mechanics and dynamics of the wind turbine bearings are optimized using machine learning and cloud computing.

In addition to classical rolling bearings, the company also calculates and simulates the new hydrodynamic plain bearings for gearboxes, which are now being mass-produced. They enable power density in the tightest installation space. In this plain bearing for planet gears, a bronze sliding layer only a few millimeters thick is applied directly to the planet gear bolts using additive manufacturing. The material integral bond between the bolt and sliding layer ensures decades of service life. During development, the goal was a lubricant film as thin as possible that still completely separates the surfaces. To ensure this wear-free operating condition, Schaeffler offers detailed technical design.

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Test bearing systems on the test bench

To ensure the reliability of wind bearings, the manufacturer subjects the bearing systems to extensive testing. Since 2011, the company has been gaining important insights into influencing factors and relationships in the drivetrains of wind turbines using its large bearing test rig "Astraios." Newly developed products can thus be quickly tested and validated under realistic conditions.

Schaeffler is currently significantly expanding its testing capacities: In collaboration with LORC (Lindø Offshore Renewables Center) and R&D Test Systems, the world's most powerful test stand for main bearings of wind turbines is being built in Lindø, Denmark. The first testing programs are expected to start at the end of 2025. Schaeffler was significantly involved in defining the test stand specifications and will test its rotor bearings there in cooperation with plant manufacturers.

Data from field measurement campaigns

The third component in Closed Loop Engineering, alongside simulation and testing, is field monitoring: Experts from the company monitor prototype systems in field measurement campaigns, the results of which confirm the original design parameters from the simulation or are used for further optimization. Special focus is placed on the drivetrain and rotor bearing as the core of the wind turbine, where all forces converge. This ensures that system failures and consequential costs are reduced in the design.

Schaeffler optimizes the design together with users. In this way, the company helps to reduce the levelized cost of electricity and to advance the expansion of renewable energies. (dm)