Patent Application
20220252048
This application claims priority to EP Application No. 21382109.3, having a filing date of Feb. 11, 2021, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
The following relates to a wind turbine main shaft assembly, to a wind turbine comprising such main shaft assembly and to a method of assembling a wind turbine main shaft assembly.
In order to make efficient use of the available wind energy and to increase the electrical power output of individual wind turbines, the size of wind turbines has been increasing over the last decades. Modern wind turbines provide an electrical power output in the megawatt range, and wind turbine rotors have increased in size from 50 meters to more than 100 meters in diameter. The rotor blades of a wind turbine rotor are generally attached to a hub, which in turn is mounted to a main shaft of the wind turbine. The wind turbine rotor converts the wind energy into rotational mechanical energy. Accordingly, the main shaft of the wind turbine has to transmit a large torque. At the same time, it has to support the weight of the rotor including the rotor blades and the hub. In particular in configurations in which a floating gearbox is attached to the other end of the main shaft, large bending stresses need to be supported by the main shaft and by the flanges at the end of the main shaft. As wind turbines increase in size, torque, mechanical moments and stresses are increasing correspondingly. The functional capacity of conventional mechanical elements may thus be exceeded, or more complex and expensive mechanical elements may need to be employed.
It is thus desirable to improve the capacity of such main shaft of the wind turbine to transmit torque and to support bending stresses.
Accordingly, there is a need to mitigate at least some of the drawbacks mentioned above and to provide a main shaft of a wind turbine that has an increased capacity for the transfer of torque.
According to an embodiment of the invention, a wind turbine main shaft assembly that comprises a wind turbine main shaft and a connecting piece attached to an end of the wind turbine main shaft is provided. The wind turbine main shaft assembly (abbreviated herein as assembly) comprises a first frictional connection between an axial end face at the end of the wind turbine main shaft and an axial face of the connecting piece. It further comprises a second frictional connection that is provided by an interference fit. The interference fit is formed between a circumferential portion at the end of the wind turbine main shaft and a corresponding circumferential portion of the connecting piece.
Accordingly, by means of such assembly, torque can be transferred via the main shaft and the connecting piece by two frictional connections, thus increasing the capacity for the transfer of torque. A high transmission capacity of torque can thus be achieved. Furthermore, such assembly is relatively insensitive to bending stresses. Since the collecting piece is attached to the end of the main shaft by means of frictional connections, it is mountable and demountable, thus facilitating assembly and de-assembly of the main shaft (also termed primary shaft). Accordingly, such assembly is suitable for large wind turbines which require a high torque transmission capacity.
The circumferential portion at the end of the wind turbine main shaft and the circumferential portion of the connecting piece may correspond in shape and are sized such that an interference fit between these portions is realized. Accordingly, they may have a complementary shape, although the inner component is slightly larger than the outer component to achieve the interference fit. The term “axial” refers to the axis of rotation of the shaft. An axial face may accordingly be a face the surface normal of which has a (main) component along (parallel to) the axis of rotation that is larger than any component of the surface normal perpendicular to the axis of rotation; the surface normal of the axial face is parallel to the axis of rotation. The axial faces are annular faces. A frictional connection may generally be a connection that is established by pressing the two faces together by applying a force that has a component normal to the faces, e.g., using bolts or an interference fit, so that these faces are held together by friction (static friction or stiction) and are prevented from sliding parallel to each other.
In an embodiment, the main shaft comprises at its end an outer circumferential face providing the circumferential portion of the main shaft. The connecting piece may comprise a protrusion (e.g., annular piece) having an inner circumferential face providing the circumferential portion of the connecting piece. The outer circumferential face of the main shaft and the inner circumferential face of the connecting piece form the interference fit. A reliable frictional connection capable of transmitting high torques can thus be achieved. The end of the main shaft may thus be inserted into the annular protrusion of the connecting piece. It should be clear that it is principally also conceivable to provide the second frictional connection the other way around, e.g., by inserting a smaller protrusion of the connecting piece into the hollow main shaft so as to form an interference fit between an outer surface of the protrusion and an inner surface of the main shaft. The first mentioned configuration is however desired, as it can transmit larger torques due to a larger contact area.
At least part of the circumferential portion of the main shaft that provides the interference fit may be tapered, and/or at least part of the circumferential portion of the connecting piece providing the interference fit may be tapered. Corresponding tapered sections are provided in both portions, which facilitates assembly and provides an improved interference fit. It should be clear that both portions may be tapered over the whole area over which the interference fit is formed, or at least over the largest part of the area over which the interference fit is formed.
In an embodiment, the outer circumferential face of the main shaft is at least partly tapered, the tapered portion of the outer circumferential face having an outer circumference that decreases towards the end face of the main shaft. The inner circumferential face of the connecting piece is at least partly tapered at a corresponding axial portion (in particular at the same axial position), the tapered portion of the inner circumferential face having an inner circumference that decreases towards the end face of the main shaft. Accordingly, both portions that form the interference fit have a corresponding shape and as mentioned above, and may be partly or may be fully tapered. In particular, an outer taper may be provided at the end of the main shaft, which may thus have a conical shape. A corresponding inner taper can be provided inside the hollow protrusion of the connecting piece.
In a particular embodiment, the end of the main shaft is conical, and the connecting piece has a hollow protrusion having a conical inner circumferential face that provides the circumferential portion forming the interference fit. In other embodiments, it may also be conceivable that the end of the main shaft is cylindrical and engages a cylindrical inner surface of such protrusion of the connecting piece.
The hollow protrusion may for example have a cylindrical or conical outer shape. The protrusion may furthermore include a circumferential bulge at an outer circumferential surface thereof, in proximity of the end or at the end of the protrusion that faces away from the inner flange. Such bulge may strengthen the protrusion against deformation in radial direction, thus ensuring a secure interference fit and allowing the remaining part of the protrusion to be provided with a lower wall thickness.
The assembly comprises connecting members that are arranged so as to press together the axial end face of the wind turbine main shaft and the axial face of the connecting piece to provide the first frictional connection. The connecting members may for example comprise or consist of bolts (and respective nuts) and/or screws, yet other connection members such as clamps or the like may also be used.
The connecting members extend into the end of the wind turbine main shaft through its axial end face and further extend through the axial face of the connecting piece. Exertion of a high compressive force perpendicular to the mating axial faces can thus be ensured.
The connecting members may for example comprise threaded bolts that are screwed into the end face of the wind turbine main shaft. The bolts extend through an inner flange of the connecting piece on which the axial face is provided. Nuts can then be tightened to the bolts on a side of the inner flange opposite of the axial face, i.e., the nuts are applied to the ends of the bolts that extend through the inner flange. In other configurations, screws may for example be used and may be inserted through the holes in the inner flange and screwed into the end of the main shaft to apply the respective force.
Accordingly, by either tightening the nuts on such bolts or by tightening respective screws, the connecting piece can be pushed onto the end of the main shaft. Thereby, the interference fit between the circumferential portions at the end of the main shaft and on the protrusion of the connecting piece can be established while at the same time, the axial faces on the end of the main shaft and on the connecting piece are pressed together so as to realize the first frictional connection. By means of such connecting members, a fast and efficient mounting of the connecting piece can thus be achieved, which can be realized on site and which can provide the first frictional connection and the second frictional connection simultaneously. Furthermore, by pushing the connecting piece onto the end of the main shaft using the connecting members, it is also not necessary to heat the connecting piece or the main shaft or to cool one of the components in order to achieve the interference fit. Assembly is thus facilitated and made more time and cost efficient.
It is further advantageous to lock the nuts to the bolts, as the loosening of the nuts may thus be prevented. A respective locking mechanism can be provided which comprises a keyway in the respective bolt and a break lip on the respective nut. The break lip is breakable so as to engage the keyway (after the nut has been tightened) to thereby lock the nut in place on the bolt. It should be clear that the locking secures against a loosening of the nut, i.e., the locking direction corresponds to the direction of rotation of the nut which would loosen the nut.
In other embodiments, the interference fit may be achieved not by tightening respective connecting members, but by a hydraulic press or the like.
The connecting piece may be a flange piece that may be configured for attachment to a wind turbine gearbox. As an example, the connecting piece may include or consist of an outer flange for connection to the gearbox, an inner flange for providing the end face and for connection to the end of the main shaft, and a protrusion, in particular a cylindrical or conical hollow protrusion, into which the end of the main shaft can be inserted for providing the interference fit. The inner flange may comprise respective through-holes into which the connecting members, in particular bolts or screws, can be inserted for establishing the connection with the main shaft.
The connecting piece may include one or more, in particular two, three, four or more further holes, that can be arranged radially inside of the inner flange, for extraction of the connecting piece from the end of the main shaft. These may for example be threaded holes that can accommodate respective extractor bolts. Three such holes offset by an angle of 120° are provided.
The main shaft may have a substantially cylindrical shape. The main shaft is hollow. The main shaft may have at its other end (i.e., the end opposite to the end to which the connecting piece is attached) a flange configured to be connected to a hub of a wind turbine rotor. This flange is integral with the main shaft. The main shaft, including its flange, may in particular be a single piece manufactured by casting and/or forging. It should be clear that the main shaft including its flange can further be machined to achieve the desired size and shape.
The assembly may be configured such that the connecting piece is removable from the wind turbine main shaft. For example, it may be heated to reduce the frictional force of the interference fit and extraction bolts may be used to draw the connecting piece off the main shaft. In particular, the connecting piece and the main shaft are separate components, and they are in particular not welded together.
According to a further embodiment of the present invention, a wind turbine that comprises a wind turbine main shaft assembly in any of the configurations described herein is provided. The wind turbine may further comprise a rotor hub connected to an integral flange on one side of the main shaft, and a gearbox connected to a flange of the connecting piece. The wind turbine may further comprise components that are common to such wind turbine, including the respective rotor blades attached to the hub, a generator coupled to the gearbox and the like.
According to a further embodiment of the invention, a method of assembling a wind turbine main shaft assembly is provided. The method comprises providing a wind turbine main shaft, providing a connecting piece, and attaching the connecting piece to an end of the wind turbine main shaft. The attaching comprises establishing a first frictional connection between an axial end face at the end of the wind turbine main shaft and an axial face of the connecting piece and establishing a second frictional connection by means of an interference fit between a circumferential portion at the end of the wind turbine main shaft and a corresponding circumferential portion of the connecting piece. By such method, advantages similar to the ones outlined further above may be achieved.
The method may further comprise the providing of connecting members that are configured to press together the axial end face of the wind turbine main shaft and the axial face of the connecting piece, the arranging of the connecting piece at the end of the wind turbine main shaft, and the tightening of said connecting members to thereby press the connecting piece onto the end of the wind turbine main shaft to establish the second frictional connection by the interference fit and to establish the first frictional connection. Accordingly, by tightening the connecting members, e.g., bolts and nuts or screws, both the first frictional connection and the second frictional connection can be established at the same time.
As an example, providing the connecting members may comprise the screwing of bolts into the axial end face of the wind turbine main shaft, wherein the bolts protrude through holes in an inner flange of the connecting piece when the connecting piece is arranged on the end of the wind turbine main shaft. The tightening of the connecting members may comprise the tightening of nuts on said bolts so as to press the inner flange of the connecting piece against the axial end face of the wind turbine main shaft. Further, it is advantageous to engage a locking mechanism that locks the nuts in place on the bolts after tightening the nuts, e.g., by breaking a lip of the nut so as to engage a key on the bolt.
The method may further comprise, prior to attachment of the connecting piece, the mounting of one, two, or more main bearings on the main shaft. The main bearings may for example be mounted to the main shaft using an interference fit. After mounting the one, two or more main bearings, the connecting piece can be attached to the end of the main shaft in any of the ways described herein.
The method may be performed so as to provide an assembly having any of the configurations described herein, and the assembly may comprise any of the configurations described with respect to the method.
It is to be understood that the features mentioned above and those yet to be explained below can be used not only in the respective combinations indicated, but also in other combinations or in isolation, without leaving the scope of embodiments of the present invention. In particular, the features of the different aspects and embodiments of the invention can be combined with each other unless noted to the contrary.
Some of the embodiments will be described in detail, with reference to the following figures, wherein like designations denote like members, wherein:
In the following, embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood that the following description of the embodiments is given only for the purpose of illustration and is not to be taken in a limiting sense. It should be noted that the drawings are to be regarded as being schematic representations only, and elements in the drawings are not necessarily to scale with each other. Rather, the representation of the various elements is chosen such that their function and general purpose become apparent to a person skilled in the art. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted.
The area indicated by a square in
In
It should be clear that the interference fit does not need to be established over the whole length of the protrusion 32, but may be established only in one or more portions thereof, and in one or more corresponding portions of the end of the main shaft 20. Further, it should be clear that different shapes of the inner surface 33 and the outer surface 23 are conceivable, such as a cylindrical shape of both surfaces, or an only partially tapered or conical shape.
Besides the frictional connection 62 established by the interference fit, a further frictional connection 61 is established between an end face 26 of the main shaft 20 and an axial face 36 provided on the inner flange 35 of connecting piece 30. By using connecting members 40, the inner flange 35 is pressed onto the end face 26 of end 22 of main shaft 20. The resulting forces in normal direction of faces 26, 36 cause friction (in particular stiction) between the end of the main shaft and the connecting piece 30 parallel to the faces 26, 36 and thus establish a further frictional connection 61. The strength of the frictional connection 61 depends on the amount of force exerted perpendicular to the faces 26, 36 by connecting members 40.
In the illustrated example of
Besides such method of establishing the interference fit, it should be clear that other methods are conceivable, such as using a press to force the connecting piece 30 onto the end of the shaft 20.
The total torque that the coupling between the main shaft and connecting piece 30 is capable to transmit is accordingly composed of a portion through the conical end 22 and another portion through the end face of the shaft, the overall torque being
MT=MT
1
+MT
2.
The desired torque to be transmitted can be assigned to each of the respective frictional connections 62, 61 as desired, for example by using a partition coefficient Kr:
MT
1
=Kr×MT;
MT
2=(1−Kr)×MT.
Based on the torque MT1 to be transmitted and the geometry of the conical end, the required pressure “p” on the tapered surface 23 can be deduced, and thus the necessary force that needs to be exerted by the connecting members for establishing the interference fit (preload). This preload defines the type and quantity n1 of the connecting members necessary for establishing the respective second frictional connection, and they may be either screws or bolts. The pressure should of course be adequate so as to prevent a permanent deformation of the connecting piece, in particular its protrusion 32, or of the end of the shaft. The geometry of the conical section may for example be dimensioned based on DIN 7190-2 taking into account the friction coefficients. Furthermore, the possibility may be taken into account that at some time, it may be desirable to dismount the connecting piece 30 from the end of the main shaft 20, for example by using screw-type extractors.
Based on the torque MT2 to be transmitted by the first frictional connection 61 established at the end face 26 of the main shaft and the respective coefficient of friction in the front area, the number n2 and type of connecting elements, in particular screws or bolts, required to establish the desired compressive force can be deduced. The numbers n1 and n2 and the type of the connecting elements may be the same or may be different, as appropriate. The higher number of n1 and n2 is used so that the requirements for both connections to be established can be met.
Connecting members 40 extend through the holes 37 into holes 27 when assembled. On the inner flange, three threaded holes 39 are provided for receiving extractor bolts that can be used to dismount the connecting piece 30 from end 22 of main shaft 20. Main shaft 20 is generally hollow.
Prior to mounting the connecting piece 30, one or more main bearings may be mounted to the main shaft 20, as shown in
The connecting piece 30 may in particular consist of the outer flange, the inner flange and the protrusion, which may extend in axial direction from a position between the outer and inner flanges. Protrusion 42 may have a cylindrical shape with a circumferential bulge and an inner conical circumferential surface.
By means of the embodiments described herein, large torques can be transmitted via the connecting piece coupled to a drive shaft, which has particular advantages in coupling the main shaft to the gearbox of the wind turbine. The torque is essentially transmitted completely by the friction generated at the first and second connections between the connecting piece and the main shaft. The friction is in particular generated at the end face of the main shaft and in the outer conical area at the end of the main shaft, which is cylindrical in classical main shafts. The coupling mechanism is thus relatively simple and simple mechanical theory can be used to calculate the transmitted torques. Once the total torque to be transmitted has been determined, the configuration can be adjusted as desired. Further, it provides an ease of assembly and does not need maintenance. The costs of the coupling are also reduced. In particular, removability of the connecting piece allows the replacing of the bearings, which is a significant advantage over conventional solutions that provide a fixed and not removable attachment.
Although the present invention has been disclosed in the form of preferred embodiments and variations thereon, it will be understood that numerous additional modifications and variations could be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention.
For the sake of clarity, it is to be understood that the use of “a” or “an” throughout this application does not exclude a plurality, and “comprising” does not exclude other steps or elements.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21382109.3 | Feb 2021 | EP | regional |
