Ricardo Inc, a U.K. based engineering firm, says that its reliable analysis techniques can improve the power, performance, reliability, and cost effectiveness of wind turbines. Hence, the company is developing its commercial software for wind turbines. The mix of commercial and proprietary software, called Wind.Drive, will provide, the company says, a complete assessment and optimization of the wind turbine through detailed dynamic and static analysis of key component functions for their efficiency and design life.

The company says elements of the software have been used to analyze components such as gearbox designs for bearing and gear life, structural improvements to reduce material requirements and cost, and the dynamic response of complete wind-turbine drivelines. Combining analysis results with experimental data and engineering know-how lead to higher efficiencies and improved product reliability.

“The wind turbine industry has suffered from durability and reliability issues associated with gearboxes, especially regarding gear and bearing life,” says Ricardo Chief Engineer Anthony Walsh. “We can address these issues by applying processes, tools, and best practices from other industry sectors, such as transportation. Because many components in a wind turbine interface with each other, share loads, and transmit power, each must be analyzed for durability, noise, vibration, harshness and to determine how manufacturing and assembly processes affect their performance.”