This webinar was originally broadcast on Tuesday, December 13, 2016. Watch anytime on demand: Premature Component failures plague our industry and hurt your bottom line. To control the damage, a holistic approach is needed. Many approaches have provided incremental improvements but not a cure. What if there was a force multiplier that not only enhances…

The new program, called “Double Your Warranty” offers
added protection for new bearings installed up tower

This article is the second in a two-part series in which a Failure Mode and Effects Analysis shows how alternating torque damages more than gearboxes. The first article set the stage for how the FMEA would be conducted while this part presents further considerations and results.

This article is the first of a two-part series in which a Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) is used to evaluate how torsional oscillations and reversals can damage many expensive turbine components. It also compares the effects of adding a Reverse Torsional Damping device to mitigate the damage. The FMEA calculates a projected range of cost reductions based on the credibility of evidence, contribution to overall failure mode, and the estimated life extension from the damping device.

Wind critics seem to find no half-truth too misleading and no benefit too good to ignore.

This webinar was recorded on December 8, 2015. Fill out the form below to watch on demand.  Quantifying the value of reducing Transient Loads, utilizing a cost-based FMEA approach There is ample evidence that many of the most critical and costly wind turbine drivetrain components require either repair or replacement long before reaching their often targeted…

RECENT PERFORMANCE MODELING of wind-turbine-gearbox bearings with field data suggests that taming torque reversals could lengthen a gearbox-bearing life up to two fold. The field data was collected by engineers at AeroTorque and supplied to bearing simulation and prediction firm Sentient Science. The later company has collected data on millions of military aircraft bearings and…

What challenges do couplings and torque limiters face in wind turbines? Couplings Mechanical couplings connect shafts so one can transmit rotational power to the other. The coupling incorporated onto a high-speed shaft also allows for a degree of misalignment. In wind turbines, flexible couplings are used on the high-speed (output) shaft of the gearbox to…

Several years of monitoring drive train loads on a range of turbines show how frequently occurring wind events and those common to normal operations abuse drive trains and shorten gearbox life. Doug Herr / General Manager / AeroTorque Corporation David Heidenreich /Chief Engineer (Ret.) / AeroTorque Corporation Wind turbines see a broad range of dynamic loads…

Although wind turbines have been around for decades, recent research has been focused on what occurs in wind turbines under abnormal wind conditions. It is understood anecdotally that high gusts and turbulent winds can add to the chance of breakdown of wind turbine equipment and lead to an  increase in O&M and capital costs. Why is…

Couplings Mechanical couplings connect shafts so one can transmit rotational power to the other. The coupling incorporated onto a high-speed shaft also allows for a degree of misalignment. In wind turbines, flexible couplings are used on the high-speed (output) shaft of the gearbox to drive the generator and accommodate the misalignment between the two. The…

Windpower 2014 attendees: Read the most recent windpower news on the Windpower Engineering and Development homepage, check our Twitter (@windpower_eng) for updates from the show floor, and each day watch out for a new photoblog! Missed yesterday’s photoblog? See it here.

Axial cracking in bearing races has become all too common in large megawatt turbines. This damage can shorten bearing life to as little as one to two years. Recent research suggests a root cause of axial cracking, making prevention and early detection possible. Doug Herr • General Manager • AeroTorque Corporation David Heidenreich • Chief…

AeroTorque Corp., a U.S. manufacturing and engineering firm for torsional control products and torque monitoring for wind turbines, has announced a partnership with Frontier Pro Services. The sales partnership serves to further introduce AeroTorque’s innovative WindTC, asymmetric torsional control, and their WindTM, torque monitoring services, to a broader audience in the US wind market. “It was…

Modern wind turbines are an important piece of our energy mix.  Unfortunately, gearbox life issues have impacted their financial payback.  Axial cracks in bearing raceways have become the major cause of premature gearbox failures in the latest generation of wind turbines; shortening life to as little as 1-2 years once it is initiated.  Axial crack failures in gearbox…

PT Tech, Inc. is pleased to announce that its Wind Products division is affording PT Tech enough potential to merit its own focused effort.  As a result, PT Tech Wind Products is now AeroTorque Corporation. “The new name took place because we have developed unique technology solutions that offer significant opportunities in the wind market.…