An ISO 9001:2008 certified manufacturing firms says of its wind turbine couplings now cover a broad range of wind turbine applications. Zero-Max Wind Turbine Couplings are available as an upgrade replacement for existing wind turbines and for OEM applications. Successfully tested under conditions simulating a 20-year load spectrum of continuous operation, the turbine couplings easily handle torque spikes and high misalignments.
The wind-turbine coupling’s composite material withstands all types of environmental elements, including temperature extremes from -40 to +70°C, and moisture and chemicals native to nacelles.
The couplings are said to withstand high misalignment while remaining torsionally stiff. They are designed with composite disk packs at both ends of a center spacer. The disk packs provide high strength and generous flexibility. The composite disk packs (flex elements) provide a distinct advantage over other coupling component designs by allowing a surplus of parallel and axial misalignment while remaining torsionally stiff through all harmonic ranges of the wind turbine’s oscillating load.
Depending on application, the center spacers can be machined out of steel, composite glass fiber, or 6061-T6 aluminum. Simulate software helps engineer these center spacers to withstand in excess of 100,000 Nm of torque.
Additional design advantages include flex elements that electrically insulate the turbine’s generator from the gear box, eliminating stray electrical current that can leak across the coupling, thus preventing bearing damage to the gear box. The coupling protects the generator by transferring lower reaction loads to the generator bearings.
Zero-Max, Inc.
www.zero-max.com
Filed Under: Components, Couplings, Nacelle
