Scribd
Upload
79 views3 pages

Gearbox

The document describes a project to design the gearbox for a wind turbine. The gearbox is needed to increase the rotational speed from the turbine blades to the generator. It must have a gear ratio between 17:1 and 21:1. The design specifications include minimizing weight and size, selecting appropriate materials, withstanding typical and large loads, and having a life of 10 years with 99% reliability. The checklist outlines the requirements for designing each component like gears, shafts, bearings, and keys to meet the specifications.

Uploaded by

Vitthal Gawhale
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
79 views3 pages

Gearbox

The document describes a project to design the gearbox for a wind turbine. The gearbox is needed to increase the rotational speed from the turbine blades to the generator. It must have a gear ratio between 17:1 and 21:1. The design specifications include minimizing weight and size, selecting appropriate materials, withstanding typical and large loads, and having a life of 10 years with 99% reliability. The checklist outlines the requirements for designing each component like gears, shafts, bearings, and keys to meet the specifications.

Uploaded by

Vitthal Gawhale
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

Wind Turbine Gearbox Design Project

Background
Wind turbines are becoming increasingly popular devices for converting wind energy into electricity. The
concept is to mount airfoil shapes onto a rotor such that as the wind blows over the airfoils, the shaft is urged
to turn. The shaft speed is usually much slower than is needed for efficient electricity generation, so a gear
box is used to increase the speed between the turbine blades and the generator. In addition to these basic
components, most wind turbine generators also include a means for feathering the airfoils in high winds to
keep them from spinning too fast, and means for pointing the airfoils in the most advantageous direction
(usually into the wind). Figure 1 shows a typical conceptual layout of one design for a wind turbine which
consists of the following parts: a tower for support and lift, turbine blades to catch the wind, a gearbox for
transmission, a generator to convert mechanical energy to electricity.

Tail Generator Gearbox


rudder

Turbine
blades

Tower

Figure 1. Wind turbine parts

Project Description
You are to work in a team to design the gearbox for the wind turbine, which is supported by a 60 foot tall
tower. Use a compound reverted gear train to increase the rotational speed from the input to the output. The
diameter of the blades is 17 feet. The gearbox consists of spur gears, rolling element bearings, shafts, keys,
and retaining rings.

Specifications
The following are design specifications for the gearbox:

Weight and size Minimize


Material You should select the materials for your design
Gear train value Nominally 18:1; minimum ratio: 17:1; maximum ratio: 21:1
Shaft arrangement  The input and output shafts should be in line
(Figure 2)  Use a compound reverted gear train
 Input shaft: protruding 4 inches out of front of gearbox
 Output shaft: protruding 2 inches out of rear of gearbox
 Provide adequate key slots on the input and output shafts
 Show how various shaft attachments are connected to the shafts
Weak link Design the keys as the weak link of the gearbox, i.e., if anything would fail, it
would be the keys in order to protect other parts
Load  Typical load: 20mph wind and 200rpm blade rotational speed, this gives
the following loading on the input shaft of the gearbox:
 Torque from the three blades: 38.6 ft-lbs
 Lateral load (weight of blades and hub, which are mounted
directly on the input shaft of the gearbox): 260lbs
 Axial load (thrust from the three blades): 50.25lbs
 Large load: large wind can produce loads up to 3 times the typical loads.
The turbine speed is, however constant at 200rpm since it is regulated
by adjustable pitch blades.
Life 10 years continuous operation
Reliability 99% for all parts
Factors of safety Keys and shafts: 𝑛𝑓 = 2, 𝑛𝑦 = 2
Bearings: fatigue: n=1
Bearings for static large load conditions: n=1
Gears: fatigue safety of factors are n=1.2 for surface and n=1.5 for bending
Other parts: yield and fatigue factors of safety of at least 2.

4 inch long
2 inch long
input shaft
output shaft

Gearbox
Connection to
Connection to
generator
turbine blades

Figure 2. gearbox
Design Specification Check-Sheet
Design Checklist
Overall For each shaft
Design specification
Part drawings as needed (size, fillets,
Layout/assembly drawing
shoulders, key slots, retaining ring grooves,
Function description
etc.)
Overall size
Material
Final design analysis (loads; FBDs, shear and
For each gear moment diagrams; critical planes and
points; stresses; deflections and rotations
Equivalent design loads (within the recommended limits for
Rotational speed bearings and gears); etc.)
Diametral pitch Realized factors of safety (static and fatigue)
Number of teeth Show how bearings and gears are attached
Tooth Quality ( Qv ) to the shafts
Face width
Rim effects (if any) to remove weight For each key
Material
Attachment to shaft Part drawings as needed
Final design analysis Type of key
Realized factors of safety (bending and Size (length; width; height; etc.)
pitting) Keyway type and dimensions
Factors of safety
For each bearing Show how the keys are used as the weak
links
Design loads (equivalent loads)
Bearing selection (Type of bearing; Bore; For each retaining ring
OD; width; etc.)
Rating life in hours, and reliability Size (thickness; groove diameter; etc.)
Allowable axial thrust

Optimization

Minimize the weight and size of the design

You might also like