The Use of Plate Springs for Preloading of a System of Tapered Roller Bearings of a Wind Turbine Gearbox

Abstract

The use of preloaded tapered roller bearings in wind turbine drive systems allows a transfer of load in the case of high variations of axial forces. The examined bearing system, a modification of a current design, consists of a pair of different sized bearings. Previous study showed the high sensitivity of tapered roller bearings on the existing radial interference. Dimensional tolerances used in the original design do not allow obtaining precise values of preload required for slippage-free operation of bearings with varying wind turbine load conditions. With the aim of achieving expected preload values, the use of plate springs (Belleville springs) is proposed. The springs will allow creating an axial force, independently of real dimensions in a modernised unit. Furthermore, it is very important in the case of gearbox retrofits to be executed up in the wind turbine nacelle without dismantling the gearbox.