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Finite element structural analysis of wind turbine gearbox considering tooth contact of internal gear system

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Abstract

Gearbox for wind turbine must be designed to have the sufficient structural strength to sustain the extreme torque and forces transferred from rotor blades. Traditionally, the structural analysis of gearbox has been made using the simplified FEM models in which the contacts between gear teeth are replaced with the equivalent forces acting on the gear shafts, because the consideration of the detailed internal gear transmission system requires a huge number of degrees of freedom. But, the traditional method can neither accurately reflect the gear transmission forces, nor is it preferable for the dynamic analysis. In order to solve these problems, a structural analysis method considering the tooth contact of internal gear system is introduced in this paper. The actual tooth contact between a pair of gears is modeled with spring elements and the spring constants are determined through the stiffness analysis of gear teeth. The current analysis technique is justified through the comparison with the simplified gear system model and applied to the structural analysis of a 2-stage differentialtype gearbox for wind turbine.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Mechanical Engineering, Pusanl National University, Busan, 609-735, Korea

    Jin-Rae Cho, Ki-Yong Jeong, Min-Ho Park, O-Kaung Lim & No-Gil Park

  2. Research and Development Institute of Midas IT, Gyeonggi-Do, 463-400, Korea

    Jin-Rae Cho & Dae-Suk Shin

Authors
  1. Jin-Rae Cho
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  2. Ki-Yong Jeong
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  3. Min-Ho Park
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  4. Dae-Suk Shin
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  5. O-Kaung Lim
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  6. No-Gil Park
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jin-Rae Cho.

Additional information

Recommended by Associate Editor Chang-Wan Kim

Jin-Rae Cho received his B.S. degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Seoul National University in 1983. He then received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from University of Texas at Austin in 1993 and 1995, respectively. He served as an Editor of KSME International Journal and Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology. Dr. Cho is currently a vice director of the Research Institute of Midas IT Co. Ltd. Dr. Cho’s current research interests include adaptive computational method, natural element method, computational tire mechanics, fluidstructure interaction, functionally graded materials, footwear biomechanics and offshore renewable energy.

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Cho, JR., Jeong, KY., Park, MH. et al. Finite element structural analysis of wind turbine gearbox considering tooth contact of internal gear system. J Mech Sci Technol 27, 2053–2059 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-013-0521-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-013-0521-0

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