Transient Load Resistance

Understanding the nature of the transient loads in wind turbine gearboxes is the key to designing more reliable gearboxes.

Highly transient loads are those which change quickly and cause impact events in the gearbox. These impacts are made worse by high inertia systems – such as wind turbines.

Previous thinking has been to limit torque spikes used slip clutches on the gearbox output. However the stick-slip nature of these clutches causes high transient loads which can make durability worse.

DSD has developed design optimisation techniques to limit the effect of transient loads on existing gearboxes and are also developing active damping concepts for future gearbox systems.