A surface study of failed planetary wind turbine gearbox Bearings to investigate the causes of the Bearing premature failure issue

Abstract

The advanced software used in designing Wind Turbine Gearboxes (WTGs) does not solve the premature failure of the gearbox bearings, which still fail within 5%–20% of their design life by flaking. This issue increases the maintenance, downtime, and early replacement costs that limit the investment in the wind energy field. The majority of the previous research have focused on bearing subsurface investigation and the microstructural changes associated with the failure patterns. Conversely, surface investigation can elucidate significant information about the loading levels and contributors to the premature bearing failure. In this study, two bearings from a planetary stage of a failed multi-megawatt wind turbine gearbox underwent surface investigations and analyses. The analyses include indentations, hardness, roughness, and severe damage regions. The study shows that the contact loading stress exceeds the recommended and more than the compressive yield stresses of the bearing materials. The loading distribution on the bearing inner race during the gearbox operation is quite different from the theoretical loading. The transient loadings throughout the service reduce the Wind Turbine Gearbox Bearings (WTGBs) service life. Furthermore, the significant effects of skewing and slipping have been confirmed. Accordingly, the, lubricant filtration system and the design of the planetary stage are recommended to be improved to extend the fatigue life of the wind turbine gearbox bearings.