Time-dependent reliability-based design optimization of main shaft bearings in wind turbines involving mixed-integer variables

Abstract

Main shaft bearings are essential transmission components in wind turbines. The failure of the main shaft bearings is inevitably accompanied by catastrophic consequences. In this regard, this paper presents a time-dependent reliability-based design optimization (TRBDO) approach for main shaft bearings involving mixed-integer variables. The maximization of fatigue life and the elastohydrodynamic film thickness under the load spectrum are selected as optimization objectives. The time-dependent reliability and geometric correlation are determined as nonlinear constraints. An efficient two-stage enrichment strategy is introduced to handle the time-dependent probabilistic constraint with mixed-integer design variables. A mixed-integer nonlinear optimization method is developed based on a meta-heuristic algorithm to solve the formulated TRBDO problem. Eventually, the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed approach are demonstrated by a real application in a 5 MW wind turbine.