Gear assembly for a wind turbine gearbox having a flexible pin shaft and carrier
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsJacob Johannes Nies, Matteo Bellucci, Kevin M. Vandevoorde, Raed Zuhair Hasan, John P. Davis, Aaron Joseph Wertz
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A carrier and at least one pin shaft of a gearbox of a wind turbine and method of manufacturing same includes forming the carrier and the pin shaft(s) as a single part or separate components. Further, the method includes forming one or more voids in the pin shaft(s) and/or the carrier via additive manufacturing. As such, the void(s) is configured to increase flexibility of the pin shaft(s)/carrier so as to improve a load distribution thereof.
Claims17
A method for manufacturing a gear assembly of a gearbox of a wind turbine, the method comprising:
- forming a carrier of the gear assembly;
- additively molding or printing at least a portion of at least one pin shaft of the gear assembly onto the carrier to form an integral part, the at least one pin shaft having a variable cross-section;
- and,
- forming one or more voids in the gear assembly via an additive manufacturing process, the one or more voids configured to increase flexibility of the at least one pin shaft so as to improve a load distribution of the carrier.
A gearbox assembly, comprising:
- a gearbox housing;
- and,
- a planetary gear system configured within the gearbox housing, the planetary gear system comprising a plurality of planet gears, at least one sun gear, at least one ring gear, at least one carrier operatively coupled with the plurality of planet gears, and a plurality of pin shafts, each of the plurality of planet gears arranged so as to rotate around one of the plurality of pin shafts, the plurality of planet gears being engaged with the ring gear and configured to rotate about the sun gear,
- wherein the at least one pin shaft is integral with the carrier, the at least one pin shaft being additively molding or printing onto the carrier, the at least one pin shaft comprising a variable cross-section containing one or more voids formed therein via an additive manufacturing process, the variable cross-section of the at least one pin shaft configured to increase flexibility of the at least one pin shaft so as to improve a load distribution of the carrier.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.