Pitch system locking arrangement
AssigneeSiemens Gamesa Renewable Energy A/S
InventorsHenning Ebbesen, Christian Laursen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A rotor of a wind turbine is disclosed with a pitch system locking arrangement to lock the position of a wind turbine rotor blade. A rotor comprises a rotor hub and a rotor blade, whereby the rotor blade is connected to the hub via a bearing, to be rotatable in respect to the hub in a pitch movement. The rotor blade comprises a root section, and the root section comprises a plate, that at least partially covers the cross section of the rotor blade. A certain predetermined rotational position of the rotor blade with respect to the hub is a locked position. The hub includes a locking pawl. The plate comprises an opening, and the locking pawl is at least partially located in the opening of the plate, when the rotor blade is in the locked position.
Claims15
A rotor of a wind turbine with a pitch system locking arrangement to lock the position of a wind turbine rotor blade, comprising:
- a rotor having a rotor hub and a rotor blade, wherein the rotor blade is connected to the hub via a bearing, to be rotatable with respect to the hub in a pitch movement, wherein the rotor blade includes a root section, and the root section includes a plate, that at least partially covers the cross section of the rotor blade, whereby a predetermined rotational position of the rotor blade with respect to the hub is a locked position, wherein the hub comprises a locking pawl, wherein the plate has an opening and the locking pawl is at least partially located in the opening of the plate, when the rotor blade is in the locked position, wherein the opening further comprises a ramp for the locking pawl to slide along, so that the locking pawl can slide out of the opening in one rotational direction of the rotor blade with respect to the hub, and wherein the plate directly abuts on the surface of the locking pawl such that forces from the locking pawl are applied directly to a side wall of the opening in the plate, the direction of application of the forces from the locking pawl being only in a plane defined by the plate such that the forces from the locking pawl applied to the plate do not cause any out-of-plane bending moments to occur in the plate.
A method to lock the pitch position of a rotor blade at a rotor, whereby the method comprises the steps of:
- providing a rotor having a hub;
- rotating the rotor blade with respect to the hub in pitch movement;
- providing a locking pawl and a plate having an opening;
- introducing the locking pawl into the opening in the plate of the rotor blade to lock the rotational position of the rotor blade with respect to the hub such that the locking pawl applies forces to a side wall of the plate only in a direction along a plane defined by the plate such that the forces from the locking pawl applied to the plate do not cause any out-of-plane bending moments to occur in the plate;
- and
- providing a ramp in the opening for the locking pawl to slide along, so that the locking pawl can slide out of the opening in one rotational direction of the rotor blade with respect to the hub.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.