System and method for monitoring damage of a bearing for a wind turbine

A system for monitoring a damage of a slewing ring bearing for a wind turbine, wherein the wind turbine includes a hub with a hub wall that defines an engagement region around an opening to an internal hub cavity, the slewing ring bearing mounted in the opening, the system comprising:

• at least one optical fiber sensor arranged on an outer surface of the engagement region of the hub wall radially outward of and adjacent the slewing ring bearing or to an inner surface of the engagement region of the hub wall within the hub cavity radially outward of and adjacent the slewing ring bearing;
• and
• a controller communicatively coupled to the at least one optical fiber sensor, the controller configured to perform a plurality of operations, the plurality of operations comprising:
• receiving one or more sensor signals from the at least one optical fiber sensor indicative of one or more changes associated with the slewing ring bearing or structure adjacent to the slewing ring bearing;
• comparing the one or more changes associated with the slewing ring bearing or the structure adjacent to the slewing ring bearing to a damage threshold;
• and
• implementing a control action when the one or more changes exceed the damage threshold to prevent or minimize further damage from occurring to the slewing ring bearing or the structure adjacent to the slewing ring bearing.