Using a rotor lock plate for redistribution of shaft weight and loads

A wind turbine, comprising:

• a main shaft line, the main shaft line comprising a main shaft, a rotor hub, a rotor lock plate comprising an opening for receiving a pin;
• a nacelle, the nacelle comprising:
• a bed plate;
• a multi-part main bearing, the multi-part main bearing comprising a housing, an inner ring, and an outer ring;
• and
• a pin moveable between a first position, a second position, and a third position, wherein the pin is retracted from the opening in the first position so that the main shaft line is rotatable, wherein the pin is inserted into the opening in the second position so that the main shaft line is not rotatable, and wherein, in the third position, the pin is shifted with respect to the second position so that the main shaft line is supported by the pin such that the weight of shaft and loads on the main shaft are not transmitted through the multi-part main bearing but are transferred via the rotor lock plate and the pin to the bed plate.

A wind turbine, comprising:

• a main shaft line, the main shaft line comprising a main shaft, a rotor hub, a rotor lock plate comprising an excentre ring with an opening defined therein for receiving a pin;
• a nacelle, the nacelle comprising:
• a bed plate;
• a multi-part main bearing, the multi-part main bearing comprising a housing, an inner ring, and an outer ring;
• wherein the housing comprises a support that rests on the bed plate, the support comprising a first part connected to the multi-part main bearing and a second part abutting the bed plate, wherein the second part is wedge-shaped and is removable from between the first part and the bed plate;
• and
• a pin moveable between a first position, and a second position, wherein the pin is retracted from the opening in the first position so that the main shaft line is rotatable, and the pin is inserted into the opening in the second position so that the main shaft line is not rotatable.

A method for performing a maintenance or repair procedure on a multi-part main bearing of a wind turbine, the method comprising:

• inserting a pin into an opening in a rotor lock plate of a rotor hub so that a main shaft line of the wind turbine is not rotatable;
• supporting the main shaft line via the pin, wherein the pin connects the main shaft line via the rotor lock plate to a bed plate such that the multi-part main bearing does not support weight of the main shaft line;
• disengaging contact between a bearing housing of the multi-part main bearing and the bed plate;
• and
• subsequently performing the maintenance or repair procedure on the multi-part main bearing.