Gear set, wind turbine incorporating such a gear set and method of servicing a wind turbine
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsAaron John Mashue, Bradley Graham Moore, Kurt Goodwin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A gear set is disclosed. The gear set includes a bearing including an inner race and an outer race, one of the inner race and the outer race being a ring gear including a plurality of first teeth having a first hardness; and a pinion meshable with the ring gear, and including a plurality of second teeth having a second hardness. The second hardness is no greater than the first hardness. A wind turbine incorporating such a gear set and a method of servicing a wind turbine are also disclosed.
Claims20
A gear set comprising:
- a bearing comprising an inner race and an outer race, one of the inner race and the outer race being a ring gear comprising a plurality of first teeth having a first hardness;
- and
- a pinion meshable with the ring gear, and comprising a plurality of second teeth having a second hardness,
- wherein the second hardness is no greater than the first hardness.
A wind turbine comprising:
- a first component;
- a second component;
- a bearing comprising an inner race and an outer race, one of the inner race and the outer race being a ring gear connected to one of the first component and the second component, the ring gear comprising a plurality of first teeth having a first hardness, the other of the inner race and the outer race being connected to the other of the first component and the second component;
- and
- a drive unit stationarily disposed relative to the other of the first component and the second component, the drive unit comprising a drive gear meshing with the ring gear, and comprising a plurality of second teeth having a second hardness,
- wherein the second hardness is no greater than the first hardness.
A method of servicing a wind turbine, the wind turbine comprising a first component;
- a second component;
- a bearing comprising an inner race and an outer race, one of the inner race and the outer race being a ring gear connected to one of the first component and the second component and comprising a plurality of first teeth having a first hardness, the other of the inner race and the outer race being connected to the other of the first component and the second component;
- and a drive unit stationarily disposed relative to the other of the first component and the second component, the drive unit comprising a drive gear meshing with the ring gear, and comprising a plurality of second teeth having a second hardness greater than the first hardness, the method comprising:
- replacing the drive gear with a replacement drive gear comprising third teeth having a third hardness no greater than the first hardness when the first teeth of the ring gear reach a predetermined percent of their expected operational life.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.