Wind turbines last longer than ever thanks to continuous engineering improvements. Gearboxes in wind turbines, more than those in any other application, tend to fail prematurely. In fact, at some wind ...

Gearboxes in general are a result of over 80 years of accumulated engineering knowledge. So why do gearboxes for wind turbines sometimes fail after seven to 11 years — way less than the anticipated 20 ...

From all outward appearances, wind turbines are sleek and elegant works of engineering. But inside, they're hell on gears and bearings. In most turbines, the rotors turn a mechanical transmission that ...

Six Northern Power 100 kW direct drive wind turbines produce power for Unalakleet, Alaska. The turbines are owned by Unalakleet Valley Electric Cooperative. Photo courtesy STG Inc. For years, wind ...

Q: What are the challenges when machining gears for wind turbines? Gears for wind turbine applications are typically large in diameter and have wide face widths, requiring very exacting material ...

Wind turbines are more reliable than ever, as evidenced by the uptime and availability numbers for today’s wind farms. It’s due in large part to wind-turbine gearboxes that have become increasingly ...

Wide variations in speed and load, changing wind direction, climatic extremes and limited space inside nacelles conspire to reduce wind turbine availability and increase maintenance costs. The primary ...