Gearbox for Wind Turbines

A wind turbine is a machine that converts the kinetic energy in wind into mechanical energy. Different types of wind turbines including horizontal axis turbine make use of a gearbox responsible for slow rotation of blades into a quicker rotation. Wind turbines use a gearbox, together with a generator to transform mechanical power into electricity.

Large and commercial wind turbines make use of speed increasing gearboxes for reducing the total cost and weight. Various gears and gearboxes are used in wind turbines for connecting low-speed shaft to the high-speed shaft and increasing the rotational speeds. These gearboxes increase the RPM in the wind turbines to a level that is required to produce electricity.

Construction Material
Gearboxes used for wind turbine system's efficient working are made from superior quality aluminium alloys, stainless steel, cast iron etc.

Types of Gearbox Used

• Planetary Gearbox
• Helical Gearbox
• Worm Gearbox

Planetary gearboxes are widely used among other for different wind turbines. They are in demand because of the flexibility in designing. These gearboxes increase the operational efficiency and are more apt than helical, spur and worm gearboxes.

Advantages of using a Planetary Gearbox

• The gearbox drive increases the efficiency and provides extremely low speeds.
• These gearboxes deliver high reduction ratios and transmit a higher torque.
• These gearboxes are compact and lightweight, requiring little installation space.
• High reliability due to proper distribution of stress among different load-bearing components.