Wind turbine gearbox design with drivetrain dynamic analysis

This chapter focuses on the fundamentals of designing a gearbox for a wind turbine and analysis of the associated drivetrain dynamics. First of all, some aspects of early stage design considerations and typical gear layout arrangements (ie, parallel shaft and planetary systems) are discussed. The preliminary design considerations lead to major decisions, such as on the configuration of the gearbox (modular or integral), number of stages, type of layout (parallel or planetary), etc. Following the discussion on early stage design considerations more detailed design principles at the development and production stages are presented. Some of the recommendations following ISO/IEC 61400-4 are also highlighted. Aspects on gear manufacture and inspection are also briefly discussed. Finally, analysis of drivetrain dynamics, variable loading on gearbox and fatigue design of gear teeth are presented. A simple two-mass model of the drivetrain shaft has been presented in the context of dynamic analysis and the importance of electromechanical coupling has been highlighted, including the generator dynamics.