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How to extend the lifespan of your gearbox
We believe the life-span of a given population of gearboxes at a site will likely be distributed in a bell curve. In other words, a wind farm with 100 turbines may see a handful of gearbox failures the first few years of operation, with the failure rate increasing over time. ...Based on the gearboxes that have come through our facility, the majority of lifespan distribution for wind turbine gearboxes will fall between seven and 10 years.
July 18, 2012
by Brian Hastings
in North American Windpower
How long can a gearbox last? How long should it last? Because there are so many factors that can rob a gearbox of its true lifespan, these questions cannot be simply answered. To truly understand the full range of premature-failure issues - and do everything possible to minimize root causes - consider that each of the following can contribute to the premature failure:
• inadequate lubrication;
• contaminated lubrication;
• high speed bearing failures;
• improper assembly; and
• material defects.
Each of these points is significant enough to warrant its own focus, and industry resources are hard at work trying... [continue via Web link]
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