In the wind power industry, the reliability of powertrain components plays a major role. Especially in multi-megawatt offshore applications, an unplanned replacement of drivetrain components can lead to extremely high costs. Hence, the expectation of wind farm operators is to forecast the system reliability. Under the leadership of the VDMA (Mechanical Engineering Industry Association), the standardization paper 23904 "Reliability Assessment for Wind Turbines" was published in October 2019.

A discussion of ISO and AGMA standards for gears, shafts and bearings, and the art of designing a gearbox that meets your requirements.

Historically, wind turbine gearbox failures have plagued the industry. Yet an effective oil analysis program will increase the reliability and availability of your machinery, while minimizing maintenance costs associated with oil change-outs, labor, repairs and downtime. Practical action steps are presented here to improve reliability.

The primary objective in designing reliable gear drives is to avoid failure. Avoiding failure is just as important for the manufacturer and designer as it is for the end user. Many aspects should be considered in order to maximize the potential reliability and performance of installed gearing.