Yaw bearing

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The yaw bearing is the most crucial and cost intensive component of a
yaw system found on modern horizontal axis wind turbines. The yaw
bearing must cope with enormous static and dynamic loads and
moments during the wind turbine operation, and provide smooth
rotation characteristics for the orientation of the nacelle under all
weather conditions. It has also to be corrosion and wear resistant and
extremely long lasting. It should last for the service life of the wind
turbine) while being cost effective.

Contents
1 History
2 Types
3 Roller yaw bearing
4 Gliding yaw bearing
5 Wear and lubrication
6 Maintenance and repair Schematic representation of the main
7 Bearing Adjustment wind turbine components. The yaw
8 See also system is located between the wind
9 References turbine nacelle and tower.
10 Further reading

History
Windmills of the 18th century began implementing rotatable nacelles to capture wind coming from different
directions. The yaw systems of these "primitive" windmills were surprisingly similar to the ones on modern
wind turbines. The nacelles rotated by means of wind driven yaw drives known as fantails, or by animal power,
and were mounted on the windmill towers by means of an axial gliding bearing.

These gliding bearings consisted of

multiple gliding blocks fixed on the
windmill tower structure. These blocks
maintained sliding contact with a gliding
ring on the nacelle. The gliding blocks
were wooden cube-like pieces with convex
gliding surface covered with animal fat, or
even lined with copper (or brass) sheet as a a schematic of a similar
Schematic representation of a
friction reduction means. These wooden historical gliding pad and lock configuration found on a modern
blocks were fixed in wooden slots, carved [1]
configuration next to... wind turbine.
in the wooden bearing substructure, by
means of nails or wedges and were
carefully leveled to create a flat surface where the nacelle gliding ring could glide. The gliding blocks, despite
the lubrication would wear quite often and would have to be exchanged. This operation was relatively simple
due to the wedge-based connection between substructure and gliding blocks. The gliding blocks were further
locked via movable locking devices[1] which, in a different form, remain as a technical solution in modern
gliding yaw bearings.
The gliding ring of the windmill nacelle was made from multiple wooden parts and, despite the old
construction techniques, was usually quite level, allowing the nacelle to rotate smoothly around the tower
axis.[1]

The hybrid yaw bearing system combines the solutions old windmills used. This system comprises multiple
removable radial gliding pads in combination with an axial roller bearing.[1]

Schematic representation of a historical hybrid yaw bearing with axial

rollers and radial gliding pads.[1]

Types
The main categories of yaw bearings are:

Roller Yaw Bearing: Large diameter bearing (usually four-point bearing)

Gliding Yaw Bearing: Dry or lubricated gliding bearing with plurality of axial and radial gliding pads
being in friction contact with a large diameter steel disk, usually combined with the gear-rim as a single
element

Roller yaw bearing

The roller yaw bearing is a common technical yaw bearing solution
followed by many wind turbine manufacturers as it offers low turning
friction and smooth rotation of the nacelle. The low turning friction
permits the implementation of slightly smaller yaw drives (compared to the
gliding bearing solution), but on the other hand requires a yaw braking
system.
Schematic representation of a typical
Some manufacturers use a plurality of smaller yaw drives (usually six) to
roller yaw bearing configuration of a
facilitate easy replacement. Such a configuration with plurality of yaw
modern wind turbine.
drives often offers the possibility of active yaw braking using differential
torque from the yaw drives. In this case half of the yaw drives apply a
small mount of torque for clockwise rotation and the other half apply
torque in the opposite direction and then activate the internal magnetic brakes of the electric motor. In this way
the pinion-gear rim backlash is eliminated and the nacelle is fixed in place.

Gliding yaw bearing

The gliding yaw bearing is a combined axial and radial bearing, which serves as a rotatable connection of the
wind turbine nacelle and the tower. Contrary to the old windmill concept, the modern yaw bearings support the
nacelle also from the to thus restraining the nacelle from being rotated by the Y-axis due to the moments
induced by the upper half of the rotor sweep disk and the X-axis due to the torque of the drive train (i.e. rotor,
shaft, generator, etc. ).
 Schematic representation of a typical
gliding yaw bearing configuration of
a modern wind turbine.

Principally, the simplest way to accomplish

the yaw bearing tasks with gliding elements
is with two gliding planes for the axial
loads (top and bottom) and a radial gliding
surface for the radial loads. Consequently,
the gliding yaw bearing comprises three
general surfaces covered with multiple
gliding pads. These gliding pads come in
sliding contact with a steel disk, which is
usually equipped with gear teeth to form a
gliding-disk/gear-rim. The teeth may be
located at the inner or the outer cylindrical
face of the disk, while the arrangement of
the gliding pads and their exact number and
location vary strongly among the existing
designs. To assemble the gliding yaw
bearings, their cages split in several
segments that are assembled together
during wind turbine installation or Schematic representation of the components of a modern gliding yaw
manufacturing. bearing.

In its simplest form, the gliding yaw

bearing uses pads (usually made out of polymers) distributed around the three contact surfaces to provide a
proper guiding system for the radial and axial movement with relatively low friction coefficient. Such systems
are economical and very robust but do not allow individual adjustment of the axial and radial gliding elements.
This function importantly minimizes the axial and radial "play" of the gliding bearing due to manufacturing
tolerances as well as due to wear of the gliding pads during operation.

To solve this problem, yaw systems incorporate pre-tensioned gliding bearings. These bearings have gliding
pads that are pressed via pressure elements against the gliding disk to stabilize the nacelle against undesirable
movement. The pressure elements can be simple steel springs, pneumatic, or hydraulic pre-tension elements,
etc. The use of pneumatic or hydraulic pre-tension elements allows active control of the yaw bearing pre-
tension, which provides yaw brake function.

Wear and lubrication

In all gliding bearings wear is an issue of concern, as well as lubrication. Conventional gliding yaw bearings
incorporate gliding elements manufactured out of polymer plastics such as POM or PA. To reduce friction,
wear, and avoid stick-slip effects (often present in such high friction slow moving systems), lubrication is often
introduced. This solution generally solves the gliding issues, but introduces more components to the systems
and increases the general complication (e.g., difficult maintenance procedures for removal of used lubricant).
Some wind turbine manufacturers now use self lubricating gliding elements instead of a central lubrication
system. These gliding elements are manufactured from low friction materials or composites (e.t.g Teflon) that
allow reliable operation of dry (non-lubricated) gliding yaw systems.

Maintenance and repair

Despite the fact that the gliding yaw bearings and their components are designed and constructed to last the
service life of the wind turbine, it should be possible to replace worn out yaw bearing gliding elements or other
components of the yaw system. To allow for replace-ability of worn out components, the yaw systems are
designed in segments. Usually one or more gliding planes comprise several sub-elements that contain a number
of gliding elements (radial or axial or a combination). These sub-elements can be individually removed and
repaired, re-fit or replaced. In this way the yaw bearing can be serviced without the need of dis-assembly of the
whole gliding yaw bearing (e.g., in case of a roller yaw bearing, dis-assembly of the whole wind turbine). This
rep-arability offered by the segmented design of the gliding yaw bearing is one of the most important
advantages of this system against the roller yaw bearing solution.

The only remaining issue is the replacement of the gliding elements of the gliding yaw bearing surface, which
is not segmented. This is usually the top axial surface of the gliding bearing, which constantly supports the
weight of the whole nacelle-rotor assembly. For the gliding elements of this gliding surface to be replaced, the
nacelle-rotor assembly must be lifted by an external crane. An alternative solution to this problem is the use of
mechanical or hydraulic jacks able to partially or fully lift the nacelle-rotor assembly while the gliding yaw
bearing is still in place. In this way and by providing a small clearance between the gliding elements and the
gliding disk, it is possible to exchange the sliding elements without dismantling the gliding yaw bearing.

Bearing Adjustment
When the wind turbine nacelle is positioned on the tower and the
yaw bearing assembly is completed it is necessary to adjust the
pressure on the individual gliding pads of the bearing. This is
necessary in order to avoid un-even wear of the gliding pads and
excessive loading on some sectors of the yaw bearing. In order to
achieve that, an adjustment mechanism is necessary, which enables
the technicians to adjust the contact pressure of each individual
gliding element in a controllable and secure way. The most
common solution is the utilization of bottom bearing plates
equipped with large opening, which accommodate the adjustable
gliding bearing systems. These adjustable gliding bearings Detailed view of a typical pre-tension system
comprise a gliding unit (i.e. gliding pad) and an adjustable pressure for an azimuth (yaw) gliding bearing of a
distribution plate. In between the gliding pad and the pressure plate modern wind turbine.
several spring (pre-tension) elements are located. The vertical
position of the pressure plates is usually controlled by an
adjustment screw. This adjustment screw presses against the pressure plate while being retained by a counter-
pressure support plate, fixed on the bearing assembly with strong bolts. In this way it is possible to apply
various levels of contact pressure among the different gliding pads and therefore to ensure that each gliding
component of the yaw bearing arrangement is performing as anticipated.

See also
Wind power
Wind turbine design

References
 1. Molenbouw, A. Sipman, Zutphen, 2002, ISBN 90-5730-119-9

Further reading
Wind Power Plants, R. Gasch and J. Twele, Solarpraxis, ISBN 3-934595-23-5
Wind Energy Handbook, T. Burton [et al.], John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, ISBN 0-471-48997-2
Molenbouw, A. Sipman, Zutphen, 2002, ISBN 90-5730-119-9

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yaw_bearing&oldid=789003759"

This page was last edited on 4 July 2017, at 19:07.

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may
apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia is a registered
trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.