Combined anti-friction and plain bearing mounting for a gearbox shaft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10927941-B2
Application number	US-201415100789-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 18, 2014
Priority date	Dec 18, 2013
Publication date	Feb 23, 2021
Grant date	Feb 23, 2021

Abstract

A transmission shaft ( 1 ), designed particularly for a wind turbine, which is mounted by way of a fixed bearing ( 2, 3 ) and at least one floating bearing ( 4 ). At least one gearwheel ( 5 ) is fixed onto the transmission shaft ( 1 ) and positioned in the axial direction between the fixed bearing ( 2, 3 ) and the floating bearing ( 4 ). The fixed bearing ( 2, 3 ) is formed by at least one roller bearing and the floating bearing ( 4 ) is in the form of at least one slide bearing.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A transmission shaft being mounted by at least one fixed bearing and at least one floating bearing within a transmission housing of a wind turbine, the transmission shaft defining a rotational axis,
the transmission housing having cylindrical surface with a circular groove therein;
at least one gearwheel being fixed on the transmission shaft in an axial direction between the at least one fixed bearing and the at least one floating bearing, and the at least one gearwheel having a radially outermost surface,
the fixed bearing being formed by at least one roller bearing and having a radially outermost surface, and
the floating bearing being a unitary solid slide bearing,
wherein the floating bearing has an inner surface and a radially outer surface, the outer surface of the floating bearing has a circumferential ridge that extends radially from the outer surface, the outer surface of the floating bearing directly mates with and contacts the cylindrical surface of the transmission housing such that the circumferential ridge is received within and directly engages the circular groove of the transmission housing and an entirety of the floating bearing is fixed in position relative to the transmission housing, and the inner surface of the floating bearing directly contacts the transmission shaft, the floating bearing facilitates rotation of the transmission shaft relative to the entirety of the floating bearing and the transmission housing, and axial sliding movement of the transmission shaft relative to the inner surface of the floating bearing and relative to the transmission housing, and
a diameter of the radially outermost surface of the at least one gearwheel is greater than an outermost diameter of the circumferential ridge of the floating bearing and less than a diameter of the radially outermost surface of the fixed bearing.

2. The transmission shaft according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one fixed bearing comprises a pair of bearings and the pair of bearings is in the form of an aligned mounting arrangement selected from the group consisting of an O-configuration and an X-configuration, and the at least one gearwheel comprising two gearwheels that are fixed on the transmission shaft in the axial direction between the at least one fixed bearing and the at least one floating bearing.

3. The transmission shaft according to claim 1 , wherein the floating bearing has first and second opposite axial ends and the circumferential ridge is axially located centrally between the first and the second axial ends of the floating bearing and extends radially outward from the outer surface of the floating bearing around an entirety of the floating bearing.

4. A transmission for a wind turbine comprising:
at least one spur gear stage,
the spur gear stage comprising a transmission shaft that is mounted by at least one fixed bearing and a floating bearing, the transmission shaft defining a rotational axis,
first and second gearwheels being fixed on the transmission shaft between the at least one fixed bearing and the floating bearing in an axial direction, and the at least one fixed bearing being formed by at least one roller bearing and having a radially outermost surface, and the floating bearing being formed by a slide bearing, and the first gearwheel having a radially outermost surface,
wherein the floating bearing is a unitary solid slide bearing and has a radially inner surface, a radially outer surface and a radially outermost surface, the radially outer surface of the floating bearing directly contacting and mating with a cylindrical surface of a transmission housing such that an entirety of the floating bearing is at least axially fixed in position relative to the transmission housing of the wind turbine, and the inner surface of the floating bearing directly contacts and engages with the transmission shaft and facilitates rotation of the transmission shaft about the rotational axis and relative to the transmission housing and axial sliding movement of the transmission shaft along the rotational axis and relative to the transmission housing and the entirety of the floating bearing, and
a diameter of the radially outermost surface of the first gearwheel is greater than a diameter of the radially outermost surface of the floating bearing and less than a diameter of the radially outermost surface of the fixed bearing.

5. The transmission according to claim 4 , wherein the transmission shaft is an intermediate shaft, and the first gearwheel is fixed on the transmission shaft in the axial direction between the at least one fixed bearing and the second gearwheel, and the floating bearing is arranged on an axial side of the second gearwheel opposite from the first gearwheel.

6. The transmission according to claim 4 , wherein the transmission shaft is an input shaft, and the second gearwheel is fixed on a shaft seating of the transmission shaft by a keyway between the floating bearing and the first gearwheel in the axial direction.

7. The transmission according to claim 4 , wherein the transmission shaft is an output shaft, and the first gearwheel is fixed on the transmission shaft in the axial direction adjacent the at least one fixed bearing, and the second gearwheel is fixed on the transmission shaft by a keyway in the axial direction adjacent the floating bearing.

8. The transmission shaft according to claim 4 , wherein the floating bearing has a raised ridge that extends radially from the outer surface of the floating bearing and forms the outermost surface of the floating bearing, the raised ridge extends in a circumferential direction around the outer surface of the floating bearing such that the diameter of the outermost surface of the floating bearing is always greater than a diameter of the outer surface of the floating bearing, and the cylindrical surface of the transmission housing has a circular mating groove, and the raised ridge is received by and directly abuts the mating groove such that the entirety of the floating bearing is axially fixed relative to the transmission housing.

9. A bearing mounting for a transmission shaft of a wind turbine, the transmission shaft defining a rotational axis, the bearing mounting comprising:
first and second gearwheels being rotationally fixed on the transmission shaft axially adjacent each other, the second gearwheel being rotationally fixed on the transmission shaft by means of a keyway, and the first gearwheel having a radially outermost surface;
a slide bearing being axially arranged on an axial side of the second gearwheel remote from the first gearwheel;
the slide bearing is a unitary, solid, slide bearing and has an inner surface, a radially outer surface and a radially outermost surface, and the outer surface of the slide bearing directly contacting and engaging a cylindrical surface of a transmission housing such that an entirety of the slide bearing is axially fixed in position relative to the transmission housing;
the inner surface of the slide bearing directly contacting and engaging with the transmission shaft and facilitating rotation of the transmission shaft about the rotational axis relative to the transmission housing and axial sliding movement of the transmission shaft along the rotational axis relative to the inner surface of the slide bearing and the transmission housing;
a fixed bearing being axially arranged on an axial side of the first gearwheel remote from the second gearwheel and the fixed bearing being mounted to the transmission housing for rotationally supporting the transmission shaft, and the fixed bearing having a radially outermost surface;
the fixed bearing comprising first and second conical roller bearings being arranged in a mirror-

Assignees

• Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen
• Zf Wind Power Antwerpen Nv

Inventors

• Leimann Dirk
• Van Den Donker Michiel
• Kirschner Tino

Classifications

• F16C2361/61

  Toothed gear systems, e.g. support of pinion shafts · CPC title

• F03D15/00

  Transmission of mechanical power · CPC title

• F05B2240/50

  Bearings · CPC title

• F16H57/021 Primary

  Shaft support structures, e.g. partition walls, bearing eyes, casing walls or covers with bearings · CPC title

• F16C2360/31

  Wind motors · CPC title