Research on the Calculation Method for the Contact Stress of Wind Turbine Main Shaft Bearings Based on Finite Element Analysis

Under alternating loads, the contact situation for self-aligning roller bearings in the main shaft of a wind turbine is complex. Few methodologies exist for calculating the contact stress of main shaft bearings. We propose a method for calculating the contact stress of main shaft bearings in wind tu...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yi Zou, Wenlei Sun, Hongwei Wang, Tiantian Xu, Bingkai Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Lubricants
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4442/13/5/226
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850126581083668480
author Yi Zou
Wenlei Sun
Hongwei Wang
Tiantian Xu
Bingkai Wang
author_facet Yi Zou
Wenlei Sun
Hongwei Wang
Tiantian Xu
Bingkai Wang
author_sort Yi Zou
collection DOAJ
description Under alternating loads, the contact situation for self-aligning roller bearings in the main shaft of a wind turbine is complex. Few methodologies exist for calculating the contact stress of main shaft bearings. We propose a method for calculating the contact stress of main shaft bearings in wind turbines; by simulating alternating loads that affect the turbine’s lifespan with a probability of 99%, analyzing the operational characteristics of the bearings under these loads using the roller slice method, and establishing a load–displacement model, this model serves as the boundary condition for contact stress simulation. We present the approach for building a three-dimensional finite element simulation model of contact stress, followed by model validation. The findings reveal that the maximum stress within the spindle bearing is concentrated in the contact zone, taking on an elliptical configuration. The maximum contact stress, as computed by the proposed method, amounts to 1356.3 MPa, and the bearing’s load-bearing performance adequately fulfills the design requirements. A comparative analysis with the calculation results documented in the existing literature shows that the average discrepancies in the computed outcomes for the roller’s contact with the inner and outer rings are 2.55% and 2.48%, respectively, and this validates the high reliability of the proposed approach. The research conducted in this thesis can further enhance the credibility of the contact stress calculation method for large-scale wind turbine spindle bearings.
format Article
id doaj-art-eccf8a3a1cbd474f8fa6331e85266fb1
institution OA Journals
issn 2075-4442
language English
publishDate 2025-05-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Lubricants
spelling doaj-art-eccf8a3a1cbd474f8fa6331e85266fb12025-08-20T02:33:54ZengMDPI AGLubricants2075-44422025-05-0113522610.3390/lubricants13050226Research on the Calculation Method for the Contact Stress of Wind Turbine Main Shaft Bearings Based on Finite Element AnalysisYi Zou0Wenlei Sun1Hongwei Wang2Tiantian Xu3Bingkai Wang4School of Mechanical Engineering, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830047, ChinaSchool of Mechanical Engineering, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830047, ChinaSchool of Mechanical Engineering, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830047, ChinaSchool of Mechanical Engineering, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830047, ChinaSchool of Mechanical Engineering, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830047, ChinaUnder alternating loads, the contact situation for self-aligning roller bearings in the main shaft of a wind turbine is complex. Few methodologies exist for calculating the contact stress of main shaft bearings. We propose a method for calculating the contact stress of main shaft bearings in wind turbines; by simulating alternating loads that affect the turbine’s lifespan with a probability of 99%, analyzing the operational characteristics of the bearings under these loads using the roller slice method, and establishing a load–displacement model, this model serves as the boundary condition for contact stress simulation. We present the approach for building a three-dimensional finite element simulation model of contact stress, followed by model validation. The findings reveal that the maximum stress within the spindle bearing is concentrated in the contact zone, taking on an elliptical configuration. The maximum contact stress, as computed by the proposed method, amounts to 1356.3 MPa, and the bearing’s load-bearing performance adequately fulfills the design requirements. A comparative analysis with the calculation results documented in the existing literature shows that the average discrepancies in the computed outcomes for the roller’s contact with the inner and outer rings are 2.55% and 2.48%, respectively, and this validates the high reliability of the proposed approach. The research conducted in this thesis can further enhance the credibility of the contact stress calculation method for large-scale wind turbine spindle bearings.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4442/13/5/226contact stresswind turbinemain shaft bearingfinite elementalternating loadload–displacement
spellingShingle Yi Zou
Wenlei Sun
Hongwei Wang
Tiantian Xu
Bingkai Wang
Research on the Calculation Method for the Contact Stress of Wind Turbine Main Shaft Bearings Based on Finite Element Analysis
Lubricants
contact stress
wind turbine
main shaft bearing
finite element
alternating load
load–displacement
title Research on the Calculation Method for the Contact Stress of Wind Turbine Main Shaft Bearings Based on Finite Element Analysis
title_full Research on the Calculation Method for the Contact Stress of Wind Turbine Main Shaft Bearings Based on Finite Element Analysis
title_fullStr Research on the Calculation Method for the Contact Stress of Wind Turbine Main Shaft Bearings Based on Finite Element Analysis
title_full_unstemmed Research on the Calculation Method for the Contact Stress of Wind Turbine Main Shaft Bearings Based on Finite Element Analysis
title_short Research on the Calculation Method for the Contact Stress of Wind Turbine Main Shaft Bearings Based on Finite Element Analysis
title_sort research on the calculation method for the contact stress of wind turbine main shaft bearings based on finite element analysis
topic contact stress
wind turbine
main shaft bearing
finite element
alternating load
load–displacement
url https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4442/13/5/226
work_keys_str_mv AT yizou researchonthecalculationmethodforthecontactstressofwindturbinemainshaftbearingsbasedonfiniteelementanalysis
AT wenleisun researchonthecalculationmethodforthecontactstressofwindturbinemainshaftbearingsbasedonfiniteelementanalysis
AT hongweiwang researchonthecalculationmethodforthecontactstressofwindturbinemainshaftbearingsbasedonfiniteelementanalysis
AT tiantianxu researchonthecalculationmethodforthecontactstressofwindturbinemainshaftbearingsbasedonfiniteelementanalysis
AT bingkaiwang researchonthecalculationmethodforthecontactstressofwindturbinemainshaftbearingsbasedonfiniteelementanalysis