Schaeffler: Greater Reliability with Wind Power Standard (Germany)

Schaeffler has introduced a new Wind Power Standard (WPOS) for its INA and FAG brand bearings for wind power applications, which fulfills the increasing demands in terms of reliability placed on wind turbines and components in the wind power sector.

This new standard for products and processes means Schaeffler is ensuring outstanding quality and reliability and is offering the same high standards of quality as it is already successfully offering in the automotive and aerospace industries. In future, the relevant products will be labeled with the WPOS designation. All bearings for wind power applications will be included in this new wind power standard by the beginning of 2014.

Cost-effective wind turbines require reliable components. Rolling bearings play a key role here. The demands in terms of component reliability in both onshore and offshore wind turbines have increased considerably during the last few years.

The development of turbines to become multi-megawatt power plants leads to higher forces and torque, which subject the components to ever increasing loads. At the same time, any downtimes and maintenance work generate increasing costs, especially in the case of offshore plants.

Product labeling and internal audits

“The Schaeffler Wind Power Standard is a comprehensive concept developed by the company, which further increases the reliability of rolling bearings in wind turbines. This new quality standard includes all products and processes that are relevant to the wind power sector,” says Dr. Volker Maier, Director of Market Development and Key Account Management at Schaeffler’s Wind Power Business Unit.

Relevant products will be labeled with the WPOS designation. Internal audits monitor compliance with strict quality specifications that apply to all development and design teams as well as for all manufacturing locations worldwide that design and manufacture bearings for wind turbines.

Processes relevant to wind power for the entire supply chain

In order to ensure these high standards are implemented, Schaeffler uses coordinated and transparent processes in close collaboration with customers and suppliers, has a defined change management structure, strict quality monitoring and comprehensive documentation. Selective supplier development ensures the highest possible level of quality from the beginning, for example in terms of the quality of the steel used.

Schaeffler has developed and defined special material specifications for this purpose that ensure particularly high levels of purity and quality for the materials being used. The design process involves product development in conjunction with customers. It incorporates advice on selecting the correct bearing type, matching the bearing to the environmental conditions, designing the bearing while considering WPOS requirements, and calculating the life, contact pressure and static factors of the bearing support.

In addition, further development of the Bearinx^® rolling bearing calculation program enables Schaeffler to consider the deformation of the adjacent parts of the bearing for all load cases, which goes beyond the scope of conventional FEM calculations. The subsequent manufacturing process begins after a defined process freeze. 100% inspections of all characteristics critical for the function and internal audits form the basis of strict quality monitoring.

Several years’ experience

In addition to several years of experience and Schaeffler specialists’ comprehensive systems expertise, state-of-the-art calculation and simulation programs ensure optimal designs for bearings for wind power applications are generated. The entire system is considered starting from a single rolling bearing and its components, the adjacent construction up to the entire power transmission system, which is displayed and optimized using multi-body simulation programs developed in-house.

These calculations are supplemented and verified on high-performance test stands. With its ASTRAIOS large-size bearing test stand, Schaeffler offers unique testing facilities particularly for rotor bearings and slewing rings with an outside diameter of up to 3.5 meters.

These product and process requirements are supplemented by a wide range of services and products from Schaeffler Industrial Aftermarket for Condition Monitoring, for example remote monitoring and diagnosis, offline measurements, endoscopy, thermography, and torque measurement. This means the costs for maintenance activities can be reduced and the availability of wind turbines can be increased.

[mappress]

Press release, September 21, 2012; Image: Schaeffler