Covering a broad range of wind turbine applications, Zero-Max wind turbine couplings are available as an upgrade replacement for existing wind turbines and for OEM applications. Proven and tested under conditions simulating a 20-year load spectrum of continuous operation, they easily handle torque spikes and high misalignment installations, while remaining torsionally stiff. The couplings are designed with composite disk packs, at both ends of a center spacer, which provide high strength and flexibility. These disk packs (flex elements) provide a distinct advantage over other coupling component designs by allowing a surplus of parallel and axial misalignment while remaining torsionally stiff through all harmonic ranges of the wind turbine’s oscillating load. Depending on the application, the company’s center spacers can be machined out of steel, composite glass fiber, or 6061-T6 aluminum. Through the use of Finite Element Analysis (FEA), these center spacers can be engineered to withstand in excess of 100,000 Nm of torque. The flex elements electrically insulate the turbine’s generator from the gear box, eliminating stray electrical current that can leak across the coupling, thus preventing bearing damage to the gear box. The coupling protects the generator by transferring lower reaction loads to the generator bearings. Also, the coupling’s composite material withstands all types of environmental elements, including temperature extremes from -40 to +70°C, and also moisture and chemicals native to the nacelles of wind turbines.
Edited by: Teoman Tugsuz
