Sentient Science hosted three different solution providers to discuss their approaches for life extension of wind turbine gearboxes. They will show their unique materials, torque dampener, and components and how these contribute to making wind turbine gearboxes last longer. The DigitalClone lifing model can take these benefits into account to validate the benefits.

1. How to Double your Gearbox Life Using New
Materials, Components, and Methods

2. Presentors
Wesley Thomas
Business Development
Sentient Science
Doug Herr
General Manager
Aerotorque
Jeff Grabowski
Manager of Applications
Development and
Commercialization
QuesTek Innovations
Joe Reisinger
VP Product
Management
Broadwind Energy
How to Double your Gearbox Life Using New Materials, Components, and Methods
April 22, 2015

3. What If?
How to Double your Gearbox Life Using New Materials, Components, and Methods
April 22, 2015

4. Business Challenge We’re Trying to Solve
Operators
Push
Performance
Failures
Increase on
Rotating
Components
New Failure
Solutions
Emerge
There is
Limited
Time to
Evaluate All
Solutions
Different
Applications
Have
Difference
Value
Expensive
and Time
Consuming
to Try New
Solutions
How to Double your Gearbox Life Using New Materials, Components, and Methods
April 22, 2015

5. Why a Trusted Third Party Can Help
Quantify Benefits and Business
Case Quickly and Early
Life
Modeling
Approach
Specific
Application
Solution
I.P.
How to Double your Gearbox Life Using New Materials, Components, and Methods
April 22, 2015

6. Component Risk Failure risk ranking down to the component
level
DigitalClone Life Models
How to Double your Gearbox Life Using New Materials, Components, and Methods
April 22, 2015

7. Presenter
Doug Herr
General Manager
Aerotorque
dherr@aerotorque.com
How to Double your Gearbox Life Using New Materials, Components, and Methods
April 22, 2015

9. • AeroTorque was spun out of PT Tech Inc. in March of 2013.
• PT Tech has spent the last 36 years working to reduce transient
torque loads in many different types of equipment.
• Both companies are under EBO Group, an 100% employee
owned company.

10. April 22, 2015

11. April 22, 2015

12. April 22, 2015

13. Rotor
inertia
Generator
inertia
April 22, 2015

14. April 22, 2015

15. Photo courtesy: Aaron Greco/Argonne National Laboratory
April 22, 2015

16. A control system can only react as fast as the mechanical system that it controls.
Can a control system react fast to prevent a torque reversal?
Sense the
Wind speed
Initiate
blade pitch
Stop
pitching
How quickly can it respond to a gust or an emergency stop command?

20. 1.65 MW turbine 750 KW turbine

21. April 22, 2015

22. April 22, 2015

23. April 22, 2015

25. Presenter
Jeff Grabowski
Manager of Applications Development and Product
Commercialization
QuesTek Innovations LLC
jgrabowski@questek.com
How to Double your Gearbox Life Using New Materials, Components, and Methods
April 22, 2015

26. p. 26
Contains information protected by SBIR data rights
Agenda
• Background on QuesTek Innovations LLC
• New advanced gear steels:
• properties
• leading applications
• benefits to wind gear boxes

27. p. 27
Contains information protected by SBIR data rights
QuesTek Innovations LLC - Background
• A global leader in Integrated Computational
Materials Engineering (ICME)
• A licensor of four new ultra high performance steels
to Carpenter Technology
• QuesTek steels fly as safety-critical landing gear on
U.S. Air Force and Navy platforms + key
applications in industries where high performance
is valued
Ferrium M54 hook shank forging Completed Ferrium M54 steel T-45 hook shank
The U.S. Navy has estimated that using QuesTek’s Ferrium M54 steel for T-45
hook shanks will provide a $3 Million cost savings
NAVAIR Public Release #2014-
712 Distribution Statement A-
"Approved for public release;
distribution is unlimited"

28. p. 28
Contains information protected by SBIR data rights
Ferrium C61 & C64 high performance carburizing steels:
A significant upgrade from incumbent wind turbine gear materials
Commercially Available
C61 (AMS 6517): ~61 HRC case, ultra high-strength & high-toughness core
C64 (AMS 6509): ~63 HRC case, high-strength core
 For gears, shafts, integrally-geared shafts, pins, ball screws, actuators, etc.
 Aerospace-qualified design minima for flight critical components
 Longer fatigue life and greater pitting resistance
 Greater strength = lighter-weight, or increased power density
 High tempering temperature = greater temperature resistance / survivability

29. p. 29
Contains information protected by SBIR data rights
C61 and C64 steels: Superior fatigue performance
vs. “best-in-class” aerospace gear steels
Single tooth bending fatigue: ~20%
higher performance of C64 steel vs.
Pyrowear 53 (based on 50% failure
criteria)
Greater core strength of C61 steel
leads to ~45 ksi increase in axial
fatigue threshold stress vs. 9310

30. p. 30
Contains information protected by SBIR data rights
Chinook rotor shafts, Block II upgrade (Boeing):
C61 replaces 9310 to provide ~20% increase in power at same geometry
Crankshaft for aerospace steering actuator:
C61 addresses core strength deficiencies of 9310 (full scale production 2015)
Off-road racing (e.g., BAJA 1000)
3-4x life improvement vs incumbent 9310 steel
NASCAR pinions
Eliminated in-race failure issues of incumbent steel
Oil and gas pinions
Solved core failure of 9310
F-1 components
Under evaluation for longer fatigue life
Ferrium C61
Leading application examples
C61 steel forward rotor shaft
undergoing rough machining,
successful rig testing in 2014

31. p. 31
Contains information protected by SBIR data rights
Ferrium C64
Leading applications examples
Next Generation Helicopter Gear
Steel
“C64….allows gears to run at high load levels
without failure and carry more loads through
the gearbox,” March/April 2015 issue of Army
Technology Magazine
• Multi-year programs with Bell
Helicopter and Sikorsky
And…
• Currently under evaluation by several
major global aerospace companies for
next generation engines and gears
Bell Helicopter’s tiltrotor V-280 Valor, with
Ferrium C64 as main gear material,
scheduled to fly in 2017 (Artist’s rendering
courtesy of Bell Helicopter)

32. p. 32
Contains information protected by SBIR data rights
Ferrium C61 and C64
The Benefits for Wind Turbine Gear Boxes
• Increased gear box durability and life
extension
• Reduced maintenance costs and turbine
downtime

33. p. 33
Contains information protected by SBIR data rights
Resources
• Ferrium C61 and C64 are commercially available from
Carpenter Technology, stocked in a range of sizes from
1” to 14” bar diameter
• Processing documents with forging, machining, heat
treating guidelines available
• QuesTek technical support for component prototype
development and testing
• Gear Solutions Magazine, January 2015, page 31-38,
summary of C61 and C64 steels “Application of ICME to
Optimize Metallurgy and Improve Performance of
Carburizable Steels” link on upper right hand corner of
QuesTek web site.

34. Presenter
Joe Reisinger
Vice President – Product Management
Broadwind Energy
Joseph.Reisinger@bwen.com
How to Double your Gearbox Life Using New Materials, Components, and Methods
April 22, 2015

35. © 2015 Broadwind Services, LLC All rights reserved.
Introduction

36. © 2013 Broadwind Energy, Inc. All Rights Reserved
 Reduce crane costs
 Limit turbine down time
 Reduce shipping costs
 Eliminate gearbox CapEx
Proactive approach = reduced downtime
and lower gearbox repair cost
© 2015 Broadwind Energy, Inc. All rights reserved.

37. © 2013 Broadwind Energy, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Shop Remanufacturing
 On-site engineering, machine shop
 Inventory management system (MRP)
 Adequate crane capacity
 Clean environment
 On-site test stand
© 2015 Broadwind Energy, Inc. All rights reserved.

38. © 2013 Broadwind Energy, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Complete Uptower Rebuild
Our unique, self-contained mobile
drivetrain service units were designed
to reduce cost and downtime.
© 2015 Broadwind Energy, Inc. All rights reserved.

39. © 2013 Broadwind Energy, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Deep Precision Gear and Gearbox Expertise
 In-house gear hobbing & grinding
 Carburizing, induction hardening, heat treat
 Re-grind & requalification services
 Magnetic particle inspection & Nital etch standard
 RCA failure analysis services
 On-site full metallurgical & NDT laboratory services
>Produced more than 3,000 gear sets for wind.
© 2015 Broadwind Energy, Inc. All rights reserved.

40. © 2013 Broadwind Energy, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Gearbox Upgrades
Gearing
 Geometry
 Heat treat
 Material
Bearings
 Partnering with OEMs on
RCAs and upgrades
Lubrication
 Work closely with several oil
manufacturers on additives,
cleanliness, changing &
flushing procedures
 Heat exchangers
 Seal upgrades
© 2015 Broadwind Energy, Inc. All rights reserved.

41. © 2013 Broadwind Energy, Inc. All Rights Reserved
• Goal: Compare and quantify
Broad Wind ring gear design with
OEM and another gear alternative
to quantify the life extension
changes between the three
• How: Develop DigitalClone model
for wind turbine Ring Gear #C2
and run simulations to predict
dominant damage mode and
fatigue life
Ring Gear Life
Extension Assessment
© 2015 Broadwind Energy, Inc. All rights reserved.

42. © 2013 Broadwind Energy, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Sentient Predictions
L50 (Years of Operation)
4340
Ring
Gear
43B17
Ring
Gear
DriveMax
4340 Ring
Gear
4.72 14.93 37.84
- 3.2x 8x
LEGEND
4340
Ring
Gear
43B17
Ring
Gear
DriveMax
4340 Ring
Gear
Ring Gear Fatigue
Comparison Results
Fatigue Life Predictions – Load Case 1 – Max. Contact Stress: 1371.2MPa
© 2015 Broadwind Energy, Inc. All rights reserved.

43. © 2013 Broadwind Energy, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Our proven process, tools
& fixtures enable a custom
turnkey gearbox repair plan
…from simple bearing replacements
to complete gearbox rebuilds.
© 2015 Broadwind Energy, Inc. All rights reserved.

44. DigitalClone Live – Site Level
Asset Ranking Default Most-at-Risk, Sortable, Filterable …
Asset Map View Risk Level,
Interactive, Navigable
How to Double your Gearbox Life Using New Materials, Components, and Methods
April 22, 2015

45. Trade-Off Studies Asset/Customer specific trade-off option to confidently
predict impact on life/ROI
DigitalClone Live – Trade-Off Study
How to Double your Gearbox Life Using New Materials, Components, and Methods
April 22, 2015

46. DigitalClone Live – ROI Optimization
ROI Optimization All trade-offs based on ROI at the
individual asset level/group, maximizing ROI for the fleet.
Grouping Asset type,
sub-site, region, etc.
How to Double your Gearbox Life Using New Materials, Components, and Methods
April 22, 2015