Gear lubricant line device

A gear lubricant line device includes a base body configured to attach to an end surface of a gear and a mount including a holder for a lubricant applicator. The mount is slidably mounted on the base body and releasably fixable to the base body to hold the lubricant applicator in a desired position relative to a tooth base of the gear.

This application claims priority to German patent application no. 10 2016 224 680.1 filed on Dec. 12, 2016, the contents of which are fully incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD

The present disclosure is directed to a gear lubricant line device, and, more specifically, to a gear lubricant line device configured to apply lubricant to a gear of a pitch drive.

BACKGROUND

A wind turbine is known that has a plurality of rotor blades. The rotor blades are rotatable about their longitudinal direction (axes) so that the wind turbine can be taken out of the wind. The drives for rotating the rotor blades in this manner are called pitch drives. During the rotation, tooth flanks of gears, which tooth flanks are meshed, must be continuously supplied with lubricant in order to protect against increased wear between the two tooth flanks in the long term. The lubricant is currently applied to the respective tooth flanks of the pitch drive using a lubrication pinion laterally attached to the pitch drive. In order to be able to apply the lubricant to the tooth flanks using the lubrication pinion the pitch drive or the rotor blade must be rotated, during a maintenance interval, until the meshed tooth flank comes into contact with the lubrication pinion. Due to these maintenance- or service-intervals undesired downtimes arise, since the system must be taken out of the wind and thus can generate no current. A direct lubrication of the tooth flanks using lubrication pinions during the operation of a wind turbine is currently not possible.

SUMMARY

One aspect of the disclosure comprises achieving a high efficiency.

A gear lubricant line device including at least one attachment unit is proposed, which makes possible a materially-bonded and/or magnetic attachment of the gear lubricant line device. A “gear lubricant line device” shall be understood in particular to mean a lubricant line device that is attachable to an end side of a gear and/or an end side of an open ring gear. The lubricant line device is preferably attached during operating states to the end side of the gear or the end side of the open ring gear. According to the disclosure a high efficiency can be achieved. In particular a lubricating of a pitch drive can be achieved while the wind turbine, which includes the pitch drive, is toward the wind.

Another aspect of the disclosure comprises a gear lubricant line device that includes a base body configured to attach to an end surface of a gear and a mount including a holder for a lubricant applicator. The mount is slidably mounted on the base body and is releasably fixable to the base body to hold the lubricant applicator in a desired position relative to a tooth base of the gear. A top surface of the base body may include a channel having a first side wall and a second side wall, and the mount may comprise a tongue projecting from a side of the holder, and the tongue may be slidably received in the channel. The tongue may include an elongated through opening, and the channel may include at least one hole between the first and second side walls. The hole may be aligned with the elongated through opening such that a fastener extending through the elongated through opening and the hole secures the tongue to the base body. The tongue may include a base wall, and the elongated through opening may be located in the base wall, and a first projection and a second projection may extend from the base wall on opposite sides of the through opening. The first and second projections may slidingly contact the first and second walls of the channel.

Further advantages arise from the following description of the drawings. An exemplary embodiment of the disclosure is depicted in the drawings. The drawings, the description, and the claims contain numerous features in combination. The person skilled in the art will also advantageously consider the features individually and in further meaningful combinations.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1shows a perspective view of an assembly including a gear2and an inventive gear lubricant line device22, which includes a lubricant applicator14according to the disclosure. The lubricant applicator14includes a region8(FIG. 5) that is formed of wire. The region8forms a spring and comprises a partial region16, which is configured wire-shaped and which forms a channel for guiding a liquid. In the partial region16the wire is helically wound, wherein respectively adjacent windings abut against one another. The lubricant applicator14is inserted by a first end into a mount3of the gear lubricant line device22. The region8includes a further partial region28, which also forms a channel. A second end of the lubricant applicator14includes a plug9, using which the partial region28of the region8is sealed. In an alternative embodiment the lubricant applicator does not include the plug9, with the result that the partial region28and thus the second end is unsealed.

In addition, a further partial region18of the region8is disposed between the partial regions28and16, wherein two windings of the wire are disposed spaced from each other with respect to an axial direction of the lubricant applicator14. Lubricant that is conducted in an operating process through the channel of the partial region16can emerge from the channel between the windings in the partial region18, and specifically such that the lubricant also does not enter into the channel of the partial region28.

The gear lubricant line device22includes an attachment unit20, using which the gear lubricant line device22is attached in a materially-bonded manner and magnetically to an end side of the gear2(FIG. 4). The attachment element20includes a receiving region11in which adhesive is applied that fixedly adheres the gear lubricant line device22to the end side of the gear. Furthermore, two further receiving regions are disposed on an underside of the gear lubricant line device22, in which receiving regions adhesive is also applied, which also effects a fixed adhesion of the gear lubricant line device22to the end side of the gear. The receiving regions are formed on a base body6of the gear lubricant line device22. The base body6includes two through-holes12that both open into the receiving region11. When the gear lubricant line device is attached to the end side of the gear, the gear lubricant line device22is initially attached to the end side by four permanent magnets10. Adhesive is subsequently applied via one of the through-holes, which adhesive then flows-in into the receiving region11. Air, which is displaced by the flowing-in of adhesive from the receiving region11, flows through the other through-hole12into a space outside the receiving region11. A surface region26of the receiving region11is made of metal, with the result that in particular metal of the surface region26is adhered by the adhesive to a metallic surface of the end side of the gear.

If the assembly is installed in a wind turbine, then rotations of a rotor blade of the wind turbine about a longitudinal direction (axis) of the rotor blade are brought about by the gear. These rotations are effected by approximately 1° to 2°. For this reason a lubricating of a tooth intermediate space is usually sufficient.

Furthermore, the gear lubricant line device22includes a terminal24to which in an operating state a lubricant line is connected (FIG. 1). The terminal24is supported rotatably relative to the base body6and thus rotatably relative to the gear2. This supporting is effected by two ball bearings. In an operating process a hose30forwards lubricant that has flowed in through the terminal24to the mount3.

The mount3holds the lubricant applicator14and is supported in a translationally movable manner relative to the base body6(FIG. 3). For this purpose the mount3includes a slot32, through which two screws34project that fixedly screw the mount to the base body6. A rectilinear movement of the mount3relative to the base body6is now achieved by loosening the screws34and manually carrying out the movement and subsequently tightening the screws34again, so that the mount3is fixedly screwed to the base body again. The lubricant applicator can thereby be precisely positioned in a base of a tooth intermediate space of the gear. If the applicator is nevertheless contacted by an object, in particular in an operating process, this is harmless for its functioning, since the applicator is formed in large part of wire and is thus flexible. The tooth flanks that delimit the tooth intermediate space are reliably supplied with lubricant by an operation of the lubricant applicator.

The mount3includes a receptacle36, wherein the lubricant applicator is partially received. The receptacle36is removable from the mount and replaceable by another receptacle that is suited for attaching a lubricant applicator of a different type. Thus for any geometric configuration of a tooth intermediate space a matching lubricant applicator can be installed into the receptacle and thus into the mount3by the exchange of the receptacle. Preferably, the mount3further includes a channel4defined between a first side edge5aand a second side edge5a, and the receptacle36may include a tongue37projecting from a side of the receptacle36, the tongue37being slidably received within the channel4.

Service intervals can be minimized or simplified by the gear lubricant line device. Downtimes of wind turbines are reduced. A simple installation is also possible in the retrofitting of existing wind turbines.

REFERENCE NUMBER LIST