Düsseldorf, 18-01-08 

High-tech Castings Mirror the Dynamic Development of Wind Power Generation

In the last 20 years, castings were used to a steadily increasing extent in wind power generation. Initially, only rotor hubs and standard components such as bearing blocks and transmission casings were commonly made of cast iron. Today, iron castings are replacing components that were welded before, such as machine supports. At present, almost all structural components of the main drivetrain, including machine supports, stator bearing brackets, journals, rotor hubs, and the main drivetrain are made of the ductile cast-iron material GJS-400-18U-LT. Transmission casings are made of GJL-250 because of its good damping properties, torque converter supports are made of ductile GJS-400-18LT, and pinion cases of high-tenacity GJS-700-2.

As wind power systems move ahead into the 5-MW class and beyond, which is destined for use mainly in future offshore wind parks, the specifications for casting production and materials as well as for the dimensions of castings will grow more stringent. Optional applications as well as the requirements applying to these highly developed and technologically sophisticated casting components of modern wind power systems are described in an issue of 'konstruieren + giessen' that is available free of charge from ZGV – Zentrale für Gussverwendung in Düsseldorf.

The subject 'high-tech castings mirror the dynamic development of wind power generation' was covered in detail in No. 2/2005 of 'konstruieren + giessen '. Copies are available free of charge at zgv@bdguss.de.

Photo: Hollow rotor shaft for 5-MW wind power systems made of GJS-400-18U-LT

 

The subjects dealt with in previous ZGV information brochures include

• Cast Iron with Lamellar Graphite – still the most Frequently Used Cast Iron Material
• Cast Cylinder Heads and Crankcases Offer Versatile Solutions for the Cars of Today and Tomorrow
• High-alloy Casting Materials for Special Applications in the Pump Industry World
• Steel Castings for Buildings all over the World
• What to know about Cast iron with spheroidal graphite
• Versatile Non-destructive Tests for Castings
• Black Malleable Cast Iron – Strong and Tough
• Visual Determination of the Surface Quality of Castings by Reference Samples Graphite
• New Studies of the Bending-fatigue Behaviour of Cast Iron with Spheroidal Graphite
• Continuous Castings – Versatile Quality Semis
• Thin-walled complex components made of white malleable cast iron
• Heat-treated cast-iron materials conquer market shares