Slewing bearings – in the service of wind energy
Slewing bearings – in the service of wind energy
We encounter large-diameter bearings in many applications, such as wind turbines, cranes, streetcars, articulated buses and even in medical technology. Without slewing bearings, the world would literally stand still. At energyias rothe erde, slewing bearings are manufactured that have to withstand enormous forces.
A look inside: Components of slewing bearings
Inside a rolling bearing, the rolling elements are evenly distributed and guided by a cage. The outer and inner rings run around them. The outer ring is usually connected to the rotor. The inner ring is connected to the drive shaft. One ring is always stationary, whereas the other ring rotates. Thus, if the rotor is connected to the outer ring by means of a flange, the generator is also flanged directly or via a shaft/gearbox on the other side. In this case, the inner ring is stationary and connected to the outer housing structure of the plant. Thanks to this transmission mechanism, large-diameter slewing bearings in wind turbines, for example, can transmit the kinetic energy of the wind power to the drive shaft and finally to the generator, where it is converted into electric current.
