Static, Dynamic and Fatigue Damage of Spline Coupling in Wind Turbine Rotor

Abstract

This article evaluates the stress distribution along the spline length for partial contact length and the load distribution along the spline tooth length. Includes measurements of load distribution along the length of the spline. Torque is provided by a torque loading arm, and strain gauges are installed on the teeth to measure strain. The system is programmed to monitor tooth strain readings. Different contact lengths and load variations have been investigated in relation to the fixed contact length for the spline hub connection. The effects of varying the contact length in various torque situations have been studied. A single channel strain indicator system is used to determine the strain at the connection in the experimental setup. Using miniature strain gauges, strain at the connection is measured. On the spline teeth, strain sensors were installed to record the localised stress along the length. The spline shaft is constructed with EN19 hub material specifications. Observations indicate that in-volute spline geometry can support greater loads than rectangular and trapezoidal spline geometry.