A planetary gearbox consists of planetary gears, a sun gear, a ring gear, a planet carrier, and other structural components. Through the meshing interaction among the planetary gears, sun gear, and ring gear, the gearbox transmits speed and torque at a specific gear ratio.
There are three transmission modes for planetary gears: fixed ring gear, fixed planet carrier, and fixed sun gear.
In theory, planetary gearboxes can also function as speed multipliers (step-up gearboxes), and planetary gearboxes are also used in wind turbines. However, our conventional planetary gearbox is not recommended for use in wind turbines, mainly for the following reasons:
- The structures and designs of speed-increasing gearboxes and reduction gearboxes are different
The gearbox of a wind turbine is generally used as a speed multiplier. The gearbox bears the force from the wind wheel and the reaction force generated during gear transmission. It must be rigid enough to withstand the force and moment, prevent deformation, and ensure transmission quality. Our planetary gearbox is designed for stepper motor speed reduction. Due to structural and design reasons, if our gearbox is used on a wind turbine, the following situations may occur:
- The strength of the shaft does not meet the requirements, and there may be a risk of shaft breakage during use;
- The wear of the gearbox increases and the accuracy decreases;
- The efficiency of the gearbox drops significantly under speed-increasing operation.
- Different conditions of use
Our planetary gearboxes are generally used together with motors on machinery and equipment, while wind turbines are generally located in special environments such as outdoors and high altitudes, with harsh operating conditions, which may cause the gearbox to be more easily damaged. In addition, due to changes in wind speed, the load on the gearbox is unstable, which may have a greater impact on the gears of the gearbox.
Therefore, the gearbox of a wind turbine generally needs to be specially designed, and we do not recommend using our planetary gearbox for wind turbines. The function of our planetary gearbox on the stepper motor is to reduce the speed and increase the torque, and is used as a reducer.