부산대학교 도서관

Structural components design in the wind sector is based on international guidelines that in some cases could be ambiguous and excessively conservative. This article reviews the state of the art regarding allowable data of material that must be provided during the different design steps of large structural castings for gearboxes in the wind sector. One of the main issues in designing these components is the presence of relevant stresses in thick-walled sections, where there are sometimes mechanical properties gradients that are forced as result of a specific manufacturing process. At the initial stages of a structural analysis, for either static or fatigue assessment, the concept of allowable material data is established. These material properties could be selected, as a first approach, based on the definition of a relevant thickness in the part, but it forces those properties to be assumed by all sections of the component regardless of their local equivalent thickness and their real local mechanical properties. Other alternatives are possible, such as considering the real properties of the material for each local thickness; this option could be defined on the basis of the geometrical/thermal modulus that are typical concepts of casting process technology. Consequently, this article presents a review of material properties selection in different design codes of the wind sector, as well as available methodologies to provide them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]