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Disaster with wind turbine | 34 comments (34 topical, editorial)
Re: Disaster with wind turbine (3.00 / 0) (#5)
by wolfie on Sat Apr 12th, 2008 at 11:58:59 PM MST
(User Info)

taper lock hubs are a 2 piece hub that locks on to a straight shaft, the taper is internal in the hub, i work in a forge, and these are the hubs we use on all our motors, upto and including 350hp 480volt motors, once locked on, they do not come off un less removed



Re: Disaster with wind turbine (3.00 / 0) (#6)
by john j on Sun Apr 13th, 2008 at 01:27:29 AM MST
(User Info)

Ive seen on some farm equipment, they double lock things by drilling a hole through axle and hub, and driving a hollow steel dowel through. Extremely strong and not affected by vibration. Would this work?
Cheers, john j
[ Parent ]


Re: Disaster with wind turbine (3.00 / 0) (#7)
by Flux on Sun Apr 13th, 2008 at 02:18:45 AM MST
(User Info)

I don't think we have enough details of the set up to really know why it failed.

Wind turbines are severe life testing machines and things will fail on a wind turbine that would run under other conditions.

Unless a coupling is a press fit on a shaft there is likely to be movement during acceleration and deceleration. Even a keyway has to be perfectly cut to avoid this forwards and backwards fretting that will eventually loosen things. I have had satisfactory results with a parallel keyed shaft that is well fitted and locked axially with a good big nut on the end of the thread.

The taperlock scheme is by far the most satisfactory and normally will work perfectly well without a key but a key backup helps.

For small motors and shafts the fit between coupling and shaft is very critical and anything less than a press fit will likely be a source of trouble. If keyed and two grub screws are used fitted at 90 deg then I would expect it to be ok as long as though it is not a very loose fit. For some reason the rest of the world uses one grub screw or two diametrically opposite one another and this will guarantee failure.

A loose pin through the hub and shaft gives short term protection but it will eventually fret through and fail. If the fit is good a roll pin or a well fitted taper pin will be ok, but if the hub is not a really good slide fit or better on the shaft then again these things will eventually fail.

Drilling holes through the shaft can seriously weaken some of the small motor shafts so you have to watch that you don't cause a shaft failure.

Parallel splines can be just as bad unless you have a really decent nut on the end of the shaft and lock the thing endways so tight that it can't fret on the splines ( think of car drive shafts and the big nut with huge tightening torque).

Any form of hub with a taper fitting is fine ( with or without a key) but it will need pullers to remove it and if you work up a tower you will not appreciate having to handle a set of pullers. If you can lower the whole thing then there is no problem.

Even decently engineered things fail and I sometimes fear dreadful things when I see some of the low grade engineering with some of the newcomers with small motors, and limited facilities, they are disasters waiting to happen.

Surprisingly nearly all these things actually fall off when the speed drops and the thing just lands underneath on the ground. When something departs at high speed then there is real potential for damage.

Flux

[ Parent ]



Re: Disaster with wind turbine (3.00 / 0) (#8)
by Otto on Sun Apr 13th, 2008 at 02:40:50 AM MST
(User Info)

I will investigate the cause of the failure and post pictures when I get off work.  If someone can learn from other's mistakes that will hopefully prevent an accident and save time and money.
Thanks
Otto

[ Parent ]


Re: Disaster with wind turbine (3.00 / 0) (#17)
by vawtman (vawtman(at)charter(dot)net) on Sun Apr 13th, 2008 at 06:09:53 PM MST
(User Info)

Hi Mike
 Has the old saying goes"when the going gets tough the tough get going"so hang in there.You have conquered many of your early frustrations already.
 Best wishes for ya.

[ Parent ]


Re: Disaster with wind turbine (3.00 / 0) (#11)
by imsmooth on Sun Apr 13th, 2008 at 06:26:19 AM MST
(User Info) http://www.mindchallenger.com

Is the taper lock hub something that one can buy?  Can a machine shop make this?
Jonathan
[ Parent ]


Re: Disaster with wind turbine (3.00 / 0) (#12)
by TimV on Sun Apr 13th, 2008 at 06:39:51 AM MST
(User Info)

Yes you can buy a taper lock at any bearing supply or industrial supply house and if you google I bet you can order them online.
I get a lot of stuff from WW Granger and another is McMaster Carr and I like Bailey Sales out of Knoxville Tn. And if you like gadgets ets   "The Suplus Center" has a free catalong with generators and tons of stuff.
Look up "Browning" I think they make the "Taper Lock" brand
Also rember you can order hubs and bushings in different lengths as well as different bores. Order as long or deep a hub you can use as it will give you greater holding power using more surface.
Another is Northern Hydraulics Industrial catalog    

[ Parent ]


Re: Disaster with wind turbine (3.00 / 0) (#14)
by imsmooth on Sun Apr 13th, 2008 at 08:17:46 AM MST
(User Info) http://www.mindchallenger.com

Thanks, Tim.  I see some on the Grainger website.  Please correct me if my understanding of them is wrong:

I will take my shaft, which is 25mm and have the rotor hub made to just fit over it.  The rotor hub and shaft can have a key lock.  Behind the rotor hub will be a taper-lock hub.  There will be a taper-lock hub in front.  This will squeeze the hub together.  As an alternate method can I have the shaft taper slightly larger so the rotor hub gets tighter the further down the shaft it is pushed?

The taper lock hub works by using the screws to squeeze the internal ring tightly around the shaft so friction keeps them together.
Jonathan
[ Parent ]



Re: Disaster with wind turbine (3.00 / 0) (#19)
by kenputer on Sun Apr 13th, 2008 at 07:42:40 PM MST
(User Info)

For the F&P go to randysworkshop.com he has some laser cut plates that adapt blades securely to the F&P hubs

[ Parent ]


Re: Disaster with wind turbine (3.00 / 0) (#24)
by imsmooth on Mon Apr 14th, 2008 at 02:37:17 PM MST
(User Info) http://www.mindchallenger.com

I looked into this, but Randy doesn't have the hub for the blades I'm getting.  He said he couldn't help.
Jonathan
[ Parent ]


Re: Disaster with wind turbine (3.00 / 0) (#20)
by TimV on Sun Apr 13th, 2008 at 08:18:29 PM MST
(User Info)

You can bore your existing hub(if it is large enough) to accept a stock weld in hub that will take a taper lock bushing.
Or a shop could taper bore your hub  and drill it and thread it so it would take a Taper lock bushing to.

[ Parent ]


Re: Disaster with wind turbine (3.00 / 0) (#25)
by imsmooth on Mon Apr 14th, 2008 at 02:41:14 PM MST
(User Info) http://www.mindchallenger.com

I think this is what I am going to do.  The shaft is 25mm.  I can bore the rotor hub to take the shaft and key.  I can bore the shaft in front down to 0.875 to take a standard 0.875in bushing taper lock from grainger.com

Will 0.875 steel shaft be ok for an 8.5' rotor?
Jonathan
[ Parent ]



Re: Disaster with wind turbine (3.00 / 0) (#34)
by domwild (domwild at hotmail dot com) on Fri Apr 18th, 2008 at 01:35:19 AM MST
(User Info)

Jonathan,

As one inch is 25.404 mm you should have no problem finding a taper lock to go with your 25.00 mm shaft.

Regards,

dom We only ever use the best fencing wire for our repairs!
[ Parent ]



Re: Disaster with wind turbine (3.00 / 0) (#13)
by RobC on Sun Apr 13th, 2008 at 08:04:48 AM MST
(User Info)

Taper lock hubs are used everywhere. Any bearing supplier should have them. You can find hubs with taper locks that you can weld on sprockets, pulleys, disks, etc as well.
RobC

[ Parent ]


Disaster with wind turbine | 34 comments (34 topical, 0 editorial)

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