Potential in connection systems

System considerations open up the possibility of identifying and utilizing safety reserves in less critical areas in order to increase the overall performance of the assembly. With cross-component calculations, even existing components can be economically optimized. This is a modern approach to increasing the efficiency and performance of our systems.

The demand for high-performance drives, motors and drivetrains in large-scale power generation is constantly increasing. However, the pace of growth often exceeds the capacity for a complete redesign of all components. As a result, the weakest link in the string is damaged as it is unable to cope with the increased requirements. Electric motors that have been in operation for many years have proven themselves under the load requirements of the time, but the calculation basis is lacking to evaluate their load-bearing capacity under today's higher performance targets. The redesign of existing components is extremely costly.

Welded seams and screw connections in particular are suffering under the tougher conditions, having previously functioned reliably for 20 years, but now no longer meet the requirements. Solutions must be found to improve the performance and durability of the systems.

The planned investigation aims to analyze existing rotor pack designs consisting of drive shaft, adapter plates and working blades with regard to their safety reserves. The investigation is based on existing knowledge of cases of damage that have occurred under increased loads and on the original optimum design. The aim is to identify the exact causes of this damage and the critical elements that still offer room for optimization. This will help to gain valuable insights into potential application scenarios.