• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.48-53
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• 2021

Wind energy is considered as the most competitive energy source in terms of power generation cost and efficiency. The power train of the pitch drive for a wind turbine uses a 3-stage complex planetary gear system in being developed locally. A gear train of the pitch drive consists of an electric or hydraulic motor and a planetary decelerator, which optimizes the pitch angle of the blade for wind generators in response to the change in wind speed. However, it is prone to many problems, such as excessive repair costs in case of failure. Complex planetary gears are very important parts of a pitch drive system because of strength problem. When gears are designed for the power train of a pitch drive, it is necessary to analyze the fatigue strength of gears. While calculating the specifications of the complex planetary gears along with the bending and compressive stresses of the gears, it is necessary to analyze the fatigue strength of gears to obtain an optimal design of the complex planetary gears in terms of cost and reliability. In this study, the specifications of planetary gears are calculated using a self-developed gear design program. The actual gear bending and compressive stresses of the planetary gear system were analyzed using the Lewes and Hertz equation. Additionally, the calculated specifications of the complex planetary gears were verified by evaluating the results from the Stress - No. of cycles curves of gears.