"Go hard into the Wind" - Induction hardening of large rings for wind turbines

Wind power, particularly through the growth of offshore wind installations, will play a leading role in our renewable energy future. Cost-effective offshore energy production requires virtually maintenance-free wind turbines, posing a special design challenge for highly and dynamically loaded components such as rotary joints and bearing rings. The preferred manufacturing method for reliably creating hard, wear-resistant component surfaces is induction hardening. The surface material's metallurgical structure is transformed (hardened) through a well-controlled sequence of induction heating and rapid cooling (quenching).This process is used, for example, to harden ring gears, slewing rings, and bearing races. Different hardening system designs are available for optimum and reproducible results. The most flexible hardening system features a work piece tilt table to optimize quenching fluid flow to the bearing raceways and/or gear teeth. Additional patented SMS-Elotherm technologies such as work piece net power monitoring and automatic inductor position control combine to make induction hardening a robust and precise manufacturing process that is easily integrated into existing production lines.