This report derives the equation for relative elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) film thickness. Mineral (MIN), polyalphaolefin (PAO), and polyalkylene glycol (PAG) lubricants with viscosity grades of ISO 320, 150, and 32 are analyzed.

There is growing financial risk to maintaining operational wind turbines. The average lifespan of a wind turbine is around 20 years and as components within turbines begin to approach the end of their lifecycle, performance can decline resulting in reduced productivity. Meanwhile, recent reports have highlighted that new, larger capacity machines could lead to a rise in component failures and mechanical breakdown issues as manufacturers push to develop bigger turbines, faster.

NKE Austria GmbH (Booth #3C16) will exhibit at this year's Husum Wind trade show taking place September 12-15 in Husum, Germany. The Austrian bearing manufacturer participates for the first time at the fair for renewable energies in Northern Germany.

Nearthlab, a leading provider of autonomous drone technology, announced that the company is scaling up its strategic partnership with ONYX Insight, a global provider of predictive maintenance solutions (PdM) beyond North America to Europe and APAC. The expansion comes a few months after the initial kick-off in March.  

Schaeffler introduced a Wind Power Standard for wind turbine bearings more than ten years ago, which considers the high demands on the reliability of turbines and associated components. This standard for products and processes ensures that wind turbine bearings are subject to the highest quality standards, as also implemented, for example, in the automotive industry, and in the aviation and aerospace sectors. The start of the year marked the manufacture and delivery of the millionth bearing by Schaeffler in accordance with the Wind Power Standard.

ADS Uptime is an extremely useful condition monitoring system for encoders. With local wireless service check-up or system integration with ADS Link, you have maximum flexibility to access data and diagnostics. With ADS Uptime, you can access live data and secure production uptime by making application health monitoring part of your proactive maintenance routine. Knowing things before they happen has never been easier. It was recently featured at the Heidenhain booth during Cleanpower 2023.

Heidenhain Corporation will be exhibiting at Cleanpower, May 22-25 in New Orleans, LA. The booth (#1514) will feature technologies from two companies in the Heidenhain family of brands—Leine Linde and LTN—that can reduce challenges related to wind turbine service and boost overall uptime. 

Bearing manufacturer NKE Austria GmbH is entering into a strategic partnership with Kugler Bimetal SA, a Swiss producer of bimetallic components and tribological surface finishes. The cooperation was announced at the Hannover Messe in April 2023. 

The earliest example of a gear train dates to at least 2,000 B.C. when Chinese engineers built a chariot that used a complex planetary mechanism made of wooden gears to let a dragon head continuously point south when driven around (Ref. 1). In Greece, a surprisingly advanced Antikythera gearbox mechanism, incorporating at least 37 precisely crafted bronze gears, was built years later, between 205–60 B.C. (Ref. 2).

PTE will feature a variety of new component technologies online for bearings, motors, couplings, brakes, gear drives, and motion control systems leading up to Hannover Messe 2023 in Germany. Here is a preview of some bearings suppliers to check out if you're planning on attending the event online or in-person in April.