Hollow Shafts for Wind Turbines

Due to the increasing energy demand in Brazil renewable energy sources become more and more important. In addition to hydropower which is already used in Brazil there is a high potential for wind energy. In particular the coastal regions in Northern Brazil have great potential for using wind turbines. Modern wind turbines show a clear tendency for larger more powerful and economic usage. But the limits of the physical feasibility are reached. A weight reduction while increasing the maintenance-free operation time is the problem to be solved by a Brazilian-German research team. The Institute of Metal Forming, RWTH Aachen develops a solution with regard to the lightweight construction of generator shafts for large wind turbines within the “Brazilian German Collaborative Research Initiative in Manufacturing Technology” (BRAGECRIM) together with the “Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (Porto Alegre, Brazil).