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Wind Turbine
Gearbox Failures
Robert Errichello
GEARTECH

WIND TURBINE TYPICAL GEAR FAILURES

BENDING FATIGUE
HERTZIAN FATIGUE
WEAR
SCUFFING
CRACKING

BENDING FATIGUE OCCURS IN 3 STAGES

Load
Crack Initiation
Ratchet Marks

Crack Propagation
Beach Marks

Fracture
Ductile / Brittle

Bending Fatigue/High-Cycle/Root Fillet Cracks

Classic bending fatigue with crack initiation at critical point of maximum bending stress. Curved trajectory of crack
growth is typical as shown by adjacent fracture. Failure was caused by incomplete flame hardening.
Copyright 2000 by GEARTECH, Townsend, MT 59644 All rights are reserved.

Bending Fatigue/High-Cycle/Tooth End Cracks

Scuffing in slide
direction

Beach marks

Crack origins

Bending fatigue cracks initiated in root fillets at left ends of teeth due to incomplete hardening on tooth ends.
Copyright 2000 by GEARTECH, Townsend, MT 59644 All rights are reserved.

FATIGUE SURFACE MORPHOLOGY

ORIGIN

FRACTURE
ORIGIN

RATCHET
MARK

BEACH MARK
FRETTING
CORROSION

CASE/CORE BOUNDARY IS CRITICAL

TENSILE STRESS NEAR
CASE/CORE BOUNDARY

DEPTH BELOW SURFACE

Case History of Bending

Fatigue Failure of INT Pinion
Courtesy of
Rainer Eckert, NW Labs

Bending Fatigue on INT Pinion

F
D
E

MnS inclusions

A
B

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Inclusion Origin on Tooth Fragment

F
D
E

MnS inclusions

A
B

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Close-up of Origin

F
D
E

MnS inclusions

A
B

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SEM Close-up of Inclusion 100X

F
D
E

MnS inclusions

A
B

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SEM Close-up of Inclusion 550X

F
D
E

MnS inclusions

A
B

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SEM Close-up of Inclusion 35X

F
D
E

MnS inclusions

A
B

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SEM/BSE Close-up of Inclusion 50X

F
D
E

MnS inclusions

A
B

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SEM/BSE Close-up of Inclusion 100X

F
D
E

MnS inclusions

A
B

EDS Analysis (fingerprint) of Inclusion (SEM microscope)

F
D
E

MnS inclusions

A
B

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EDS Analysis (fingerprint) of Matrix (SEM microscope)

F
D
E

MnS inclusions

A
B

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Conclusions
1.
F 2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Bending fatigue is primary failure mode

No surface defects were found at tooth surface
C
No material defects due to heat treatment were
found
D
D
Fatigue crack initiated subsurface
E was found at the crack origin
Alumina inclusion
Root cause of bending fatigue is inadequate material
cleanliness
MnS inclusions

A
B

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HOW TO PREVENT BENDING FATIGUE

USE STEEL THAT IS:
CLEAN, HARDENABLE
CARBURIZED
SHOT PEENED
FINE GRAINED
REDUCE:
BAINITE, PEARLITE
NETWORK CARBIDES
MICROCRACKS
FLAWS
BENDING STRESS

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HERTZIAN FATIGUE

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HERTZIAN FATIGUE - 3 GENERAL MODES

MACROPITTING

MICROPITTING

SUBCASE FATIGUE

Hertzian Fatigue/Macropitting
Micropitting
Macropitting

Macropitting on a wind turbine pinion caused by misalignment due to excessive bearing clearance. Micropitting
surrounding macropits is secondary failure. Note similar damage on each tooth including wear step at end of contact.
Copyright 2000 by GEARTECH, Townsend, MT 59644 All rights are reserved.

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HOW TO PREVENT MACROPITTING

Reduce contact stress
Use clean steel
Use carburized steel
Grind / hone gear teeth
Keep lube cool, clean, dry
Use high viscosity lube

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MICROPITTING

Hertzian Fatigue/Micropitting

Micropitted gear teeth appear dull, etched, or stained with patches of gray. It attacks high points on gear tooth
surfaces such as crests of undulations, peaks of cutter scallops, and ridges of grinding lay.
Copyright 2000 by GEARTECH, Townsend, MT 59644. All rights are reserved.

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HOW TO PREVENT MICROPITTING

Grind / hone / polish gear teeth
Avoid shot-peened flanks
Make hardest gear as smooth as possible
Make pinion 2 HRC points harder than gear
Use oil with high micropitting resistance
Keep lube cool, clean, dry
Use high viscosity lube
Use high speeds
Coat teeth with phosphate, Cu, or Ag
Run-in with special lube and controlled loads

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SUBCASE FATIGUE

Hertzian Fatigue/Subcase Fatigue

Subcase fatigue may be caused by inadequate case depth, inclusions near case/core boundary, or grind temper. In
the helical gear shown, it was caused by grind temper. Fine, longitudinal cracks and sharp edged craters are typical.
Copyright 2000 by GEARTECH, Townsend, MT 59644. All rights are reserved.

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HOW TO PREVENT SUBCASE FATIGUE

Reduce contact stress
Use hardenable steel
Use optimum case / core properties
Avoid overheating & grind temper
Keep subsurface stress < subsurface
strength

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WEAR

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Wear/Adhesion
Scuffing

Adhesion is due to microwelding and tearing of asperities. Typically, mild adhesion occurs during running-in and
subsides after it removes local asperities. The photo shows some local scuffs (severe adhesion).
Copyright 2000 by GEARTECH, Townsend, MT 59644. All rights are reserved.

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HOW TO PREVENT ADHESIVE WEAR

Use smooth tooth surfaces
Run-in new gearsets at reduced loads
Keep lube cool, clean, dry
Use high speeds
If low speed, use nitrided gears & highviscosity lube
If very low speed, avoid S-P additives

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FRETTING
CORROSION

Wear/Fretting Corrosion

Fretting corrosion on teeth of a wind turbine pinion. It occurred because the turbine was parked for three months and
the drive train vibrated when wind buffeted the rotor.
Copyright 2000 by GEARTECH, Townsend, MT 59644. All rights are reserved.

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SCUFFING

Scuffing (severe adhesion)

Scuffing on teeth of a wind turbine pinion. It occurred because the oil supply was interrupted.
Copyright 2000 by GEARTECH, Townsend, MT 59644. All rights are reserved.

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SPECIFIC FILM THICKNESS DEFINES

LUBE REGIME
1

hmin

= (12 + 22)1/2
= hmin /

<1
12
>2

Lube Regime
Boundary
Mixed Film
Full EHD

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GEAR LIFE DEPENDS ON

Macropitting
Gear
Life
Micropitting
Adhesion
Scuffing

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HOW TO PREVENT SCUFFING

OPTIMIZE GEAR GEOMETRY / ACCURACY
USE NITRIDED STEEL
GRIND / HONE GEAR TEETH
COAT GEAR TEETH w/ PHOSPHATE, Cu, Ag
USE HIGH-VISC, ANTISCUFF LUBE
COOL GEAR TEETH WITH LUBE
RUN-IN NEW GEARSETS AT REDUCED
LOADS

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GRINDING CRACKS

Cracking/Grinding Cracks

Grinding cracks occur on ground flanks usually perpendicular to the grind direction. They are relatively shallow and
parallel or in a crazed pattern. Nital etch may show grind temper as in the above photo.
Copyright 2000 by GEARTECH, Townsend, MT 59644. All rights are reserved.

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HOW TO PREVENT GRINDING CRACKS

Use proper wheel, feed, speed, &
coolant
Keep retained austenite < 20%
Keep case free of carbide networks
Keep surface hardness < 60 HRC
Inspect for temper w/ acid etch
Inspect for cracks w/ magnetic particle

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CASE / CORE
SEPARATION

Cracking/Case-Core Separation

Chevron marks

Case-Core separation is brittle fracture that usually occurs because case depth is too deep. Chevron marks on the
fracture surface point to the crack origin.
Copyright 2000 by GEARTECH, Townsend, MT 59644. All rights are reserved.

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HOW TO PREVENT CASE / CORE SEPARATION

Control case depth at tooth tips
Avoid narrow toplands
Mask toplands to restrict carbon penetration
Chamfer all edges of teeth
Use clean steel with high fracture toughness
Do not refrigerate
Temper immediately after quenching
Do not shot peen flanks