A European wind turbine manufacturer will use NSK high-load-capacity tapered roller bearings in the gearboxes of its 15 MW class offshore wind turbines.Mass production and delivery of these bearings will begin soon. The bearings offer increased load capacity by optimising the roller crowning shape, a slight arc shape that avoids stress concentration at the roller ends. With conventional bearings, excessive contact pressure at the roller ends often requires selecting larger bearings to handle high loads. In contrast, the new roller bearings distribute pressure uniformly, eliminating the need for upsizing and allowing a weight reduction of more than 30% under the same conditions.
