A multi-brand wind service contractor required a comprehensive main shaft repair of a Suzlon S97 wind turbine that had catastrophic main bearing failure, damaging several components including the bearing housing cover, retaining nut, and sealing rings. The bearing housing was also damaged and no replacement was available for the 10-day turnaround time. Our team worked on the main shaft and components, providing engineered solutions from precision machining, thermal spray, and reverse engineering, completing all repairs and replacements within 10 calendar days, and delivering on 100% schedule compliance.

Project:

• Wind Turbine Model: Suzlon S97
• Work Scope:  Main shaft repair, component manufacturing, and bearing housing repair.
• Customer: Multi-brand wind service contractor.

Challenges:

• Spare main shaft not available, requiring 10-day repair turnaround time.
• Due to catastrophic main bearing failure, multiple components were severely damaged requiring repair or replacement.
• The bearing housing bore exceeded the OEM’s recommended fit condition. No part replacement was available and repairing the bearing housing was the only viable option.

Engineered Solutions:

• Initial inspection and setup in WMW-designed wind turbine wind shaft disassembly fixture.
• Complete disassembly including retaining nut, sealing assemblies, bearing housing, and main bearing.
• Dimensional inspection of all critical fits using calibrated measuring equipment.
• Non-destructive testing of all critical radii and bearing surface.
• Inspection and analysis of failed bearing for root cause determination.
• Engineering evaluation of all dimensional data versus OEM fit criteria.
• Generation of a detailed quote discussing all repair options within three days of main shaft arrival.
• Reverse engineering and manufacturing print generation for all failed, non-repairable parts.
• Material procurement and manufacturing of housing cap and sealing rings.
• Machining of main bearing shaft fit to remove damage from fretting corrosion.
• Machining of bearing housing bore to remove damage and out of round condition.
• Metallization of shaft fit and housing bore with arc applied 420 stainless steel.
• Finish machining of shaft fit and housing bore to OEM specifications.
• Assembly of main shaft and components. 
• Quality control and a complete final report with technical reporting and documentation prior to shipping.

Results:

• Completely reassembled with the new WMW supplied main bearing and seals.
• Turbine ready main shaft completed and ready to ship within (10) calendar days.