Yaw Drive Planetary Gearbox for Wind Turbine

Product Views & Cutaway

What Makes This Yaw Gearbox Different From a Standard Planetary Unit

A yaw drive spends its life holding a rotor into the wind, correcting small angles thousands of times per day under gust loading. That duty cycle punishes the gear teeth and the seal far more than a continuous-running transmission does. Four design decisions on this unit address that directly.

Performance Parameters

Frame size, ratio and brake type are selected against your nacelle yaw moment and motor flange. If your site carries a high turbulence class, ask for the derated torque column.

Frame Sizes, Torque Ratings and Ratios

Not sure which frame fits? Send your nacelle diameter, yaw motor power and required yaw speed to our engineering desk and we will return the matching type within three working days.

How the Yaw Drive Transmits Torque to the Nacelle

1. The sun gear takes the motor input

   The yaw motor drives the sun gear, which is the power input end of the train. Because the sun gear is small relative to the ring gear, it turns fast and carries low torque — which is exactly what an IEC motor is good at.

2. Planets roll between the sun and the internal ring

   Three or four planet gears mesh simultaneously with the sun gear and with the internal ring gear. Each planet rotates on its own bearing while revolving around the sun, so the load is shared rather than concentrated on a single tooth pair.

3. The planet carrier delivers low-speed, high-torque output

   The carrier collects the orbital motion of every planet and passes it to the output shaft — splined or with an integral pinion — which drives the slewing ring and turns the nacelle. Reduction is set by the tooth counts of the ring and sun plus the number of planets in mesh.

4. A floating carrier absorbs gust-induced moment swings

   When wind force makes the yaw moment fluctuate, a floating carrier design lets the gears reposition slightly so at least three teeth stay in contact. Bench and field data show transmission error staying inside 0.08° under ±12 % moment fluctuation, against roughly 0.3° for a conventional parallel-shaft unit. Elastic support — high-damping rubber combined with metal shims — takes the high-frequency shock out before it reaches the tooth flank.

5. Pressure circulation plus splash lubrication keeps it cool

   Rotating gears throw oil onto the housing oil channel while a pump feeds the planet bearings at around 8 L/min. At −25 °C the system still holds viscosity inside the ISO VG 320 band, so gears do not scuff on a cold start. A spiral oil channel paired with cooling fins carries heat to the housing; under continuous yaw duty the oil sump stays below 60 °C, about 12 °C cooler than a conventional layout, which slows lubricant ageing.

What Operators Say After Installation