Modelling of a chaotic load of wind turbines drivetrain

The purpose of this paper is to present a model of the load of the wind turbine gears for simulation of real, varying operational conditions for modelling of wind turbine vibration. The characteristics of the wind, which generates chaotically varying loads on the drivetrain components generating load in teeth and bearings of gears during torque transfer, are discussed. A generator of variable load of wind turbines drivetrain is proposed. Firstly, the module for generation of wind speed is designed. It is based on the approach in which the wind speed was considered as a time series approximated by the Weierstrass function. Secondly, the rotational speed of the main shaft is proposed as a function of the wind speed value. The function depends on a few parameters that are fitted by using a genetic algorithm. Finally, the model of torque of the main shaft is introduced. This model has been created by using a multi-layer artificial neural network. The results show that the proposed approach yields a very good fit for the experimental data. The fit brings about the proper reproducing of all the aspects of the load that are crucial for causing fatigue and, as a consequence, damaging of gears of the wind turbines.