Material and Signal-Processing based prediciton of WEC probability

The MaSiWEC project aims at a cost reduction of wind energy by development of innovative methodologies to better understand premature bearing failures and predicting such failures well in advance.

MaSiWEC has 3 main axes:

1. Development of a physical degradation mechanism for the dominant type of premature bearing failure: White Etching Cracking (WEC), based on microstructural analysis of failed bearings (led by UGent, MST).
2. Development of a predictive, multiphysics based model for bearing lifetime (led by UGent, Soete Laboratory).
3. Failure propagation assessment methodology based on load and vibration monitoring signals (led by VUB, AVRG).

These aspects are integrated in a predictive bearing lifetime model and a vibration-based failure assessment methodology, on the basis of a novel concept of “material based probability of failure”.

The project brings added value to new generators of wind turbines, improved retrofits by better redesigned gearboxes, and reduction in down-time by early fault detection.

Key industrial players of the entire wind energy value chain are part of the industrial user group of MaSiWEC.

MaSiWEC is part of an international project with the NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory, USA).