Dynamic reliability analysis of main shaft bearings in wind turbines

• A high-efficiency method of dynamic reliability analysis for wind turbine TRB is proposed. • A new method for solving the quasi-static model is presented. • The influences of nonlinear factors on TRB fatigue are investigated thoroughly. • The strategy for preload selection is proposed from the perspective of dynamic reliability. • The dynamic reliability analysis is directly compared with traditional fatigue life evaluation. Tapered roller bearings (TRBs) are widely employed in large wind turbines as main shaft supports. The reliability of TRBs is directly related to the operational efficiency and safety of wind turbines. In this paper, a method for dynamic reliability analysis of TRBs used for supporting the main shafts of wind turbines is presented. First, a new quasi-static TRB model is established based on the meta-heuristic optimization algorithm. Then, the influence of preload, bearing clearance, and friction on the fatigue life of the TRB is investigated in detail. Moreover, considering the impact of uncertain factors, a dynamic reliability analysis of TRBs under fatigue load is conducted based on the composite limit state and adaptive double-loop Kriging theories. The effect of preload on the dynamic reliability of TRBs is assessed to guide the main shaft bearing assembly of wind turbines. Finally, a practical application example is provided to demonstrate the effectiveness and benefits of the proposed method.