A yaw brake for a wind turbine includes a brake housing disposed on one or both sides of a brake surface disposed about a yaw axis. The housing defines a bore and a piston is disposed within the bore. The piston is configured for movement within the bore along an axis between first and second positions in which the piston applies different braking forces to the brake surface. At least one portion of the piston and at least one portion of the bore of the brake housing have complementary non-circular shapes. The at least one portion of the piston is configured to be positioned within and least one portion of the bore when the piston is in the first and second positions. A bushing is disposed radially between the at least one portion of the piston and the at least one portion of the bore of the brake housing.

An orthogonal turbine having a first blade, a second blade, a first traverse connected to the first blade, a second traverse connected to the second blade, a first speed adjusting member having a first void, a first rear stop, and a first front stop, a second speed adjusting member, a disc having a first pin connected to the disc, and a shaft connected to the disc, where the shaft is configured to rotationally engage the first speed adjusting member and the shaft is configured to rotationally engage the second speed adjusting member, where the first speed adjusting member is connected to the first traverse, where the second speed adjusting member is connected to the second traverse, where the first speed adjusting member is rotationally engaged to the second speed adjusting member, and where the first void is configured to receive the first pin.

Direct-drive wind turbines (160) are disclosed. The wind turbine comprise a generator (3) mounted on a frame (1), the generator (3) comprising a generator stator (32) and a generator rotor (31) configured to rotate about a rotation axis (RA), the frame (1) has a protruding portion (11) extending beyond the generator (3), the protruding portion (11) comprising a first structure and a second structure; wherein the first and second structures are configured to rotate relative to each other and about the rotation axis (RA); wherein the first structure is attached to the generator stator (32) and the second structure is attached to the generator rotor (31); a brake system (2) attached to the first and second structures, the brake system (2) being spaced away from the generator (3) along the rotation axis (RA). Also disclosed are methods (200) for braking a direct-drive wind turbine (160).

A yaw brake apparatus includes a first surface disposed on an end of a yaw piston for a wind turbine, the first surface including a first pattern formed by one or more of a plurality of first recesses and a plurality of first protrusions. The yaw brake apparatus may also include a yaw pad including a second surface structurally configured to engage with the first surface and a third surface opposite the second surface that is structurally configured to engage with a slew ring of the wind turbine, the second surface including a second pattern formed by one or more of a plurality of second recesses and a plurality of second protrusions corresponding to one or more of the plurality of first recesses and the plurality of first protrusions on the first pattern such that the first pattern and second pattern fit together when aligned in a predetermined orientation.

A drive train arrangement preferentially for a wind power plant having a rotor shaft, a generator, and a gear, which is indirectly or directly connected to the rotor shaft and the generator. The gear is at least partly or completely integrated in the rotor shaft.

The first aspect of the present invention is a speed-controlling transmission or apparatus. In a non-limiting example, the speed-controlling transmission or apparatus is adapted for use with driving, driven or energy-related devices, apparatuses or systems. The second aspect of the present invention is a wind turbine apparatus that comprises a wind turbine and a speed-controlling transmission or apparatus. A non-limiting example of a wind turbine includes a mandrel, a plurality of supporting arms or trusses, and a plurality of umbrella-like vanes. The wind turbine is adapted for rotating in a generally circular orientation with respect to the vertical axis of a turbine-receiving structure during operation wherein the circular orientation is generally parallel to a ground surface.

A system for slew ring repair includes a drive mechanism and a tool coupled thereto. The tool may include a fixture structurally configured to secure the tool to a frame on a top end of a wind tower, and a rotatable shaft having a proximal end and a distal end, where the proximal end is coupled to the drive mechanism and the distal end is structurally configured to insert within a housing on the top end of the wind tower that contains a slew ring of a wind turbine disposed on the wind tower. The tool may further include a grinder disposed on the distal end of the rotatable shaft, where the grinder is structurally configured to engage the slew ring while being rotated by the drive mechanism for repair or maintenance of the slew ring.

A caliper brake featuring a hydraulic piston assembly includes a housing, a movable piston within a chamber of the housing, a first port providing a first fluid pathway into the chamber, and a redundant seal assembly. The redundant seal assembly may include a first pressure seal disposed about a first interior circumference of the chamber disposed above the first port, a second pressure seal disposed about a second interior circumference of the chamber disposed above the first pressure seal, and a second port disposed between the first pressure seal and the second pressure seal, the second port providing a second fluid pathway from inside of the chamber to outside of the chamber, and the second port establishing a bleed-off for fluid traversing above the first pressure seal such that the second pressure seal experiences a lower fluid pressure than the first pressure seal during normal operation of the caliper brake.

A disk brake for a brake disk ring of an azimuth drive of a wind turbine includes a brake housing which has two housing halves that, on opposite sides, flank receiving jaws for the brake disk ring. At least two brake pistons which hydraulically act upon friction lining carriers assigned to the receiving jaws are mounted in each housing half. At least one housing half has a cleaning channel, extending from a rear side of the housing and towards a front housing area, in which the receiving jaws and the friction lining carriers are provided.

Wind turbine, including a tower, a nacelle which is rotatable connected to the tower, a yaw motor for rotating the nacelle relatively to the tower, a yaw brake which is configured to fix the nacelle relatively to the tower and which is configured to be brought from an open position into a brake position and vice versa, wherein the yaw brake is pre-tensioned into the brake position, a switch which is electrically connected to the yaw motor and the yaw brake and which is configured to be brought from an open state into a closed state and vice versa, wherein, when the switch is brought from the closed state into the open state a power supply to the yaw brake and the yaw motor is interrupted and the yaw brake goes into the brake position by releasing at least partially the pre-tension.