Germanischer Lloyd, the leading technical body validating the integrity of components and systems for wind energy, has verified Timken's load-carrying capacity ratings for various wind bearing types.
In addition to auditing the company's manufacturing operations and processes, representatives of Germanischer Lloyd last year visited Timken's Canton, Ohio-based Technology Center and nearby Faircrest Steel Plant. Germanischer Lloyd subsequently approved Timken's bearing ratings and life testing performance data for wind energy, including the Timken '86 Dynamic Load Rating for tapered and cylindrical roller bearings. The verification also extends to products designed to Timken P900TM and DuraSpexxTM classifications.
"The Germanischer Lloyd verification lets us offer a broader design offering for the bearings that are crucial to reliability in wind power, especially since the Timken rating is nine percent higher than the common ISO standard applied to most other brands," said Doug Lucas, manager of application engineering for wind energy (ISO is shorthand for International Organization for Standardization). "For customers trying to select the most reliable, yet cost-effective power-transmission solution, that nine-percent increase is equal to 33-percent longer calculated bearing life, which we can achieve while also reducing the size and weight of the system."
Lucas said Timken's load ratings are validated by decades of fatigue-life testing that continues today. "We are consistently advancing the materials and technologies most vital to wind turbine sustainability. A big part of what sets Timken apart as a leader is that we are an invested development partner to our customers."
Germanischer Lloyd verification provides an additional validation for ratings applied in Timken's proprietary Syber Advanced System to calculate loads in customer applications.
The 2010 Windpower Conference and Exhibition held in Dallas May 22-26 provided an opportunity for the company to highlight what is for Timken a record number of innovations for the wind-energy industry.