Research and Development on High-strength, High-toughness, Low-temperature Impact-resistant Nodular Iron Cast Main Shafts of Large Offshore Wind Turbines
Author of the article:XUDean1, JI Hancheng1, XIAO Zhiyu2
Author's Workplace:1. Guangdong Jinzhili Technology Co., Ltd., Shaoguan 512100, China; 2. South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510641, China
Key Words: offshore wind turbines; cast main shafts; key process; volume production; cost optimization
Abstract:
With the rapid development and increasing installed capacity of offshore wind power, the market demand for
large main wind power shafts has increased sharply, necessitating urgent requirements for the research and development of
high-performance main shaft materials and advanced manufacturing processes. Focusing on the main shaft structure and
usage requirements of large offshore wind turbines, innovative research has been conducted from three aspects: casting
material, key casting technology, and machining technology. In terms of materials, by optimizing the chemical composition
and innovating nodulizing and inoculation processes, high-performance solid solutions strengthened with as-cast ferritic
ductile iron have been obtained, meeting the stringent requirements of the main shaft for high strength, high toughness, and
low-temperature impact resistance. The integration of the casting process with self-feeding technology has improved the
process yield and significantly decreased the product scrap rate. The use of vertical multihead CNC machine tools and
optimized machining processes has improved machining accuracy and production efficiency. This main shaft production
technology reduces production costs and has been put into large-volume industrial production, improving the overall
production yield and economic benefits.