Four news about SKF

a.Cathedral Rocks Windfarm uses condition monitor SKF has supplied its WinDCon condition monitoring system to the Cathedral Rocks Windfarm in South Australia. The joint venture between Hydro Tasmania and EHN is currently under construction and will consist of 33 2MW Vestas V80 turbines. SKF will also supply the system to the Hydro Tasmania owned and operated 64MW Woolnorth Windfarm in Tasmania, which has 37 1.75MW Vestas V66 turbines. The 70 SKF WinDCon units will improve the uptime of the wind turbines and optimise the schedule and efficiency of maintenance operations. SKF WinDCon is installed in the nacelle of each turbine. The system continually collects data, automatically checking the vibration level of the rolling bearings, gear units and drive train as well as the condition of all monitoring devices and transducers. It enables root cause analysis of a range of defects, including mechanical imbalance and alignment errors. When a malfunction or defect is found, an automatic alarm is transmitted to the central monitoring system of Hydro Tasmania and EHN. Hydro Tasmania will monitor the wind turbines on both sites, but SKF has been contracted to provide a remote diagnostic service on a monthly basis, reporting any exceptions via SKF ProCon software. b. SKF receives order for axleboxes and TBUs SKF has received an order for 14,000 axleboxes and compact, tapered bearing units (TBUs) for a new generation of freight cars from AAE Ahaus Alstatter Eisenbahn AG. AAE is the European market leader in the rental of standard freight cars for combined and conventional rail freight. The order includes a service package based on bearing inspection and overhaul. For many years the trend in the railway industry has been to carry higher loads at faster speeds. Today most railway freight cars in Europe are built to run with axle loads of 25 tonnes. SKF has developed a new Y25 axlebox concept, which is equipped with compact tapered bearing units. This design is able to achieve a lower life cycle cost through longer maintenance intervals, simplified maintenance operations and to improve the performance and safety. This solution has already gained interest from several European freight car operators and suppliers. This builds on SKF's position as the leading rolling bearing supplier to the world railway industry. c. SKF and Haldex jointly develop wheel end system SKF and the Haldex Group have embarked on a project to jointly develop an advanced wheel end system for commercial vehicles, trucks, buses and trailers. The system will be based on Haldex's new generation of disc brakes, with a fixed caliper dual disc concept and SKF truck hub, bearing and sealing technology. By integrating Haldex's high performance dual disc braking system with SKF's proven hub unit technology, a much more compact and efficient product is created, improving safety and performance. This allows the vehicle builder to optimise space within the unit. In addition, when compared with today's technical solutions, fleet operators can benefit from a longer brake service life, easy replacement and increased uptime. The bottom line is higher performance in combination with reduced vehicle weight and the potential for increasing payload capacity. d. SKF becomes main partner in A380 Airbus project SKF has become a main partner in the A380 Airbus project, meeting the most stringent requirements for the new super carrier. SKF is providing structural improvements for weight savings, increased capacity and improved cost efficiency. The use of alternative materials to aluminium and steel, such as composites and titanium, drove the development of lightweight bearings for the landing gear, composite solutions for the wing box, and complete reinforcement of the belly fairing structure. This included titanium materials and system units based on rods and bearings, such as the horizontal tail plane mechanism or attachment bearings and reverse links. SKF also supplied the fly-by-wire equipment and high loaded pinion bearings for the wings. SKF Aerospace has also been qualified as a source for main shaft and gearbox bearings for the two A380 powerplant alternatives: the Rolls Royce Trent 900 and the Engine Alliance (General Electric - Pratt and Whitney) GP 7200.