Recently, the last batch of bearing rings for cranes of wind power installation vessels was shipped smoothly from Iraeta. The order includes a total of 9 pieces of oversized bearing rings with diameters of 12m-14m, the largest of which has a diameter of over 13.8m, which means that the record for seamless integral bearings will soon be set by a Chinese company.

The basic structure of bearings mainly consists of inner ring, outer ring, rolling element, cage, etc. The inner and outer rings of bearings are divided into integral type and segmented type. For oversized diameter bearings, due to a long period of time, the processing capacity of the world's largest ring rolling machine is only about ten meters, so oversized diameter bearings generally exceed 9 meters should use segmental design, that is, a bearing ring is assembled from multiple curved forgings.

However, this design poses two major problems.

The first is the difficulty of machining and the long machining cycle. It is very difficult to machine multiple pieces of rectangular forged steel to a uniform arc and to maintain consistency in performance. And once the performance of one of the pieces is too high or too low, it will lead to excessive wear in some areas of the bearing during service.

The second is the harsh working environment at sea, high winds and waves, high salt spray corrosion, lifting equipment under high load continuous operation, the overall bearing will have higher accuracy and longer service life than segmented bearings, will also greatly reduce the downtime due to maintenance, shorten the return on investment cycle of the equipment.

                                                                                                 Image from the Internet

In October 2021, Iraeta supplied a set of 11.5m diameter monolithic forging rings to LuoYang LYC using the monolithic rolling process for the first time, opening the era of localization of ultra-large monolithic bearing manufacturing.

                                                  11.5m diameter monolithic forging ring supplied by Iraeta to LuoYang LYC in 2021

Since then, Iraeta and LuoYang LYC have maintained a good strategic partnership. This year Iraeta and LuoYang LYC joined hands again to manufacture 9 pieces of oversized diameter integral bearing rings. It is reported that these products will form 3 sets of bearings, which will be subsequently installed on three thousand-ton heavy-duty offshore wind power installation vessel pile-wound cranes to provide equipment support for offshore wind power installation in various wind farms.

The successful launch of this batch of products has an important leading role in the engineering field, providing more imaginative design space for the engineers of the "The pillars of a great power" to design and develop high-end marine engineering equipment. In the next step, Iraeta will continue to innovate in science and technology to promote the high-quality development of the offshore wind power industry, achieve the goal of "carbon peaking and carbon neutral", and promote the green development of China to a new level.

About IRAETA

IRAETA is an enterprise mainly engaged in the manufacture of clean energy key components, mainly used in fields such as wind power, nuclear power,  hydropower, UHV, offshore engineering, machinery manufacturing, high-end refining, mining and other fields.

IRAETA now has 1 sales company, 7 business divisions, 7 management centers, 1 Shanghai branch, 1 Jining factory and 1 Spanish factory (FIHI), having over 1,800 employees. For nearly half a century, IRAETA has always been steadfastly devoted to the forging industry. From offshore wind turbines on the Atlantic coast to the oil fields deep in the deserts of the Middle East, to mines in the lofty mountains of Peru, our products have made their mark. Adhering to the values of “honesty, humility, perseverance and work”, IRAETA is committed to creating sustainable value for global customers through high-quality products.

We invite you to learn more about IRAETA by visiting our website at www.iraeta.com and following us on our social media channels:

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