WhiteWind: White Etching Crack (WEC) Bearing Failures in Wind Turbine: Cooperative Research and Development Final Report, CRADA Number CRD-18-00758

A WEC is a particularly aggressive, unpredictable and wide spread rolling element bearing failure mode that is common for large multi-megawatt (MW) wind turbines. WEC is considered the single most expensive failure mode for all wind turbine components, and there is currently no commercial solution. The Technical University of Denmark (DTU) is leading the WhiteWind project to investigate WECs through funding provided by the Innovation Fund Denmark. Other project partners include Vestas, SKF, Expanite, Rheinisch-Westfalische Technische Hochschule Aachen University (RWTH Aachen), and Argonne National Laboratory. The objective of the overall project is to develop a new surface engineered WEC-resistant bearing material using novel surface engineering techniques that shall provide a commercially competitive alternative to existing wind turbine bearings. NREL will support the project by providing existing measured bearing loads and validating models of drivetrain loads.