How Has Kurz Wind Fixed Gearbox Hose Issues?

Posted on April 8, 2020 by Kurz Industrial Solutions

Now that we explained why you should care about hoses, and why your hoses fail, we end this three-part series with “how has Kurz improved the hoses.”  The #1 question that we get is “why do you think that your wind hoses will work better?” The answer? Data.

We received samples of the three major OEM gearbox oil providers and provided samples to Parker Hannifin’s lab in Wickliffe, Ohio.  We ran accelerated life testing to determine a material that was suited for wind applications. We tested for things like tensile strength, elongation variations, hardness changes, and volume swell fluctuations.  These were eight-week tests that were designed to simulate conditions in a wind turbine.

The results varied depending on which grade of hose material that we used along with each oil.  Comparing different oil providers with the same hose material also provided different results.  So, we chose a hose material that gave us acceptable results for each oil manufacturer.

The primary material that we chose is the Parker 426 material.  The specification sheets can be found here.

Some of the key aspects for this hose include:

• Successfully Tested with Three Major Wind Oil Providers
• Rated to above 300 degrees Fahrenheit
• One wire braided which allows it to be flexible.
• Traceable
  1. Batch Tested
  2. Batch Numbers
  3. Born on Dates
• Labels:
  1. Your Part Number
  2. Our Part Number
  3. Kurz Wind Information on Each Hose
• Made in the USA

Simultaneously, we had to manufacture many of the hose fittings.  This was an extensive project that required a major capital investment.  Many of the OEM Gearbox Manufacturers require these “non-standard fittings” on applications such as the Filter to Cooler Inlet, Filter to Gearbox Manifold, and Cooler Outlet to Gearbox Manifold hoses.  They need either a “Long Drop 90” or a “Short Drop 90” fitting.  Without manufacturing these fittings new from scratch, we would not be able to mass-produce wind hoses.

We currently stock thousands of feet of Parker’s 426 gearbox hose and are stocking the gearbox crimp fittings to reduce your downtown expenses and “Site Grading”. No more delays, Kurz has your back.

We also have the technical expertise from our team members and the tooling to ensure quality and reliability.  Hoses are what we do.  We have documented many of the major OEM gearboxes, however, if there is a unique hose that we have not yet seen before, please reference how to measure hoses so that we can ensure that our measurements are consistent and you get exactly what you are looking for.

Overall, we are here to help. Your problems are our problems and we will do our best to solve them.

Please feel free to reach out at any time.

Best wishes,

Jay Austin

920-851-1809

Categorised in: Latest Wind Power Industry News - Kurz Wind Division

This post was written by Aaron Rood