The VE Electro-Mechanical Car Brake for Windmills (and Railways) 2012-01-1796
The VE-brake is an electromechanical disc brake with very low actuation force, actuated by a small electro motor. It was originally conceived as a vehicle brake but is equally applicable to wind turbines and other equipment.
It has been highly successful in extreme dynamometer tests and is now being installed in test vehicles. As a foot-brake the VE-brake releases automatically at power-off and can be actuated to a parking position, which stays at power-off. The auto-release function can be inverted so that it brakes automatically at power-off as an emergency brake for wind turbines and rolling stock.
A considerable amount of electricity is required to keep conventional windmill-brakes released. In light wind, the VE brake enhances yield by permitting the turbine a lower start-up speed, and in gusty or higher wind speeds, the graduated activation enables the turbine to continue functioning in demand-braked mode, rather than switching to emergency shut-down mode.
