{"id":467,"date":"2026-04-21T09:00:03","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T09:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/qd-bushings.top\/?p=467"},"modified":"2026-04-21T09:00:03","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T09:00:03","slug":"qd-bushings-for-wind-turbine-yaw-and-pitch-systems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/qd-bushings.top\/fr\/application\/qd-bushings-for-wind-turbine-yaw-and-pitch-systems\/","title":{"rendered":"QD Bushings for Wind Turbine Yaw and Pitch Systems"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Wind Energy \u00b7 Drivetrain Interface<\/div>\n

QD Bushings for Wind Turbine Yaw and Pitch Systems<\/h2>\n

Precision shaft-to-pinion couplings engineered for multi-megawatt turbines across the United Kingdom’s onshore ridgelines and offshore fields \u2014 from the Pentland Firth to the Dogger Bank.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\"qdModern multi-megawatt wind turbines rated between 2 MW and 10 MW depend on two mission-critical drivetrains to capture energy efficiently and survive storm loads: the yaw system, which swings the nacelle into the wind, and the pitch system, which rotates each blade to regulate rotor speed and mechanical stress. Sitting at the heart of both drives are qd bushings \u2014 deceptively simple keyless interfaces that lock gearbox output shafts to the drive pinions meshing with the yaw slewing ring or the pitch blade bearing. For offshore platforms pounded by North Sea salt spray, onshore clusters scattered across the Scottish Highlands, and repowering campaigns throughout Yorkshire and the Midlands, qd bushings from Ever Power have become a trusted interface for UK wind developers, O&M contractors, and OEM drivetrain integrators.<\/p>\n

Operating temperatures swing from \u221240 \u00b0C on winter mornings to +60 \u00b0C inside a sun-baked nacelle, vibration is relentless, and service technicians work suspended hundreds of metres above ground on the blade itself. Every fastening component must be serviceable, reliable, and vibration-resistant. This is precisely where qd bushings earn their place in the drivetrain bill of materials.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Wind<\/div>\n
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Need a drivetrain interface you can actually service at 120 m up?<\/h3>\n

Share your torque, shaft, and environmental data \u2014 our engineering desk replies within one UK business day with drawings, materials, and pricing.<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Request Engineering Quote<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Core Advantages<\/div>\n

Why Wind OEMs Specify These QD Bushings<\/h2>\n

Six engineering properties that matter when the gearbox sits 120 metres up and the nearest crane costs \u00a38,000 per day.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u2460<\/div>\n

Tower-Top Installation<\/h4>\n

Split-taper design lets qd bushings be mounted or removed using hand tools inside the nacelle \u2014 no puller presses, no heat shrinking, no crane mobilisation for routine swaps.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u2461<\/div>\n

Arctic-to-Desert Range<\/h4>\n

Rated from \u221240 \u00b0C to +120 \u00b0C, qd bushings maintain clamping pressure even when thermal cycling wrecks conventional shrink-fit couplings on Shetland or Outer Hebrides sites.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u2462<\/div>\n

Zero-Fretting Interface<\/h4>\n

Controlled radial clamping of qd bushings prevents the micro-movement that chews keyways and gearbox output shafts during yaw dwell and pitch emergency stops.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u2463<\/div>\n

Repeatable Concentricity<\/h4>\n

Every reinstallation of our qd bushings holds TIR under 0.05 mm, protecting pinion-ring-gear mesh geometry and extending the main slew bearing life on 5 MW-plus platforms.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u2464<\/div>\n

Corrosion Armour<\/h4>\n

Zinc-nickel, Geomet, or duplex stainless treatments are standard options, so qd bushings keep threads live after 1,000 hours of ISO 9227 salt spray on offshore installations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u2465<\/div>\n

Shock-Load Headroom<\/h4>\n

Friction-based torque transfer lets qd bushings slip safely under extreme gust-driven pitch braking events rather than shearing keys or cracking hubs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Engineering Principle<\/div>\n

How the Interface Works Inside a 5 MW Nacelle<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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Mechanical Principle<\/h4>\n

A tapered inner sleeve and a split outer flange are drawn together by axial cap screws. As the screws tighten, the taper converts axial force into radial pressure, generating a purely frictional grip on the gearbox output shaft. The pinion bore is clamped to the bushing outer diameter through the same action, so torque travels from shaft to pinion without any keyway stress riser.<\/p>\n

That friction-only path is why qd bushings survive thousands of yaw reversals per year without loosening on turbines like Vestas V150, Siemens Gamesa SG 5.0-145, or GE Cypress 5.3-158.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Materials & Treatments<\/h4>\n

Standard qd bushings are machined from EN 1.7225 (42CrMo4) alloy steel, hardened and tempered to 28\u201332 HRC for the body and through-hardened 42\u201346 HRC on the taper. For offshore service we supply duplex stainless 1.4462 or 17-4 PH with Xylan 1052 overcoat.<\/p>\n

Cap screws are grade 12.9 with zinc-nickel plating as default; grade A4-80 austenitic stainless is available for sites with hydrogen-embrittlement concerns, meaning every batch of our qd bushings leaves the factory with fasteners matched to the deployment zone.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Technical Data<\/div>\n

Wind-Duty QD Bushings \u2014 Performance Parameters<\/h2>\n

Typical specifications for the yaw-and-pitch product family; values are tuned to the most common UK turbine platforms and can be customised on request.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Parameter<\/th>\nYaw-Duty Range<\/th>\nPitch-Duty Range<\/th>\nStandard<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Bore Diameter<\/td>\n35 \u2013 110 mm<\/td>\n28 \u2013 75 mm<\/td>\nISO 286 h6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Transmissible Torque<\/td>\n2,400 \u2013 18,000 Nm<\/td>\n1,100 \u2013 8,500 Nm<\/td>\n\u03bc = 0.12<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Body Material<\/td>\n42CrMo4 \/ 1.4462<\/td>\n42CrMo4 \/ 17-4 PH<\/td>\nEN 10083-3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Surface Treatment<\/td>\nZn-Ni 8 \u03bcm \/ Geomet 321<\/td>\nDacromet 500 \/ Xylan<\/td>\nISO 9227 \u2265 1,000 h<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Operating Temp.<\/td>\n\u221240 \u00b0C to +120 \u00b0C<\/td>\n\u221240 \u00b0C to +120 \u00b0C<\/td>\nIEC 61400-1 Class IA<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Concentricity (TIR)<\/td>\n\u2264 0.04 mm<\/td>\n\u2264 0.05 mm<\/td>\nDIN ISO 1101<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cap-Screw Grade<\/td>\n12.9 Zn-Ni<\/td>\n12.9 or A4-80<\/td>\nISO 898-1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Design Life<\/td>\n20 yr \/ 10\u2078 cycles<\/td>\n20 yr \/ 2\u00d710\u2078 cycles<\/td>\nDNV-ST-0361<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Where They Operate<\/div>\n

Application Scenarios Across the Turbine<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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YAW<\/div>\n

Multi-Motor Yaw Drives<\/h4>\n

Four to eight planetary gearboxes rotate the nacelle via a shared slewing ring. Each gearbox output carries a driven pinion, and qd bushings create the repairable interface that lets technicians swap a single pinion without touching the neighbours.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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PITCH<\/div>\n

Electric Pitch Actuators<\/h4>\n

Three independent servomotor-gearbox trains drive each blade root bearing. High reversal frequency demands zero-backlash qd bushings so safety-critical feather commands arrive at the pitch ring without delay during grid-loss events.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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YAW<\/div>\n

Offshore Jacket Turbines<\/h4>\n

Dogger Bank and Hornsea arrays need interfaces that tolerate chloride attack. Our duplex-stainless qd bushings are specified for yaw drives above 8 MW hub-height platforms where crew access windows are narrow.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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PITCH<\/div>\n

Hydraulic Pitch Retrofits<\/h4>\n

Legacy Vestas V47 and NEG Micon platforms in Cornwall and Cumbria are being re-engineered with electrical pitch units. Retrofit kits routinely include heavier qd bushings sized for the new servo torque curve and the existing blade-root bearing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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YAW<\/div>\n

Brake-Disc Interfaces<\/h4>\n

Some platforms mount the passive yaw brake disc directly on qd bushings fitted to the drive shaft, giving technicians a bolt-off assembly rather than a press-fit problem during 20-year major overhauls.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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PITCH<\/div>\n

Emergency Feather Systems<\/h4>\n

Back-up capacitor or battery units drive the pitch to 90\u00b0 in a grid fault. Keyless qd bushings survive the peak 2.2\u00d7 nominal torque pulse and let the rotor come to a safe stop without cracked shaft keyways.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Customer Case Study<\/div>\n

Hornsea Project \u2014 87 Turbines Re-Bushed in 11 Weeks<\/h2>\n
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Client:<\/strong> A tier-1 offshore O&M contractor headquartered in Grimsby, responsible for a 1.2 GW zone of the southern North Sea with 87 operational turbines rated 7\u20138 MW.<\/p>\n

Challenge:<\/strong> Incumbent shrink-fit couplings on yaw drives were fretting under cyclic loads, producing pinion backlash, unscheduled heli-lifts, and \u00a34.3 million in annualised downtime. Replacement had to happen during the Q2 low-wind window without dropping the pinions through the nacelle hatch.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Solution:<\/strong> Ever Power delivered 522 duplex-stainless qd bushings matched to the existing pinion bore and shaft journal. Each kit shipped with a torque-tube reaction tool sized for the cramped yaw-deck workspace, enabling two-person installation inside 95 minutes per drive.<\/p>\n

Outcome:<\/strong> All 87 turbines re-bushed inside 11 weeks, zero pinion drops, zero rework. Fleet-wide yaw-drive availability climbed from 96.4 % to 99.1 % within the first six months.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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87<\/div>\n
Turbines Serviced<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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99.1%<\/div>\n
Yaw Availability<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u00a33.1M<\/div>\n
Downtime Saved \/ Yr<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Voices from the Field<\/div>\n

What UK Wind Professionals Say<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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\u275d<\/div>\n

We asked three suppliers for a duplex-stainless solution. Only Ever Power came back with finite-element creep data for \u221240 \u00b0C service. The qd bushings have been on our Shetland site for 26 months \u2014 not a single re-torque call so far.<\/p>\n

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James Whitcombe<\/div>\n
Head of Reliability \u00b7 Scottish onshore operator<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u275d<\/div>\n

Our pitch retrofit engineering team needed an interface we could install inside the hub without removing the blade. Ever Power supplied a split-collar variant of their qd bushings and revised the drawings inside 48 hours. That level of responsiveness is rare.<\/p>\n

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Priya Banerjee<\/div>\n
Principal Engineer \u00b7 Midlands retrofit specialist<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u275d<\/div>\n

We run a lean O&M operation covering 220 turbines from Cornwall to Northumberland. Stocking one family of qd bushings across three OEM platforms cut our spares inventory by 37 %. The documentation package is the best I have handled in fifteen years.<\/p>\n

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Callum Reid<\/div>\n
Fleet Logistics Lead \u00b7 UK O&M contractor<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Dedicated Support for the United Kingdom Wind Sector<\/h2>\n

Britain reached 30.6 GW of installed wind capacity in 2025, with Scotland alone responsible for roughly a third of that figure. Operators from Grimsby to Glasgow need components that arrive inside DDP Felixstowe, Hull, or Aberdeen with UKCA-compliant paperwork.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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UK Warehouse Stock<\/h5>\n

Most common yaw-and-pitch qd bushings ship from a bonded warehouse in Birmingham within 48 hours \u2014 no sea freight wait for emergency pinion swaps.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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UKCA + DNV Docs<\/h5>\n

Every shipment includes mill certs, DNV-compliant test data, and UKCA conformity statements accepted by HSE auditors at Hornsea, Walney, and Beatrice.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Sterling Pricing<\/h5>\n

Quotes issued in GBP with fixed currency for 90 days, removing FX noise from your yaw-and-pitch capital budget forecasts.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Ever Power Factory<\/div>\n

Custom QD Bushings Engineered Around Your Turbine<\/h2>\n

Our 26,000 m\u00b2 facility runs dedicated CNC turning cells, induction hardening lines, and DNV-supervised fatigue rigs. Every pair of qd bushings can be tailored around your exact bore, taper geometry, keyway cut, flange drilling pattern, and surface-finish preference \u2014 and we guarantee dimensional traceability from billet heat number to final torque test.<\/p>\n

Whether you are prototyping a 15 MW offshore platform or maintaining a fleet of 1.5 MW turbines in Powys, our engineering team delivers detailed 2D\/3D drawings, FEA reports, and PPAP-grade documentation inside 72 hours of a sealed specification.<\/p>\n

\u2709 Get a Quote<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Customisation Menu<\/h4>\n
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\u2713 Metric or imperial bores 20 mm \u2013 240 mm<\/div>\n
\u2713 Duplex, 17-4 PH, or 42CrMo4 bodies<\/div>\n
\u2713 Zn-Ni, Geomet, Dacromet, Xylan coatings<\/div>\n
\u2713 Custom flange bolt circles & keyways<\/div>\n
\u2713 Laser-etched lot \/ heat traceability<\/div>\n
\u2713 DNV + BS EN 10204 3.1\/3.2 certificates<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Frequently Asked Questions<\/div>\n

Wind Drivetrain Interface FAQ<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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\nWhere can I buy offshore-grade QD bushings quickly in the UK?
\n\u25be<\/span><\/summary>\n
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You can buy offshore-grade units directly from Ever Power’s bonded warehouse in Birmingham, which stocks duplex-stainless and 17-4 PH variants for same-week dispatch to Grimsby, Hartlepool, and Aberdeen supply bases across the UK wind sector.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n
\nHow much does a yaw-drive QD bushing cost for a 5 MW turbine?
\n\u25be<\/span><\/summary>\n
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Pricing for a standard yaw-duty unit on a 5 MW platform typically sits between \u00a3180 and \u00a3320 per set in GBP, depending on bore size, coating, and quantity. Send your shaft diameter, pinion bore, and duplex or carbon-steel preference for an exact quote within one UK business day.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n
\nWhich supplier offers the best turnaround for pitch-system QD bushings?
\n\u25be<\/span><\/summary>\n
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Ever Power consistently turns pitch-system orders around in three to five working days from the Birmingham stock, and eight to twelve weeks for fully custom production runs, which is roughly half the lead time quoted by most European specialist manufacturers serving the UK wind market.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n
\nWhat torque rating do I need for a Vestas V112 yaw-drive bushing replacement?
\n\u25be<\/span><\/summary>\n
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Most Vestas V112 yaw drives run at 6,800 to 7,500 Nm nominal torque, so we recommend a unit rated for 11,000 Nm with a 1.5 safety factor. That headroom absorbs grid-loss braking pulses without slipping and matches the original OEM design envelope specified in your service manual.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n
\nWhen should I replace QD bushings on an offshore wind turbine in the North Sea?
\n\u25be<\/span><\/summary>\n
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Plan inspection at every five-year major overhaul and replacement whenever measured pinion backlash exceeds 0.30 mm, visible fretting appears on the shaft journal, or vibration monitoring flags a drift above the baseline spectrum recorded at commissioning for that specific yaw or pitch drive.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n
\nWhy do UK offshore operators prefer keyless bushings over shrink-fit couplings?
\n\u25be<\/span><\/summary>\n
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Keyless designs remove the stress-riser associated with keyways, resist fretting under high-cycle reversal, and can be disassembled at the tower top using hand tools. That last point saves thousands of pounds in crane and vessel costs during every unscheduled O&M visit to a North Sea asset.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n
\nWhich certifications should a pitch-system bushing supplier provide to a British wind farm?
\n\u25be<\/span><\/summary>\n
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Expect BS EN 10204 3.1 or 3.2 material certificates, DNV-ST-0361 compliance, UKCA declarations, ISO 9001 quality certificates, and batch-specific salt-spray test reports. Ever Power includes all of these as standard, and our pitch-duty products also carry optional IECRE documentation for type-certified fleets.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n
\nHow do you request a price quote for custom wind-turbine QD bushings from Scotland?
\n\u25be<\/span><\/summary>\n
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Email sales@qd-bushings.top with your shaft diameter, pinion bore, torque requirement, and preferred coating. Scottish operators typically receive a GBP quote, technical drawing, and indicative lead time inside one working day, delivered DDP to Aberdeen, Dundee, or any other regional logistics hub.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Ready to spec the right interface for your turbine?<\/h3>\n

Our British-standards engineering desk replies within one working day \u2014 drawings, material options, and GBP pricing included.<\/p>\n

\u2709 sales@qd-bushings.top<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

edit by gzl<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wind Energy \u00b7 Drivetrain Interface QD Bushings for Wind Turbine Yaw and Pitch Systems Precision shaft-to-pinion couplings engineered for multi-megawatt turbines across the United Kingdom’s onshore ridgelines and offshore fields \u2014 from the Pentland Firth to the Dogger Bank. Modern multi-megawatt wind turbines rated between 2 MW and 10 MW depend on two mission-critical drivetrains […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[407],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-467","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-application"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/qd-bushings.top\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/467","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/qd-bushings.top\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/qd-bushings.top\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qd-bushings.top\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qd-bushings.top\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=467"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/qd-bushings.top\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/467\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":474,"href":"https:\/\/qd-bushings.top\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/467\/revisions\/474"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/qd-bushings.top\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=467"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qd-bushings.top\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=467"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qd-bushings.top\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=467"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}