Metallurgical quality evaluation of the wind turbine main shaft 42CrMo4 steel: microscopic and Mössbauer studies

In this paper, the results of the complex examination of the 42CrMo4 steel samples are presented. The samples were taken from the metallurgical forging prepared for the production of the wind turbine main shaft. The samples underwent Mössbauer spectroscopic analysis, as well as the measurement of its mechanical characteristics such as hardness and strength are analysed. Conversion electron Mössbauer spectrometry confirmed phase purity and isotropy of the investigated 42CrMo4 steel. The method provided accurate results, proving Mössbauer spectrometry to be an effective tool for the wind turbine main shaft analysis.