Abstract
Electromagnetic testing is the most widely used technique for the inspection of steel wire ropes. As one of the electromagnetic detecting approaches, the magnetic flux leakage (MFL) method has the best effect for the detection of broken wires. However, existing sensors based on MFL method still have some problems. (1) The size of the permanent magnet exciter is usually designed according to experience or rough calculation, and there is not enough depth analysis for its excitation performance; (2) Since the detectable angular range for a single Hall component is limited, Hall sensor arrays are often employed in the design of MFL sensors, which will increase the complexity of the subsequent signal processing due to the extensive use of Hall components; (3) Although the new magneto-resistance sensor has higher sensitivity, it is difficult to be applied in practice because of the requirement of the micron-level lift-off. To solve these problems, a sensor for the detection of broken wires of steel wire ropes based on the principle of magnetic concentration is developed. A circumferential multi-circuit permanent magnet exciter (CMPME) is employed to magnetize the wire rope to saturation. The traditional Hall sensor array is replaced by a magnetic concentrator to collect MFL. The structural parameters of the CMPME are optimized and the performance of the magnetic concentrator is analyzed by the finite element method. Finally, the effectiveness of the designed sensor is verified by wire breaking experiment. 1–5 external broken wires, handcrafted on the wire rope with a diameter of 24 mm, can be clearly identified, which shows great potential for the inspection of steel wire ropes.
Highlights
Steel wire ropes have important applications in mine lifting, cable-stayed bridges, metallurgy, elevators, and so on
(1) The size of the permanent magnet exciter is usually designed according to experience or rough calculation, and there is not enough depth analysis for its excitation performance; (2) Since the detectable angular range for a single Hall component is limited, Hall sensor arrays are often employed in the design of magnetic flux leakage (MFL) sensors, which will increase the complexity of the subsequent signal processing due to the extensive use of Hall components; (3) the new magneto-resistance sensor has higher sensitivity, it is difficult to be applied in practice because of the requirement of the micron-level lift-off
In order to meet the requirements of damage detection of steel wire ropes in various working conditions, an innovative sensor for the detection of broken wires based on magnetic concentrating principle is proposed
Summary
Steel wire ropes have important applications in mine lifting, cable-stayed bridges, metallurgy, elevators, and so on. They are widely used due to their high strength, light weight, reliability, and efficiency [1]. Since wire ropes usually work in harsh environments, they suffer from a variety of types of damage such as broken wire and wear, which affects the safety of production and even threatens the lives of workers [2]. Manual inspection and regular replacement are generally used in engineering. Manual inspection is time-consuming and laborious, and regular replacement usually causes great economic waste.
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