Angular Backlashes Monitoring in Heavy Industrial Machines

Abstract

The heavy industrial machines are subjected to intensive wear of critical parts in the drivelines, which resulted in angular backlashes, causing high dynamic loads and abrupt failures. Backlash diagnostics is a complicated task for maintenance personnel. A comprehensive analysis of methods and instrumentation for the angular backlashes measurements in the drivelines of heavy machines in different industries is represented. The advantages and shortcomings have been shown of different principles of wear measurement in the teeth couplings, universal spindles and gearboxes of drivelines with a complex structure. The principle of backlashes measurement by the reversal motion of drives is illustrated by the computer simulation. The digital device for angular backlashes measurement is developed and created. Accuracy is estimated depending on the rotation speed and sampling rate of the signals. Results of industrial testing in the drivelines of industrial machines of different designs are demonstrated. The conditions for further implementation of this method and sensor requirements in the online monitoring systems of industrial plants are discussed.