Condition based predictive maintenance of worm gearbox using DR ferrography

Abstract

Due to inadequate and incorrect information about the state of the equipment, the maintenance person may be unable to make maintenance decisions. Modern maintenance ideas are focused on the implementation of equipment predictive maintenance to address this problem. DR Ferrography is a predictive maintenance technique which provides the data of condition of the lubricants and also the condition of the equipmentelements that interacted with oil during normal operation. A case study of a worm gearbox is discussed to demonstrate the usefulness of a DR Ferrography technique. An experimental test rig is used to model the worm gearbox. The worm gearbox operates under normal operatingconditions as per industrial practice. DR Ferrography is a useful method for detecting wear particles in lubricating oil. According to the findings, wear debris indicates device performance based on wear debris concentration and wear severity index, leading to early component breakdown detection and prediction.