Abstract
The remote prognosis and diagnosis of bearings can prevent industrial system failures, but the availability of realistic experimental data, being as close as possible to those detected in industrial applications, is essential to validate the monitoring algorithms. In this paper, an innovative bearing test rig architecture is presented, based on the novel concept of “self-contained box”. The monitoring activity is applicable to a set of four middle-sized bearings simultaneously, while undergoing the independent application of radial and axial loads in order to simulate the behavior of the real industrial machinery. The impact of actions on the platform and supports is mitigated by the so-called “self-contained box” layout, leading to self-balancing of actions within the rotor system. Moreover, the high modularity of this innovative layout allows installing various sized bearings, just changing mechanical adapters. This leads to a reduction of cost as well as of system down-time required to change bearings. The test rig is equipped with suitable instrumentation to develop effective procedures and tools for in- and out-monitoring of the system. An initial characterization of the healthy system is presented.
Highlights
Detecting the ball and roller bearing defects in operation and predicting their residual life are key issues of the implementation of the Industry 4.0 approach [1]
Those activities allow monitoring the bearing health and proceeding with a predictive maintenance, through the system prognosis [2]. They require resorting to a monitoring system, connected to a remote control center [3]. This need implies that even testing activity, during product development, performs the machine condition monitoring (MCM), to test sensors, the data acquisition system, rotor-bearing system and the overall elements in advance, before that they are monitored in service
The operators look for a good uncoupling between the factory platform, whose behavior might be affected by vibration and noise, and the test rig
Summary
Detecting the ball and roller bearing defects in operation and predicting their residual life are key issues of the implementation of the Industry 4.0 approach [1] Those activities allow monitoring the bearing health and proceeding with a predictive maintenance, through the system prognosis [2]. That use requires designing some new test benches, with augmented capabilities They include the possibility of testing even large bearings, used in the industrial machinery, and of setting up the whole monitoring system, in terms of both hardware and software. Due to the heavy configuration of tested bearings, the system layout is designed to reduce the impact of actions on supports and the platform, through a sort of self-balancing of actions between bearings, within the rotor system This test rig implements both the “in-monitoring” (bearing health) and “out-monitoring” (machine condition) activities. The systems engineering approach can drive the description of the design activity, as is described from the customer needs to the test rig construction, as was just accomplished [10]
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