A combined oil and vibration monitoring system is available in the UK from Schaeffler (UK) Ltd.
The system enables damage to heavy-duty, oil-lubricated industrial gears to be detected - providing plant operators with a reliable system that prevents unplanned down time and minimises maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) costs.
Critical
Industrial gears and gearboxes are critical to the smooth operation of most production environments and so maintaining these systems is often a high priority.
If excess wear or damage is allowed to develop within a gearbox, this could result in secondary damage to other vital plant and machinery, leading to high repair costs, as well as costly production down time.
The FAG Wear Debris Monitor (Figure 1) from Schaeffler (UK) is designed to solve these issues. This on-line condition monitoring system is capable of pinpointing the precise location of any damage or wear to gears, bearings and cages within a gearbox or other industrial gear unit. The system is therefore suitable for use in almost every industry sector, including wind-power (gearbox drive-train), marine (ship propulsion systems), oil and gas (top drives and draw works gearboxes), mining and quarrying (mills and rotary kilns), steel and aluminium (pinion stand gear units), pulp and paper (drying cylinder gears and wire drive roll gears).
Inductive particle counter
The system’s oil monitor works by using an inductive particle counter (sensor), which is able to distinguish between ferrous and non-ferrous metal particles that are present in the lubricating oil.
On a typical industrial gearbox application, the particle counter or sensor is installed in the oil flow, directly before the oil filter, or as a separate circuit. The sensor operates on the principle that any wear to a component, such as a bearing or gear tooth, will result in small metal particles being rubbed off into the oil - often several months prior to an actual failure.
The sensor provides information on the number of particulates present in the oil, and then classifies these according to their physical size. Analysing the oil in this way enables damage and wear to the gears to be detected much earlier - even in planetary gearboxes, such as those used on wind turbines.
Vibration behaviour
In addition to oil analysis, the FAG Wear Debris Monitor also monitors the vibration behaviour of the machine and its components, including rolling bearings and gear wheels.
By installing sensors on the machine or gearbox that needs to be monitored, the new system detects changes in the operating behaviour, indicating early signs of damage. This enables the plant to start suitable repair work or plan some scheduled maintenance in order to prevent failure of the machine, resulting in costly production down time.
This unique combination of oil and vibration monitoring, provided in a single on-line condition monitoring system, means that users receive earlier warning signs of gear damage than if vibration monitoring is used on its own, or vice versa, says the company.
After any damage is detected, analysis is then required in order to determine the possible causes. The results of this work then lead to recommendations or remedial action that will prevent similar damage for occurring in the future.
Methods of analysis
Schaeffler UK is able to provide a wide variety of analysis methods to assist customers.
Endoscopy, for example, is used to determine the full extent or severity of any damage. Video endoscopes enable the internal components of a machine to be inspected, enabling the user to make a diagnosis of the damage by viewing digital photographs and video footage.
By using a special interface, the FAG Wear Debris Monitor can be easily integrated with other on-line condition monitoring systems from Schaeffler, including the FAG DTECT X1 and FAG ProCheck systems. These condition monitoring systems can be adapted or retrofitted to suit any customer requirements, says the firm.
“The combined use of FAG oil monitoring products, vibration monitoring products and services from FAG Industrial Services, provides an efficient, cost-effective way of improving the protection of oil-lubricated gears,” commented Christian Meindl, Product Manager Oil Monitoring Products, FAG Industrial Services (FIS).
“By detecting damage early, and by using the wide variety of analysis methods, the operational reliability of gears can be improved significantly, leading to similar improvements in productivity.”
Rolling bearing manufacturer
With a total of 61 000 employees at over 180 locations around the world, and group sales of €7.3 billion (fiscal year 2009), the Schaeffler Group is one of the world's leading rolling bearing manufacturers and automotive component suppliers. The corporate group includes the INA Group with headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany, the FAG Group based in Schweinfurt, Germany, and the LuK Group of Bühl, Germany.
FIS is a member of the FAG Group and supports the Schaeffler Group in the UK and worldwide with industrial services, including effective maintenance management and condition monitoring.
For further information, contact:
Schaeffler (UK) Ltd, Forge Lane, Minworth, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands B76 1AP, UK. Tel: +44-121-351-3833, Fax: +44-121-351-7686, Email: info.uk@schaeffler.com, Web: www.schaeffler.co.uk
Schaeffler KG, Georg-Schäfer-Strasse 30, 97421 Schweinfurt, Germany. Tel: +49-97-2191-0, Fax: +49-97-2191-3435, Email: faginfo@schaeffler.com, Web: www.fag.de
Figure 1. This on-line condition monitoring system, available from Schaeffler (UK) Ltd, is capable of pinpointing the precise location of any damage or wear to gears, bearings and cages within a gearbox or other industrial gear unit.
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