Condition monitoring of cylindrical roller bearings using integrated piezoelectric transducers
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Date
2023-07-13
Authors
Safian, Ali
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Abstract
Bearings are essential mechanical components in rotating systems, operating under varying loads, speeds, and temperatures. Imperfections, such as misalignment or lack of lubrication, can lead to fatigue stress, cracks, and failure of the bearing. For more than three decades, vibration monitoring using accelerometers has been a fundamental technique for condition monitoring, but it faces challenges in detecting weak fault symptoms amidst surrounding noise or long transmission paths. Recently, integrated sensors and local strain measurement have gained attention for bearing condition monitoring due to their reduced susceptibility to noise and enhanced sensitivity to local faults. This research proposes integrating piezoelectric transducers to mitigate transmission path effects. For the designing process, a computationally efficient dynamic model, using lumped parameters and finite element analysis, simulates bearing forces and strain changes under healthy and faulty conditions. The model shows that strain changes on the outer ring are influenced by local faults, and the defect position alters the faulty impulse behavior in the strain signal. By taking advantage of the simulation results, two types of piezoelectric transducers, Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) and Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF), are implemented to explore fault detection and speed measurement possibilities. Both transducers effectively detect local faults, outperforming commercial accelerometers in noisy settings with impact and vibration. The two transducers are tested under various conditions such as varying-speed, constant speed, faulty outer ring, and roller fault, and in all cases, the transducers demonstrated a satisfying performance. These findings support the development of smart bearings using these multi-functional transducers for improved condition monitoring and fault detection.
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Keywords
smart bearing, condition monitoring, piezoelectric, transducers, bearing fault