Bearing Load Measurement System
Typ
Examensarbete för masterexamen
Master's Thesis
Master's Thesis
Program
Mobility engineering (MPMOB), MSc
Publicerad
2024
Författare
Giridhar Setloor, Kaustubh
Lakshmana Gowda, Kushal
Modellbyggare
Tidskriftstitel
ISSN
Volymtitel
Utgivare
Sammanfattning
The advancement of sensor technology plays a crucial role in enhancing performance
and reliability of mechanical systems. In the world of industrial applications, the accurate
monitoring of mechanical components is essential to ensure good operational
performance and efficiency with prevention of failures. One promising technology
for such monitoring tasks is the Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors (FBG).
This thesis helps us validate and verify the application of Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG)
sensors for monitoring axial strain on mechanical ball bearings of an electric motor.
It focuses on the effectiveness of the sensors in providing precise strain measurements
for improving monitoring technology in mechanical systems. The research research
was divided into 4 main tasks: preliminary research, development of python-based
interrogator software including a graphical user interface (GUI) for data capture,
test setup development for applying axial loads on the bearing and data analysis/-
post processing. This research employs Python software for every process involved
from collecting the FBG data to post process of the data.
The preliminary research involved an extensive review of existing literature to establish
a strong theoretical foundation on sensor technology and its application. A
python-based software was developed to interface with the Sentea interrogator for
which a user-friendly GUI was designed to capture real-time sensor data for data
visualization and export. The test rig setup involved applying axial loads to the
rotor shaft of the electric motor using a hydraulic press, with custom-designed components
to ensure accurate application of force on the bearings and for accurate
measurement. The sensors were installed along the outer-ring of the ball bearings
and the tests were conducted under varying load conditions with rotation speed of
600rpm with the use of hand drill. The collected data was processed to calculate
strain and stress.
The post-processing involved filtering the data, calculating strain and stress, and
analyzing the results through discrete Fourier transforms to understand the dynamic
behavior of the bearings under load and the obtained plots and result shows that
the axial strain with respect to the load increases linearly with curve fit. Hence,
this work concludes that the findings demonstrate the potential of FBG sensors in
providing strain measurements, validating for advanced monitoring of mechanical
systems. This research offers valuable insights into the use of these sensors for
industrial applications, offering a foundation for future studies and technological
advancements in this field.
Beskrivning
Ämne/nyckelord
Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) , Axial Strain , Deep Grove Ball Bearings , Interrogator , Discrete Fourier Transform , Butterworth Filter