Jl. of Instrum. Soc.

of India

Vol. 39 No. 1

March 2009

Intelligent bearing tester using labview

D. Ganeshkumar and K. Krishnaswamy
Department of Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering, Kongu Engineering College, Perundurai, Erode - 638 052, Tamilnadu.
Abstract : This paper presents the development of an intelligent and low-cost vibration monitoring and fault diagnostic system using LabVIEW. The intelligent System is built with the aid of software LabVIEW 7.1 and DAQ card PCI-6042E for testing bearings with reference to the standard bearing. Both the bearings are connected to the common shaft of the vibrating segment and vibration analysis is carefully carried out using a piezo-electric sensor with advanced charge amplifier. The vibration signals from the standard and the bearing under test are signal conditioned and connected to the Terminal block (BNC2120) at two different channels. Analysis is done with a LabVIEW based software program for the Time and Frequency domain study. The comparison between the standard and test bearing is studied based on the Fundamental and multitones of the signal from its random behavior in the frequency domain. The results and recommendations are displayed according to the condition of the bearing with an allowable tolerance. This paper has enlisted different varieties of bearings after the careful study in the nearest industry. If this unit could be fabricated in mass production, it could be a low cost version of the "Intelligent Bearing Testing System". Key Terms: Vibration Analysis, FFT, bearing components, LabVIEW, DAQ card

1. INTRODUCTION
Bearings are what enable things to roll. Without bearings our industrial world would, in many respects, stand still. The first bearing with the help of the wheel enabled people to move themselves and their goods from one village to another. It helped them in producing their food. Today, bearing technology has developed to a stage where bearings are one of the most advanced mechanical components with regard to optimized design, high quality materials and accurate manufacturing. There are two requirements on the bearing that need to be fulfilled to ensure satisfactory operation of machinery and equipment. One is to have the right bearing in the right place. It may not be too tiny to cause failure, nor over designed to occupy much space or be too heavy and expensive. The other is to ensure reliable operation without any faults or failures. This aspect is increasing in importance. Especially in transportation process industry and energy production, the failure of just a small component may cause safety risks for human, environmental disaster for nature, for industry, and the whole society. The proper functioning of a machine depends upon the performance of its various elements such as gears, bearings, couplings and shafts. Bearings are often critical components of machines requiring the application of condition monitoring techniques. Several techniques to detect the condition of bearings before failure takes place are needed. Condition monitoring is a recent trend that indicates when deterioration will exceed the limit, and thus maintenance work can be planned accordingly. In
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condition monitoring, a suitable indicator check measurement of the machine is made to indicate its condition at that time. The measured value is compared with the known limiting value. These values are best fixed from past experience on the same machine or taken from the standards available. The measured value can also be compared with that of a similar machine, which is known to be in good condition. The predictive maintenance philosophy of using vibration information to lower operating costs and increases the availability of machinery gaining acceptance throughout industry. Since most machinery in a predictive maintenance program contains rolling element bearings, it is imperative to understand how to monitor and diagnose problems associated with them. The twopart philosophy with regard to rolling element bearing monitoring and diagnostics are: (1) a monitor system that will provide adequate warning to avert catastrophic machine failure and (2) diagnostic data that will be available so that when warning is given the bearings will have visible damage. The monitoring techniques that are commonly used are
l l l l

Vibration and acoustic noise analysis Shock pulse method Acoustic emission Wear debris analysis

Vibration monitoring is the most popular technique for bearing diagnostics. In a machine under operation, vibration is always present. The levels of vibration

Jl. of Instrum. Soc. of India

Vol. 39 No. 1

March 2009

usually increase with a deterioration in the condition of the machine. So, vibration is an important parameter for the condition monitoring of machines and their elements. Vibration displacement, velocity and acceleration levels can also be measured. Acceleration is used for high frequencies and displacement for low frequencies. Vibration velocity is normally measured. Vibration can be measured using various sensors. This paper deals with the vibration analysis method which now dominates the other methods. Accelerometers are used to acquire the signals from the bearings. The acquired signals are further analyzed using Lab VIEW software. Signals from the accelerometer are connected to the DAQ - PCI6024E (Data Acquisition Card) through an interface called BNC 2120. The signals acquired using the DAQ card are given as an input to Lab VIEW. The acquired signal is compared with the preset values and the condition of the bearing is then displayed.

of the high frequency vibration envelope. Figure 1 gives examples of envelope spectra from a good rolling element bearing (a), a bearing with an installation defect (b), with wear of a rolling surface (c), and with a crack on a rolling surface (d).

Fig. 1(a) Envelope spectrum of a good rolling element bearing.

2. VIBRATION ANALYSIS OF BEARINGS UNDER DIFFERENT CONDITION

Vibration monitoring is the most popular method for bearing diagnostics. The method of rolling element bearings diagnostics by the spectrum of a high frequency vibration envelope is based on the analysis of characteristics in the formation of friction forces in good and defective bearings as well as in the features of shock pulses that appear in the interaction of rolling surfaces with cavities, spills or cracks in the bearing elements. In rolling element bearings with defects of installation including misalignment of races and nonuniform radial tension, loads on the rolling elements increase and, more importantly, these loads become dependent on the rotation angle of the rotating race and the cage. As a result, the friction forces, together with the random vibration excited by them, become amplitude modulated. In bearings with non-uniform wear of inner and outer races and rolling elements, the friction coefficient in turn depends on the rotation angle of rotating race and cage which results in similar amplitude modulation of the friction forces and the resultant high frequency vibration. Finally, shock pulses in bearings with cavities and cracks on rolling surfaces and races produce vibration as well. On the resonant frequencies of rolling elements and races, this vibration is actually attenuated selfoscillations that should not be considered random vibration. At other frequencies, shock pulses excite random, fast-attenuated vibration that is also modulated in amplitude. As a result, all defects of bearing installation, wear, and cavities can be detected by the spectrum analysis
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Fig. 1(b) Envelope spectrum of a rolling element bearing with misalignment of the outer race.

Fig. 1(c) Envelope spectrum of a rolling element bearing with a worn outer race.

Fig. 1(d) Envelope spectrum of a rolling element bearing with an outer race crack.

The apparent simplicity of defect detection and identification by the envelope spectrum of a rolling element bearing vibration can be fully realized in practice. There are two main characteristics of the friction forces

D. Ganeshkumar and K. Krishnaswamy and the resultant random vibration formation that are the reasons for this. The first reason is connected with the characteristics of the loads applied to the bearings in the real machines. In addition to the normal load, the rotating load from the shaft wobbling of an unbalanced rotor may be applied to the bearing. This additional load may also depend on the rotation angle of the shaft, which significantly complicates the problem of defect identification. For example, a bearing may be exposed to shock loads due to the defects of a gear transmission. Gearing defects, for example, are detected by measuring the results of a shock load on the rolling element bearings. Figure 2 presents envelope spectra of a rolling element bearing from a gearbox with one defective gear. Here, you can see envelope spectra measured on the bearing of the shaft with defective gearing and the adjacent shaft. The defects of gearing and cracks on the bearing surfaces can be distinguished by the repetition frequencies of the shock loads sequence. enveloping should be used for this purpose. The various dimensions of a ball bearing and the various frequencies that can be measured are given. Cage Frequency Roller Spin 2x Roller Spin Outer Race Defect Inner Race Defect (N/2)[1(d/D)(cos a)] (N/2)(D/d) {1[(d/D) cos a]2} N(D/d) {1( d/D) cos a]2} (N/2)(n)[1(d/D)(cos a)] (N/2)(n)[1+(d/D)(cos a)]

Frequencies when the outer race is fixed (Frequencies are exact if no slippage, or load changes occur). Since the vibrations can be easily measured and can give an accurate value of the force developed, we employed the vibration analysis technique to monitor the health condition of the bearings.

3. LOW FREQUENCY MEASUREMENT EQUIPMENT

Piezo-ceramic accelerometers are used for most low frequency measurement applications. If properly selected, they generate sufficient signal strength for very low amplitude use and integration to velocity or displacement. Compared to other sensors, accelerometers exhibit the broadest dynamic range in terms of frequency and amplitude. The solid-state accelerometer design is extremely rugged and easy to install. Internal electronics reduce cabling concerns and provide a variety of outputs and filter options. Electrodynamic velocity sensors also provide strong outputs at low frequency; however, the sensitivity is not linear below the natural frequency of the sensor. Below resonance, typically 8 to 14 Hz (480 to 840 cpm), the signal is increasingly attenuated and the sensitivity is reduced. The Piezo-Velocity Transducer (PVT) exhibits much broader frequency ranges compared to Electrodynamic pickups. However, they do not measure as low in frequency or amplitude as most low frequency accelerometers. Because of the increasing amplifier gain required for low frequency integration, PVTs are usually filtered at 1.5 Hz (90 cpm); below the filter corner frequency, the output is attenuated and the sensitivity is lowered

Fig. 2(a) Envelope spectrum of a rolling element bearing from a gearbox with one defective gear on the bearing of the shaft with the defective gear.

Fig. 2(b) Envelope spectrum of a rolling element bearing from a gearbox with one defective gear on the bearing of the adjacent shaft.

The second reason for the complexity of fault detection and identification is connected with the necessity of detecting the envelope spectrum produced by only the random components of bearing vibration and excluding from consideration any of the harmonic components from either the bearing under diagnostics or from other machine units. Special methods for signal processing or careful choice of a frequency band for
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3.1 System selection criteria

Selection of low frequency sensors and instrumentation requires frequency content and vibration amplitude information. The minimum frequency is determined to ensure that the low end filtering of the sensor and monitoring instrument are suitable for the application. Sensor output sensitivity is selected to optimize the signal voltage to the monitoring instrument.

Jl. of Instrum. Soc. of India

Vol. 39 No. 1

March 2009

move from vendor-configured versions to User configured (VI) versions. The typical arrangements of various functional blocks are shown below. The sensory part is common to both conventional and virtual instruments. One of the accelerometers is fixed on a standard bearing and the other is at a bearing under test. The pickup from the accelerometers is connected to an interface called BNC 2120. From there it is connected to the DAQ card PCI 6024E, which is placed in the PCI slot of the computer. The signals from the accelerometers are given as input to the software written using VI.

Fig. 3: Typical Accelerometer Frequency Response without High Frequency Filtering, sensor mounting

All other system characteristics such as environment, cabling, and powering are then evaluated. The accelerometer is a tiny instrument, which has a wide-ranging application from space missions to geophysical exploration. It is used for recording earthquakes, nuclear blasts and the study of mechanical shocks in machines, structures and military hardware. The important consideration while designing an accelerometer is that its natural frequency should be twice as high as the highest frequency of the base excitation acceleration to be measured. The performance of an accelerometer is good when compared to other type of vibration sensors. The signal-noise ratio of accelerometers is low when compared to others

6. HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE PROVIDES SIMPLE UPGRADE

The electronic parts for the control were replaced with a National Instrument Multi IO DAQ-card and a Digital IO DAQ-card placed in the PCI-slot. The electronic parts for the thickness calculation, control loop, and user interface were replaced with LabVIEW. With these an operator can easily monitor any change in the condition of the bearing. If any changes occur the operator can take required action faster. As the system can be monitored from the control pulpit, and the quality inspector room, actions taken can be more accurate, time can be saved, and misunderstanding prevented between operators working in different positions. The user interface also provides easier calibration and troubleshooting. Operators can calibrate faster and hence increase production time.

4. THE VI CONCEPT- EFFECTIVE CONTROL

To construct a VI, it is necessary to combine the hardware and software elements that perform data acquisition and control, data processing, and data presentation in a different way to take maximum advantage of the PC. A Virtual Instrument is described as "a layer of software and/ or hardware added to a general-purpose computer in such a fashion that users could interact with their own custom-designed traditional electronic instrument". In the future, instruments will

Fig. 5: Working model of the Intelligent bearing tester

7. SOFTWARE ARCHITECTURE
Analyze & present Fig. 4: Functional block diagram of Intelligent bearing tester set up. 21

The monitoring and fault diagnosis function reside within the virtual instrument (VI) at the front panel. This function operates in three modes: the learning mode, the monitoring mode and the diagnostic mode.

D. Ganeshkumar and K. Krishnaswamy

8. CONCLUSION
An intelligent and low-cost vibration monitoring and diagnostic system for remote vibration analysis has been presented in the paper. It is a low-cost and independent solution, which can work without having to retrofit existing machines or their control systems. The vibration signals, acquired in real-time from accelerometers mounted on the machines are compared with preobtained signatures and determine the health of the machine. Using off-the-shelf components only, the entire system can be operated from any place with access to the Internet, and even on handheld mobiles.

Fig. 6 : LabVIEW front panel of Intelligent bearing tester

In the learning mode, vibration signatures are first derived from the vibration signals of the machines when operating under normal conditions. The signatures are stored in the knowledge-base of the front-end controllers. In the monitoring mode, the real-time vibration patterns measured in the monitored machines are compared against the vibration signatures stored in the knowledge base. The normal operations of the machines are not disrupted. In the diagnostic mode, the current vibration signal corresponding to each input signal is analyzed against the associated signature (obtained earlier in the learning mode), depending on the type of machine. The front-end controllers are able to generate decisions on the well being of the machines, taking into consideration various criteria; an alarm is activated when the difference deviates beyond an acceptable threshold.

REFERENCES
1. 2. K. Athre and S. Biswas, "Bearings: Selection and Maintenance", Galgotia publications Pvt Ltd. Francis. S. Tse and Ivan E. Morse, "Measurement and Instrumentation in Engineering", University of Cincinnati III series. LabVIEW User manual, National Instruments Corp. LabVIEW Measurements manual, National Instruments Corp. S.S. Rao, "Vibration Analysis", Galgotia publications Pvt. Ltd, 2002. Hsiao-Ping HUANG, Ming-Wei LEE and ChungYun TSAI, "Structure identification for block oriented non-linear models relay feedback tests," Journal of Chemical Engineering of Japan, Vol.34, 748-756, 2001.

3. 4. 5. 6.

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