Paper Title
Lubricant Condition Detection in Static Mechanisms
Abstract
There are number of methods, already developed, used to monitor condition of lubricants in dynamic systems
through the detection of the wide spectrum of sound, produced during the movement of mechanical parts. Generated sound
includes frequencies that can be detected by human ear. However, these methods are only applicable to moving, i.e. dynamic
mechanical systems, and cannot be applied in static mechanical systems. They are designed to remain static, until they are
required to respond to an external trigger. These devices do not emit any acoustic signal and that makes it hard to monitor
their condition with already developed sound processing methods. Thus, another, ultrasonic inspection approach is proposed
to test such mechanisms. This research project review current technologies and introduces new, ultrasonic pulse-echo
technique that can be applied in the inspection of lubricant in the static mechanical systems. Using this novel method,
ultrasound waves are propagated through a specimen consisted of the high viscosity grease and metal pieces. Different
impedances and thickness of the lubricant/grease can be measured and its condition can be monitored.
Keywords - Pulse Echo; Wavelet; Fuzzy Logic; Lubricant Conditions