At this year’s Hannover Messe, scheduled to be held during April 25-29, Schaeffler will be presenting new and specific solutions for digitalized production and machine monitoring with its “Drive Train 4.0” technology exhibit. The focus of this exhibit will be on two new digital services for every drive train type: The calculation of rolling bearings’ remaining useful life based on real load spectra and automated rolling bearing diagnostics.
The new generation of the FAG SmartCheck, a system for diagnosing the vibration behavior of bearings and machines which can now be connected to a cloud, will also be making its debut this year.
By allowing the remaining useful life of rolling bearings to be calculated based on real load spectra that are recorded during operation, Schaeffler offers both machine manufacturers and operators an efficient solution for reducing total cost of ownership (TCO) as well as unit costs. Prerequisites for calculating the real load spectra during operation are machines equipped with sensor technology that matches the application, data from the machine control system, a BEARINX model of the machine, and a connection to the Schaeffler cloud.
When the real load spectrum is available, an automatic calculation of the nominal rolling bearing rating life is made using Schaeffler’s BEARINX calculation tool via the cloud-based software platform. The respective nominal remaining useful life for each bearing in the machine or system is derived by subtracting the current runtime from this newly-calculated rating life. These complex calculations go unnoticed by the operator, however, as they are carried out cyclically and automatically during operation. The customer can then view the remaining useful life of every individual bearing position in the machine using an internet-capable end device.
The continuous calculation of rolling bearings’ remaining useful life opens up the following possibilities:
* Active control of machines’ capacity utilization with a view to predictive maintenance
* Higher capacity utilization for individual axes and entire machines
* Requirement-based maintenance intervals according to real load conditions
* Utilization of real field data and load spectra for design optimization and re-engineering of machines by the manufacturer
Automated rolling bearing diagnostics
Vibration monitoring systems are the most reliable method when it comes to monitoring rolling bearings and detecting incipient damage to bearings and other machine components, and Schaeffler has many years of experience in this area. The quantity of measurement data available is constantly increasing as the use of sensor technology becomes more and more prevalent, and the “automated rolling bearing diagnostics” service that will be presented in Hannover allows these data to be automatically and intelligently evaluated. The results are then displayed to the customer in the form of recommended actions.
The prerequisite for this is the new generation of the FAG SmartCheck vibration monitoring system, which is to be presented for the first time in Hannover. This compact measuring system records the raw data from every assembly and transmits them to the cloud. Improved calculation and analysis algorithms that are continuously updated are available for processing these data on Schaeffler’s software platform, which customers can access from their end devices without the need for additional software installation.
“We have used our long-term experience to develop a system that is capable of automatically processing very high volumes of data. This means that our customers receive analyses and recommended actions that previously had to be carried out by experts for every individual case”, explains Dr. Hans-Willi Keßler, Vice President of Service Products at Schaeffler.
The FAG SmartCheck diagnostic system detects bearing damage, wear, imbalance, misalignments, and miscellaneous irregularities based on changes to the vibration patterns. Depending on the system type, defects can also be detected on very different components, such as rotor bar fractures and gearbox damage.
The SmartCheck has thus far been predominantly used as a local system that includes both the analysis algorithms and a rolling bearing database. The new generation of the FAG SmartCheck, which is used to connect to the cloud, is now about to be introduced for the first time. The FAG SmartCheck demonstration in Hannover will feature a direct link to a cloud, to which the data from the SmartCheck will be transferred.
The automated diagnosis signals are processed from the raw data transmitted by the FAG SmartCheck and any other data that are available (e.g., from the machine’s control system). This means that the vibration data are not only processed in the SmartCheck itself, but are also processed in the cloud, which offers greater processing power and more extensive analysis options, thanks to the combination with other machine data.
This increases the reliability of the diagnosis that the customer receives. For very critical applications, users also have the option of directly contacting the Schaeffler Group’s vibration specialists, who are certified according to DIN ISO 18436-2, via the cloud. These services will be demonstrated live at the Hannover Messe.