It is difficult to determine the condition of rolling element bearings and gears by monitoring vibration at the exterior of the gearbox case. Vibrations caused by bearing and gear defects are attenuated as they are transmitted to the case, and extraneous vibratins can interfere. Therefore, we propose the use of smart sensors mounted in the gearbox, on the gears of their shafts. Each sensor contains circuitry, a microaccelerometer to measure vibrations from bearing defects, and a strain transducer t monitor the condition of the gears. A temperature transducer is included for temperature compensation. Some computations will be performed on the sensor, and others will be performed in an external interface unit that monitors the sensors in the gearbox, and provides failure alarms and diagnostic information to the operator. The sensors and interface unit constitute the Rotating Internal Machine Monitor (RIMM), which will be conceptually modeled and designed during Phase I. The team we propose has members from within Life Systems, Inc., Michigan State University and GMI Engineering & Management Institute. They were selected because of their expertise in developing and commercializing machine condition monitors, designing smart sensors and fabricating miniature circuitry.
Keywords: accelerometer machine condition monitor smart sensor strain transducer
