Monitoring the Health of Gear Drives

Predictive Maintenance Being The Best Insurance Against Equipment Failure

Summary
Threat of equipment failure and unplanned downtime haunts all maintenance supervisors. The best way to avoid costly repair, rebuild or replacement jobs for any piece of equipment is to prevent trouble before it occurs. Predictive maintenance, the methodical analysis of the most likely sources of trouble, provides the best insurance against equipment failures. In the case of gear drives, this article will focus on predictive maintenance and measured changes in vibration, noise, temperature and oil.

Falk_RB03012 The Falk Corporation 4 pages November 2003 SKF Reliability Systems @ptitudeXchange 5271 Viewridge Court San Diego, CA 92123 United States tel. +1 858 496 3554 fax +1 858 496 3555 email: info@aptitudexchange.com Internet: www.aptitudexchange.com

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Monitoring the Health of Gear Drives

Introduction
Threat of equipment failure and unplanned downtime haunts all maintenance supervisors. The best way to avoid costly repair, rebuild or replacement jobs for any piece of equipment is to prevent trouble before it occurs. Predictive maintenance, the methodical analysis of the most likely sources of trouble, provides the best insurance against equipment failures. In the case of gear drives, predictive maintenance primarily concerns itself with measured changes in vibration, noise, temperature and oil.

equipment is used to better evaluate the need for corrective action on specific components. Guidance for defining typical vibration levels for commercial gear drives is given in AGMA standards.

Sound
Performing sound analysis is easier than vibration analysis, but because it is one step removed from the trouble source it should be part of a more extensive predictive maintenance routine. An operator who is familiar with a piece of equipment may be able to detect a subtle change in the level or type of noise coming from the gearbox. However, the use of instruments helps quantify noise characteristics and variance over time. Sound is accurately diagnosed through the use of frequency measurement devices. For example, if a gear mesh is starting to wear the amplitude of the sound at the mesh frequency tends to increase. An increase in gear mesh frequency may indicate a wear problem. On the other hand, a bearing generates different frequency and has its own signals to suggest wear. Sound by itself does not necessarily mean the beginning of a failure pattern. The sound must be traced to a particular component and then compared to its normal sound level.

Vibration
Vibration levels of new gear drives vary due to the statistical nature of the factors that influence the vibrations. The initial vibration level tends to remain unchanged for a long period of time. As components start to wear or fail, the vibration level rises. Two methods used to determine vibration performance of the equipment are trending and diagnostics. Both methods are widely used in grain processing mills, refineries, power plants and other process industries where continuous operation of gear drives is critical. Trending monitors vibration over time using accelerometers or velocity pick-ups. Monitors continuously measure vibration levels, while hand-held instruments periodically analyze vibration. As a safety precaution to avoid catastrophic failure, continuous monitors feature preset safety shutdown levels. Diagnostic equipment measures the frequency content of vibration. The overall vibration level is broken down into individual frequency components. These separate readings are then linked to specific pieces of equipment, such as bearings or a pump. When trend readings indicate increasing vibration levels, diagnostic

Temperature
Monitoring the operating temperature of gear drives is common practice. Variations in operating temperature may indicate trouble. To prevent temperature variations, set a maximum toleration temperature and have an alarm sound when the temperature reaches the threshold. It is not unusual for the alarm to sound because a bearing or the lubricant is failing. 2

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Monitoring the Health of Gear Drives Temperature fluctuations are diagnosed by sensors that are placed inside the gear housing and are connected to a gauge or other readout apparatus on the outside of the gearbox. The two types of sensors are Thermocouples and Resistance Temperature Devices (RTD). A Thermocouple contains two dissimilar wires bonded together producing an electrical current with temperature change. A RTD relies on material that changes resistance with temperature. As temperature changes, the corresponding resistance change is sensed in electrical readout circuits. Both sensor systems measure the skin temperature of the gear housing, the outer race of bearing, bulk oil or other areas where proper temperature is essential. Both systems are reliable.
Figure 2 Oil samples are an excellent way to detect the source of trouble before it affects the performance of the equipment. Collect a sample from the top central area of the oil reservoir immediately after shutting down the machine.

shutting down the machine ensures freshly circulate, evenly distributed oil. The plant or an independent testing laboratory then analyzes the sample.

Oil analysis targets three principal factors: changes in viscosity, the amount of water in the oil, and the presence of foreign particles. An oil sample showing viscosity levels rising about the proper range indicated deterioration. The presence of sludge denotes oil breakdown. An excess amount of water contributes to ruse, loss of lubrication, and eventual component breakdown. The analysis also takes a close look at contaminants in the oil. The composition of these help identify whether contaminants are entering the gearbox from the outside, or if some part within the gearbox is wearing out.

Figure 1 Thermocouples and resistance temperature devices (RTD) can measure the skin temperature of the gear housing, the outer race of bearing, bulk oil or other areas where proper temperature is essential.

Oil Analysis
Oil samples are an excellent way of detecting trouble before it affects the performance of the equipment. Samples should be taken in accordance with the equipment manufacturer's recommendations and test results compared to the lube manufacturer's specifications. Collecting oil samples from the top central area of the oil reservoir immediately after

Conclusion
Machine wear is inevitable. But, by following these predictive maintenance guidelines on a regular basis, wear can be monitored and costly, unplanned downtime avoided. 3

2004 SKF Reliability Systems All Rights Reserved

Monitoring the Health of Gear Drives

About Falk
Falk is a world-leading manufacturer of industrial mechanical power transmission solutions. Falk leverages its legacy in power transmission solutions - from standard and custom gear drives, to couplings and backstops, to unmatched service and support to provide the best customer experience and the lowest total cost of ownership through its reliability, leadership, and speed. By Michael B. Antosiewicz, ManagerResearch & Technology, The Falk Corporation

2004 SKF Reliability Systems All Rights Reserved