A new sensor diagnoses failures in would scheme industrial by the sound
Researchers of the
Up to now, the traditional systems of analysis of the machines analysed the vibrations to detect when a piece or segment needed to be repaired or substituted by cause of an impact, of cracks, frictions or wear. “The problem is that, with a lot of frequency, the vibrations appear when already there is a grave failure”, explains to SINC Luis Romeral, director of MCIA Innovation Electronics equipment dealers equipment dealers, of the Centre of Innovation and Technology (CIT UPC).
Romeral Is the coordinator of the European project Mosycousis, that has developed in two years with a global budget of 1,7 million euros. “The initiative has consisted in the development of new able wireless sensors to detect internal fractures of some micras in industrial machinery by means of the analysis of the ultrasonic waves that issue, using for this algorithms of artificial intelligence and of processed digital advanced”, indicates this manager.
“Many times –adds– the mechanical wear manifests initially in shape of a fracture or internal fissure in the metallic material. When it appears this crack, the material begins to issue ultrasonic waves, that are sounds of very high frequency and low amplitude. These broadcasts are the one who capture with the head sensora and separate those that reflect the normal state of operation of the ocasionadas by an internal problem of fracture”.
Luis Romeral, to the right, with his team in the MCIA Innovation Electronics equipment dealers equipment dealers of CIT UPC. Photo: Ramon Fornell.
Preventive maintenance
The new sensor advances the time of detection of the problem in the machinery before it go in in vibration or even in break of some axis or some mechanical part. “Like this, it allows to advance the intervention of the maintenance and schedule it better to give more hygiene to the installation of the plant”, signals the director.
In his opinion, “a maintenance that allow to advance to a failure of the system to correct it before it produce a sudden stop, will have an important saving in costs and time”.
The team coordinated by Luis Romeral, in which it also participates Foundation CTM Technological Centre and other companies and institutions of Ireland, Estonia, Poland and Romania, has developed all the electronics equipment dealers equipment dealers that forms the body of the sensor, an autonomous device that feeds with the existent power in the surroundings (of thermal sensors sources, mechanical or of vibration). Also it has commissioned of the algoritmia of processed of signal for the detection and identification of the failure.
The sensor, explains Romeral, has been designed to capture ultrasonic waves in ranks that move between the 50 and the 300 kilohercios “because in this rank of frequencies can locate structural failures in mechanical systems”.
The researchers test the sensor. Photo: Ramon Fornell.
The idea is to install these devices in industrial plants or in machines of difficult access, “since these sensors feed in situ and are able of discernir if the ultrasonic information captured corresponds to a normal state of operation or to one of failure by internal fracture of some part of the material, to identify the gravity of the problem and communicate a warning or warning of wireless form to a central computer.
The acoustic sensors developed in the project Mosycousis, will be able to employ in all type of rotary presses machinery, equipment with gears, boxes of change, compressesors, pumps, motors, fans, etc. “Will be able to apply in companies of production, in manufactura metallic, chains of packed and packaging of foods, pharmaceutical sector, etc”, says the researcher.
In the time that has lasted the project, that finalised the past month of October and that has had financials of the VII Program Mark of R&D of the EU, the participants also have identified other uses that had not foreseen in principle in his billed.
“Have seen that the technology is interesting and highly applicable to detect problems in the positioned of the aerogeneradores and improve his maintenance. And in the rail field could plant in the rails of the entrances of the stations where there is a continuous change of road to direct the train to a platform or to another, what produces an important mechanical wear”, signals the director.
In the rail applications, the sensors would not be autoalimentados but connected directly to the electrical network of the station and, according to Romeral, would allow to identify the apparition of small fractures in the base of the rails and warn serious failures.
Applications in biomedicine
But perhaps one of the most surprising applications of the new devices find in the field of the biomedicine. “The ultrasound already has used widely to detect osseous fractures, but the concepts developed in this project in identification of frequencies and analysis of signal, are new in this field”, indicates the manager.
“Finish to begin to value the possibilities in these surroundings and see that they exist a lot of expectations. The researchers with which are speaking have said us that the identification of a fracture and his location in a three-dimensional system with three separate sensors between yes inside a bone could be of big interest. Thus, we have opened a new line of work and initiated contacts –still confidential– in this field”, concludes.
