With any gear drive changes occur as the equipment is in use and under loads. These changes over a long period of operation are a barely noticeable. Gear drives might vibrate in an almost undetectable amount more than when they were new, they might make a slightly different pitch of a whine or they might run a small amount hotter. With a methodical maintenance program these minute changes can be detected and remedied at the earliest possible time. By servicing problem areas at the earliest sign of change, you can prevent excessive wear and premature gearbox repair.
Vibration
Changes in vibration frequency and intensity can show signs of many possible and potential issues. Monitor the vibration in your gear drives from new to establish a baseline. Use the baseline to determine the amount of change with a steady monitoring routine. There are multiple ways to monitor vibration and once you have data you can check with the AGMA standard and compare that to the baseline you’ve established for your Falk drives.
Sound
The noise that gear drives emit will change as the drives experience wear. The pitch and volume can be used to help isolate what area of maintenance needs to be addressed. The noise can lead to a early detection of a potential lubrication failure or excessive gear mesh, and help you avoid gearbox repair. You can monitor this with different instruments and can also utilize the hearing sense of the operator or other maintenance personnel familiar with the power transmission equipment.
Heat
As the gearbox wears, the internal friction can increase the operating temperature of the gearbox. The increased friction can be a result of equipment out of adjustment, lubricant deficiency, or excessive wear. High quality Falk drives should maintain a stable temperature over a long course of time with a rapid rise showing the need for maintenance. For monitoring you can utilize different temperature measuring devices like a thermo couple that can be wired to a warning alarm if the equipment operates outside of a predetermined temperature range.
Posted under Tips and Tricks on Wednesday, March 30th, 2011