The master's thesis covers the analysis of a car wheel bearing. Bearings are basic machine elements that enable the guidance of rotating machine parts and ensure minimum friction and wear of friction surfaces. The wheel bearings we analyzed were ball bearing and tapered roller bearings.
In practice the condition of the wheel bearings is checked by lifting the vehicle, then mechanic turns the wheel and listens carefully to what sounds the wheel bearing makes. If he judges that the bearing is worn, it is replaced, but if he is not completely sure, a test drive is carried out, where he listens while driving for sounds that are a sign of a worn bearing. The current method is quite subjective as it depends on the mechanic's ability to listen and his judgment based on his experience.
The task was set in such a way that we replaced the part where the mechanic turns the wheel and listens to the sound with a measurement made with a microphone, and during the test drive we made an additional measurement with an accelerometer. The accelerometer measurement was the reference method. Such a method is also in accordance with the method given by the international standard for mechanical vibration in an industrial environment.
The measurement with a microphone is carried out in a similar way to the assessment of the condition of the bearing now. The wheel is still turned by the mechanic, but in the place where mechanic places his ear and listens to the sound emitted by the bearing, we now place a microphone. We record the sound and then further process it in the DewesoftX software so that we can assess the state of the bearing. If, after analysis, we are still not completely sure about the condition of the wheel bearing, we also measure it with an accelerometer.
Accelerometer measurement takes place while driving. We place an accelerometer near the wheel bearing that we suspect is worn. Then we take a measurement during the test drive. Data is analyzed in the same software environment as measurement we made with a microphone. After processing, we can accurately analyze and assess the condition of the bearing. In the case of a worn bearing, the kinematic model of the bearing can also be used to determine which component of the bearing is destroyed.
We performed measurements on more than 70 wheel bearings with a microphone. In most cases, the mechanic's assessment of the condition of the wheel bearing matched the assessment of the condition based on the measurements made with the microphone. We made more than 15 measurements with the accelerometer. In all cases, we could clearly see and assess the condition of the bearing. By comparing the ratings given based on the measurements made with the microphone and the ratings given based on the measurements made with the accelerometer, we found that there was no case in which the condition of the bearing was assessed as acceptable based on the measurements made with the microphone, and then, based on the measurement with the accelerometer, we would estimate that the bearing is worn. However, we had a case where, based on a measurement with a microphone, we assessed the bearing as worn, and then, based on a measurement with an accelerometer, the bearing was assessed as acceptable.
We found that a microphone and an accelerometer could be used in mechanical workshops and repair shops to assess the condition of the wheel bearing. Evaluating the condition of the wheel bearing based on the microphone and accelerometer measurements has the advantage that a mechanic is not needed for the evaluation, as the condition of the bearing can be evaluated by someone without experience in a mechanic's workshop. The disadvantage of introducing a microphone and accelerometer is the large initial investment and the time-consuming installation of the measurement system. As an upgrade option, I see a preventive measurement system integrated as standard in the vehicle. With such a measuring system, it would be possible to detect the early stage of bearing wear, send a warning message to the vehicle's control system and avoid possible further damage to the vehicle.
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