engleski

Instrumented Test Rig: Analysis of the Procedure to Test Radial Bearings and Related Components

The so-called TEMPO Lab - Testing of Engineering Materials and Products Lab of the Faculty of Maritime Studies, University of Split, Croatia for a few years has been involved in the design, installation and testing of bearings and related components of an instrumented test rig worth over EUR 800 000.00. The next step after all of the test rig components have been manufactured and delivered is the commissioning of the instrumented rig, meaning its testing in accordance with the predefined procedure. In order to define the rig acceptance criteria, it is essential to analyse and eventually amend the procedure of testing the test rig itself. The aim of the paper is to present the analysis of the general procedure to identify possible failures, test steps that are not detailed or that can be optimized. This analysis focuses on different types of radial bearing materials (Babbitt metal or polyether PU), as well as different types of lubricants, that may be implemented in each bearing concept, taking also into account the various shaft diameters. The related rig components incorporated in these tests are pressure and temperature sensors, force probes, flow meters, filters, load actuators, etc. The paper critically reviews the procedure proposed by the designer of the rig, by looking into its details, in order to find out if there exist eventual drawbacks and problems that can be anticipated and solved in advance. The experience gained during the testing of the test rig within the scope of these acceptance tests will certainly be a solid base to perform actual tests later on in practice.

Instrumented test rig ; radial bearings ; bearing materials ; test procedure ; shafting systems

nije evidentirano