Construction and Verification for Metrological Properties of the Prototype Magnetic Head for Nondestructive Testing of Lift Guide Rail Wear under Test Conditions

Abstract

The working surface of lift guide rails during operation is exposed to the destructive action of catchers under emergency braking conditions. In most cases, this surface is lubricated with grease, which makes it impossible to visually assess their local wear. The comfort of cabin movement on guide rails and thus the feelings of cabin occupants depend on the condition of guide rails. Therefore, the verification of lift guide rails wear under real conditions (in situ) is quite cumbersome. In order to assess them on a monthly basis, they would have to be completely cleaned and the excessively worn areas would have to be measured with universal measuring tools and re-lubricated. Such activities would only be a waste of time and lubricant. Therefore, the concept of a magnetic head was developed to assess the technical condition of lift guide rails. The head, which uses permanent magnets, makes it possible to measure the dispersed magnetic field of the guide rail cross-section. The areas of excessive wear show changes in this field, so it is possible to identify these areas without a need to remove lubricant from their surface. This paper presents both the detailed design of a developed head and the preliminary results of measurements using it. As the lift guide rails can have different dimensions depending on the lifting capacity, the developed head was equipped with inserts having the dimensions compatible with the guiding part width, thus enabling measurements that can be taken on different types of guide rails. The developed head and methodology allow measurements to be made without the need for disassembly, i.e. under in situ conditions. The results obtained in the laboratory have shown that the head concept and the measurement methodology are suitable for measurements in situ and perfectly fill the gap in this field of mechanical engineering.

Use of Magnetic Flux Leakage to Diagnose Damage to a Lift Guide Rails System with Reference to the Sustainability Aspect

“…Based on the results obtained, it was found that the periodic magnetic field parameters had a non-monotonic effect on the heat transfer performance. In publication [4], there is a detailed description of a magnetic head design, as well as initial results of measurements made with this head. The dimensional variety of the lift guide rails used requires the versatility of diagnostic equipment.…”

“…The applied encoder and roller arrangement allowed the displacement signal to be recorded with a resolution of no more than 0.6 mm. encoder and the NI USB-6216 measurement card [4]. The test was conducted under laboratory conditions.…”