Generation of reproducible and scalable local damage to rolling bearings for the development of condition monitoring systems through the use of laser technology

Abstract

In the context of the fourth industrial revolution, condition monitoring and predictive maintenance of machines are becoming increasingly important, as unplanned machine failures can lead to high costs for the operator. Many of these machine failures can be traced back to bearing damage, which must be prevented. In order to be able to make reliable statements about the remaining service life of the bearings, a condition monitoring system is required. For the development of these systems, bearings with a defined level of damage are needed. Since there are not enough reproducible methods for bearing damage so far, the defined generation of reproducible, local bearing damage is researched by using laser technology. The damage caused is checked and evaluated by means of vibration analysis and white light interferometry. The results confirm a reproducibility and scalability of the bearing damages by means of laser technology. The damaged bearings can be used for research-based development as well as in industrial implementations of condition monitoring systems.