41st VDI Maintenance Forum

Forschungsinstitut für Rationalisierung (FIR) an der RWTH Aachen, Campus-Boulevard 55, 55074 Aachen

As a market place for ideas and exchange as well as a recognized competence center, the Maintenance Forum makes current expert knowledge accessible. In addition to current topics and trends, future requirements for the maintenance organization, the technical equipment and the qualifications of employees are addressed and discussed. Among other things, asset management, smart maintenance and innovations in standardization, guidelines and legislation. The focus is on practical solutions for economical maintenance today and in the future.

GfM presents in the specialist exhibition accompanying the conference the mobile condition monitoring system PeakStore5 with either four, eight or twelve channels for connecting vibration sensors. The speed is recorded at the same time. In this way, the frequency-selective diagnosis of variable-speed drivetrains is possible without any problems. The software also enables to generate the speed information after measuring, for example from the meshing frequency.

With the PeakStore5, the operational balancing of rotors with one or two correction planes at variable speed is possible. The balancing quality can be calculated on the basis of vibration acceleration and vibration velocity signals. Test and balancing weights can be at fixed or variable positions at different rotor radii. The removal of masses can also be calculated.

The online condition monitoring system Peakanalyzer shines with its excellent diagnostic reliability. Order spectra and envelope curve order spectra are formed from high-frequency recorded vibration signals, in which a fully automatic search is made for significant frequencies that match a damage pattern. Only then does a person have to take action and make a maintenance decision. Since wear damage to gears and rolling bearings is usually announced several weeks to months before the failure, it is sufficient to react to alarms during normal working hours. A new feature is an automatic report generator.

But also the services of GfM are of interest to operators of complex production plants. Regular inspections of production facilities, once or twice a year, reveal most wear-based damage to industrial gear units in good time. This can be supplemented by visual assessment of the tooth flanks - if necessary with the help of a video endoscope. If problems arise, the cause of which is initially unclear, a torsional vibration analysis can be carried out in addition to the vibration diagnosis. As a rule, all influences on a drive can be clearly visualized in this way.