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On the development of three instructive test rigs for efficiency determination of

gearboxes and fault diagnosis of joints, roller bearings and gears

Conference Paper · January 2010

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 On the development of three instructive test rigs for efficiency
determination of gear boxes and fault diagnosis of joints, roller
bearings and gears

B. Van Hooreweder, D. Moens, R. Boonen, P. Sas

K.U.Leuven, Department of Mechanical Engineering, PMA
Celestijnenlaan 300b – B3001 Leuven, Belgium
Brecht.VanHooreweder@mech.kuleuven.be

Abstract

This paper describes the development and evaluation of three fully instrumented
instructive test-rigs to study gear box efficiency and fault diagnosis of joints, roller
bearings and gears. To analyze gear box efficiency, a back-to-back test-rig with
mechanically closed energy loop was developed according to the FZG principle. An
electrical motor with adjustable flange coupling was integrated in the loop. The
efficiency of the gears can be determined very accurately by measuring the motor power
that is needed to drive the closed loop as a function of speed, locked in torque, type of
oil and oil immersion depth. The second test-rig consists of a driven shaft with
adjustable motor position and excited bearing house. This enables the analysis of
vibrations resulting from bearing defects and shaft misalignment. Bearings with three
fault patterns (ball, inner ring or outer ring defect) are analyzed under radial loading
conditions and broad speed range (10-3000rpm). Moreover, single and double cardanic
joints and torsionally flexible jaw type couplings are tested under radial and angular
shaft misalignment. The third test rig is a closed electromechanical loop used for fault
diagnosis of gear mesh defects under constant or variable torque loading. The
experimental results are consistent with analytical calculations.

1. Introduction
During the last years a lot of research has been done to improve the performance and the
service life of mechanical machinery. On the one hand, the efficiency of several
components such as gears, bearings, belts, etc. has increased. On the other hand,
monitoring techniques are available to detect defects and to replace a faulty component
in time.

Three mechanical test rigs are developed to instruct masterstudents in mechanical

engineering the basic principles of gearbox efficiency and fault diagnosis of joints,
roller bearings and gears. This paper describes the development, the working principle
and the first results of these test rigs.
2. Gearbox efficiency determination

2.1 Objective

The energy losses in a gearbox are mainly caused by friction between the gear teeth (i)
along with drag and churning losses (ii). In general, these energy losses can take up to
3% of the nominal power for each gear step [1]. Since it is very complex to calculate the
energy losses analytically or numerically, the efficiency of a gear box is often
determined experimentally [2]. The objective of the presented work is to accurately
determine the efficiency of a parallel gearbox as a function of rotational speed, torque
and oil immersion depth. Therefore a back-to-back test rig with closed mechanical loop
is developed using the FZG principle as described in DIN ISO 14635-1 [3]. This test
principle uses the ‘power circulation’ concept which enables a correct computation of
the power losses in the closed loop by measuring the required motor power. In addition,
the complete test rig can be rotated so that the oil immersion depth can be changed
without replacing the oil in the gear box.

2.2 Experimental setup

Figure 1 shows the basic principle and components of the test setup. Two identical
parallel gear boxes are placed back-to-back and are connected with a solid steel shaft on
one side (low speed) and a motor with adjustable flange coupling on the other side (high
speed). Special care was taken for a perfect alignment of all the components.

Three phase Induction motor High speed shaft

Vector controlled with flange coupling

Gear box 1 Gear box 2

Low  speed shaft with torque sensor
Figure 1: Gear box efficiency test rig

Prior to testing, the two flanges of the coupling are rotated with respect to each other
and a torsional moment (Tloop) is introduced and locked into the closed loop. Using
strain gauges, the flange coupling was calibrated to apply a torsional moment ranging
from 5 to 150 Nm. Because of the closed loop, the motor only needs to provide a
limited amount of energy which is equal to the energy losses in the two gearboxes.
Consequently, the efficiency of one gearbox can be calculated as follows.

Pout P T ⋅ω
η gearbox = = 1 − loss = 1 − motor ...... …………………(1)
Pin Pin 2 ⋅ Tloop ⋅ ω

2
The motor torque (Tmotor) can be accurately measured by monitoring the active current
in the SEW motorcontroller. The speed of the shaft (ω) is measured with a quadrature
speed encoder. Table 1 summarizes the different loadcases that were tested. Each
loadcase is performed at two rotational speeds (750 and 1500rpm) and two positions of
the gear boxes (M3-M3 and M5-M6).

Table 1: Loadcases
Flange angle (°) Torque (Nm)
10 7.3
20 16.6
30 26.0
40 35.3
50 44.7
60 54.0
70 63.4
80 72.7
Figure 2: Gear box positions 90 82.1

Figure 3 presents the mechanical energy flow in the closed transmission loop. At each
gear stage, energy will be lost. This is indicated by the small dips in the horizontal lines
representing the torsional moment in the loop. If both gear boxes are 100% efficient,
there would be no energy losses, hence no additional motor power would be required to
power the system. This is represented by the dashed lines. In a real situation however,
energy loss is present and an electrical motor is needed to overcome these losses.

High speed shaft
Motor power
M1
E. loss 1st stage
E. loss 2nd stage

E. loss 3th stage

M2 i x M1

Low speed shaft
Figure 3: Mechanical energy flow in closed transmission loop

3
2.3 Results and discussion

Figure 4 shows the results of the experiment using the previously mentioned loadcases.
A general trend of increasing efficiency for higher torque load is clearly visible. This is
due to the fact that the gears are produced in a way that they reach an optimal efficiency
under nominal loading conditions (100Nm). The lower the rotational speed of the gears,
the less churning and drag losses in the gear box. This explains the higher efficiency
when working at 750rpm in stead of 1500rpm. But even then, the influence of the
rotational speed is limited and reaches a maximum of 5% at low torque.
Efficiency vs angle
100

95

90

85

80
Efficiency [%]

1500rpm M3-M3
1500rpm M5-M6
75
750rpm M3-M3
750rpm M5-M6
70

65

60

55

50
0 20 40 60 80 100
Angle of flange coupling [°]

Figure 4: Results of efficiency calculation

Both gear boxes are filled with 1.1L lubricating oil, which is the prescribed amount for
position M5 and M6. For position M3, only 0.7L is needed. This explains the lower
efficiency when operating at this position. It is remarkable that the additional amount of
400mL lubricating oil lowers the efficiency with an average of only 2.6%.

3. Fault diagnosis of joints and bearings

3.1 Objective

Vibrations caused by bearing defects and/or misalignment errors can reduce the service
life of mechanical systems considerably. Therefore it is crucial to detect these defects
and to replace a damaged component in an early stage of the service life. The objective
of this study is to calculate the bearing defect frequencies and to verify them
experimentally, using only conventional sensors and commercially available software.

The bearings under investigation are self aligning ball bearings. The vibrations resulting
from inner ring- (BPFI), outer ring- (BPFO) and ball- (BPF) defects are analysed. The
experimental results are compared with the results from analytical calculations.

4
Figure 5 presents the geometry and properties of the bearings. The rate of impact due to
bearing defects is determined solely by these bearing parameters and can be calculated
analytically using formula 2,3 and 4 [4]. The result of these calculations is only
dependent on the rotational speed of the inner ring. To study the effect of misalignment
on the dynamical behaviour of the test setup, three types of joints were used: the
torsionally flexible jaw type and the single and double cardanic joint.

FAG 2205 TVH

d = 25mm; D = 52mm
B = 18mm; d1 = 32.3mm
C = 17.3 kN; C0 = 4.4 kN
D1 = 44.7mm
N = Roller elements
r = Ball diameter
K = Cage diameter
Α = Contact angle
Figure 5: Properties of the self aligning ball bearing

N ⎡ r ⎤ 11 ⎡ 8.5 ⎤
BPFO = ⋅ ⎢1 − ⋅ cos α ⎥ = ⋅ ⎢1 − ⋅ cos 0⎥ = 4.3 .................... …………………(2)
2 ⎣ K ⎦ 2 ⎣ 36. 55 ⎦

N ⎡ r ⎤ 11 ⎡ 8 .5 ⎤
BPFI = ⋅ ⎢1 + ⋅ cos α ⎥ = ⋅ ⎢1 + ⋅ cos 0⎥ = 6.7 .................... …………………(3)
2 ⎣ K ⎦ 2 ⎣ 36.55 ⎦

N ⎡ ⎛r ⎞ ⎤ 11 ⎡ ⎛ 8.5 ⎞ ⎤
2 2

BPF = ⋅ ⎢1 − ⎜ ⎟ ⋅ cos α ⎥ =
2
⋅ ⎢1 − ⎜ ⎟ ⋅ cos 0⎥ = 2.13 ... ……………(4)
2

2 ⋅ r ⎣⎢ ⎝ K ⎠ ⎦⎥ 2 ⋅ 8.5 ⎣⎢ ⎝ 36.55 ⎠ ⎦⎥

3.2 Experimental setup

Figure 6 shows the basic principle and components of the test setup. The solid steel
shaft is supported in the middle by two conventional bearings. The bearing under
investigation is placed in a rod-end on the end of the shaft. An adjustable radial load can
be introduced by means of the clamping bolt. Two Vishay CEA032UW-120 strain
gauges are attached to this bolt to measure the applied force which is function of the
vertical displacement and the bending stiffness of the shaft. The vibrations are measured
with a general purpose accelerometer from Wilcoxon (100 mV/g) which is attached on
top of the rod-end.

Three phase Induction motor

Sensor
Vector controlled
Joint Test bearing

Rod‐end

Adjustable Bolt with
platform Strain gauges

Figure 6: Test rig for bearing and alignment analysis

5
Different joints can be used to couple the other end of the shaft with the motor. The
motor itself is placed on a platform that can be translated and rotated in the horizontal
plane. Radial and angular misalignment errors can be precisely introduced and
controlled by means of four threaded bolts with small pitch. Two additional bolts were
used together with a laser alignment kit, to indicate the reference (zero misalignment)
position. The platform is developed in a way that the midpoint of rotation always
coincides with the midpoint of the joint. Misalignment errors are introduced to
introduce additional vibrations in order to represent realistic loadcases and complex
time signals. This makes it more difficult to detect the bearing frequencies.

3.3 Results and discussion

Figure 7 presents the fast fourier transform (fft) of the measured vibrations resulting
from tests on bearings with different defects. Prior to testing, a hard metal pin was used
to damage a roller element or the inner or outer ring of the bearing. The BPFI and BPFO
are clearly visible in the frequency spectrum and correspond with the analytical
calculations. The BPF is more difficult to detect. This is due to the complex movement
of the roller element and the fact that this element is only damaged in one point. If this
specific point does not coincide with the inner or outer race, no vibrations will be
detected.
-3
x 10 BPFI - 1000 rpm
1
1x rpm rpm - harmonic comp. 6,7x rpm
Amplitude [V]

0.5

0
0 50 100 150
-3
x 10 BPFO - 1000 rpm
1

2 x rpm 4,3 x rpm

Amplitude [V]

0.5

0
0 50 100 150

-3
x 10 BPF - 1000 rpm
1
1x rpm rpm - harmonic comp.
Amplitude [V]

BPF - harm. comp.

0.5

0
0 50 100 150
Frequency [Hz]

Figure 7: FFT of bearing defects

6
The non uniform rotational movement resulting from the use of the single cardanic joint
can be detected at twice the rotational frequency. This non-uniformity is eliminated
using the double cardanic joint, leading to an overall lower vibration amplitude on the
driven shaft [5]. The torsionally flexible jaw type coupling brings more damping to the
system but also a distinct peak at three times the rotational frequency, which is caused
by the interaction between the joint teeth.

4. Fault diagnosis of gears

4.1 Objective

The objective is to measure and detect gear defects in a closed electromechanical

transmission loop. The performance of an industrial sensor (SEW DUV 10a) is
compared with the measurements of a general purpose shear accelerometer (IMI
625B12). Initially, only the vibrations caused by gear tooth imperfections are analysed.

4.2 Experimental setup

Figure 8 shows the basic principle and components of the test setup. Two identical
gearboxes are placed back-to-back and are coupled with a lightweight double cardanic
shaft coupling. An SEW MoviDrive controller is used together with a synchronous
motor and speed encoder to apply a constant speed on the ingoing shaft of the gear box
on the right. An SEW MoviTrac controller is used together with an induction motor to
apply a constant or variable torque in the transmission line. The controllers are
connected via the DC interlink and the induction motor is programmed in generator
mode. By doing so, the electrical energy that is generated by the induction motor is
transferred back to the MoviDrive to power the synchronous motor. Consequently, a
closed electromechanical loop is formed, leading to low energy consumption and an
easy to control electrical load.

Three phase Induction motor Three phase asynchronous motor

Vector controlled Vector controlled with encoder
Gear box

Industrial sensor Accelerometer Low  speed shaft coupling

Figure 8: Test rig for gear box defect analysis

4.3 Results and discussion

Figure 9 shows a sketch of the two gear stages and the fft of the timesignal measured
with the industrial sensor. Prior to testing, all 71 teeth of one gear were slightly
damaged by pressing a hard steel pin against it while turning. The gear mesh frequency
can be calculated using formula 5 as indicated below.

7
 −1
RPM −1 1050 ⎛ 71 ⋅ 67 ⎞ ⎡ 71 ⎤
GearMesh = ⋅ itot ⋅ N = ⋅⎜ ⎟ ⋅ 71 = 17.5 ⋅ ⎢ = 43.88 Hz ……(5)
60 60 ⎝ 14 ⋅ 12 ⎠ ⎣ 28.32 ⎥⎦

The experiment was conducted using a constant torque of 25Nm and a constant
rotational speed of 1050rpm (17.5Hz). Although the gear damage is not visible with the
bare eye, a distinct peak in the fft plot can be found at the gear mesh frequency. The
amplitude of this peak is 3.2 times larger that the amplitude of the same peak without
gear tooth imperfections. Similar results were found using the conventional
accelerometer after filtering and analysing the data close to the calculated gear mesh
frequency.

1xrpm 43.9 Hz
Amplitude (mV)

17.5 Hz 14 71
Motor

67 12

Frequency (Hz)
Figure 9: FFT of gear tooth defects

5. Conclusions
Three fully instrumented instructive test-rigs were developed to study gear box
efficiency and fault diagnosis of joints, roller bearings and gears.

• The back-to-back test rig with mechanical power circulation enables gear
efficiency tests under various loadcases. Due to the rotating platform, the ideal
amount of oil can be determined for any possible orientation of the gear box.
The first results indicate that the efficiency of the three stage SEW gearbox is
highly dependent on the locked-in torque. The influence of the rotational speed
or the orientation of the gear box seems neglectable but can be important for
long term performance.

• The second test setup is used for defect analysis of self aligning ball bearings.
Misalignment errors can be introduced to represent realistic loadcases. Using
only conventional measuring equipment, the BPFI and BPFO can be found in
the frequency spectrum. The BPF is more difficult to detect.

• The back-to-back test rig with electromechanical power circulation enables the
analysis of gear tooth imperfections under various loadcases. The first results
indicate that experimental findings correspond with the analytical calculations
for the gear mesh frequency.

8
 Acknowledgements

This research is funded by a Ph.D grant of the Institute for the Promotion of Innovation
through Science and Technology in Flanders (IWT-Vlaanderen).

References

1. D. W. Dudley, ‘Gear Handbook’, McGraw-Hill, London, 1992.

2. G. Miloiu, ‘Efficiency determination of cylindrical gear units in a Back-to-Back
gear test rig’, Tribotest journal 4-1, September 1997.
3. DIN ISO 14635-1, ‘FZG test method A/8,3/90 for relative scuffing load-carrying
capacity of oils’, 2006.
4. J. Branondlein, ‘Ball and Roller Bearings: Theory, Design and applications’, 3th
edition, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. UK, 1999
5. H. Seherr-Thoss, F. Schmelz, E. Aucktor, ‘Universal Joints and Driveshafts:
Analysis, Design, Application’, Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, 2006.

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