Force measurement
ecent press articles about passenger delays at airports have highlighted the importance of fully working luggage handling installations to ease the flow of travellers through an airport. Airport operators who retrofit a smart condition monitoring system can measure how well a system is working and provide sufficient advance warning of possible breakdown scenarios allowing preventive maintenance to be scheduled at a convenient time. The solution by Interface Force Measurements adopted a modular approach using selected wireless telemetry electronics that have been tried and tested in similar demanding environments and coupling this to a bespoke sensing element. For the active component Interface’s Engineers will custom design a sensor for retrofit on existing installations or integration into new systems, with the challenge being precisely identifying the load- path and the best design to ensure ease of installation and future maintenance at reasonable cost. The simplest solution is one based on an existing component that can be replaced with a smart sensing equivalent with the majority being a link-pin. In applications where the access or design prohibits replacement parts there are options to re-engineer an entire component to create the sensing element or to use alternative locations and methods of measurement. While numerous recent requirements have concentrated on slat type conveyors the same techniques can apply equally to other designs e.g. bucket, vane, chain, tow, drag and box. Alternative solutions are available for screw or belt type systems
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Figure 1 illustrates how the load pin can be designed for very different scaled systems
CONDITION MONITORING
FOR CONVEYOR SYSTEMS Interface Force Measurements initially developed a smart condition monitoring system to monitor luggage handling systems at airports. This system was ideal for adaptation for use on parcel handling systems when the extra demands the pandemic had put on courier and delivery services became apparent.
The best solution requires attention to many factors:
product longevity and reliability low maintenance wired or wireless? space for electronics? 3D printed enclosure? battery powered? battery life expectancy?
permanent or temporary installation? known force or assumed? ATEX or other safety considerations? Cryogenic or high temperature environment? specific materials e.g. stainless steel? signal type e.g. PLC input? cloud monitoring?
Figure 2: Custom build s/steel link + wireless 62
Interface puts product longevity and reliability first in its list of design considerations as this is the prime consideration and the aim is to make a product that will be sensitive enough to detect any problems in a conveyor drive system while robust enough to give long-term reliability and being the last item likely to fail. An important design factor of Interface ‘load-pins’ is the use of down-hole gauging, as this production method allows for unbroken external surfaces to prevent the collection dust or debris that could adversely system reliability. Figure 2 shows a custom build that replicated a forged link that was designed to temporarily replace links in existing biomass conveyor systems to make short term test/quality measurements with results going to a hand-held display that gave continuous live readings of force with a peak- capture register running simultaneously. The load pin shown in Figure 3 is designed to
replace a basic threaded bolt in the OEM bracket and maintains the original length adjustment plus standard threaded holes in the bracket have been used to secure the reversible anti-rotation stop plate. In installations with sufficient ‘headroom’ the electronics can be integrated into the ‘top’ of the pin.
The latest development from Interface is aimed at multiple route systems e.g. robot-cart systems where multiple conveyors and gravity systems are mixed into a complex network. The system utilises a wireless 3-axis vibration monitoring system to transmit x, y and z measurements in real time that can be combined with location information to identify problems produced by track breaks, seized rollers, obstructions or a variety of mechanical issues that could damage the system or harm delicate goods in transit.
Figure 3: Different sized wireless load pins
Interface has produced solutions for conveyor and drive systems for products from numerous manufacturers but recognises that not every application has the space to accommodate a sensing element and it may be necessary to adapt other components e.g. motor mounts, gears or drive wheels to develop an alternative solution that will still directly measure the driven parts in a system. Interface relies on the ‘keep it simple’ philosophy to arrive at innovative solutions to any automation or conveyor system and welcomes the challenge and opportunity to discuss your application.
September 2023 Instrumentation Monthly
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