Gearbox component and lubricant condition monitoring system

• US 9,732,838 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2015
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Inventors: McKimpson, Marvin Grendel, Carpenter, Richard Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, SHARDUL D
• Application Number:
  US14/861,150
• Publication Number:
  US 20170082188A1
• Time in Patent Office: 693 Days
• Field of Search: 701 294, 701 314, 701 321, 701 3, 324658, 3242072, 324242
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 17/00 Monitoring or testing of wind motors, e.g. diagnostics testing during commissioning of wind motors F03D13/30
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2057/012 of gearings
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 57/01 Monitoring wear or stress of gearing elements, e.g. for triggering maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 57/0405 Monitoring quality of lubricant or hydraulic fluids
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/2888 Lubricating oil characteristics, e.g. deterioration lubricating properties G01N33/30
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0283 Predictive maintenance, e.g. involving the monitoring of a system and, based on the monitoring results, taking decisions on the maintenance schedule of the monitored system; Estimating remaining useful life [RUL] preventive maintenance, i.e. planning maintenance according to the available resources without monitoring the system G06Q10/06
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction

Abstract

A monitoring system for a gearbox having at least one rotational component having a design lifetime and at least one design parameter is disclosed. The monitoring system may include a first sensor configured to generate a first signal indicative of a speed associated with the at least one rotational component, a second sensor configured to generate a second signal indicative of a torque associated with the rotational component, and a controller electronically connected to the first and second sensors. The controller may be configured to determine a remaining lifetime of the at least one rotational component based on the design lifetime, the at least one design parameter, and the first and second signals over a period of operating time, and generate a maintenance signal based on the remaining lifetime.

Claims

1. A monitoring system for a gearbox having at least one rotational component with a design lifetime and a plurality of design parameters, the monitoring system comprising:

a first sensor configured to generate a first signal indicative of a rotational speed associated with the at least one rotational component;

a second sensor configured to generate a second signal indicative of a torque associated with the rotational component; and

a controller electronically connected to the first and second sensors and configured to;

determine a remaining lifetime of the at least one rotational component based on the design lifetime, the plurality of design parameters, and the first and second signals over a period of operating time, wherein the plurality of design parameters includes a design torque and a design speed of the rotational component; and

generate a maintenance signal based on the remaining lifetime,

wherein the maintenance signal is indicative of a need to perform gearbox maintenance before a threshold time period will elapse.

2. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine the remaining lifetime based on one or more of a ratio of the speed associated with the at least one rotational component to the design speed and a ratio of the torque associated with the at least one rotational component to the design torque.

3. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein:

the monitoring system further includes a third sensor electronically connected to the controller and configured to generate a third signal indicative of a vertical load on the at least one rotational component; and

the controller is configured to determine a radial load on the at least one rotational component based on the third signal; and

the controller is further configured to determine the remaining lifetime of the at least one rotational component based on the radial load.

4. The monitoring system of claim 3, wherein the controller is configured to:

determine a tractive load on the at least one rotational component based on the second signal; and

determine the radial load on the at least one rotational component based in part on the tractive load.

5. The monitoring system of claim 4, wherein:

the design parameter is one or more of a design load and a design speed; and

the remaining lifetime of the at least one rotational component is determined based on one or more of a ratio of the radial load to the design load and a ratio of the speed associated with the at least one rotational component to the design speed.

6. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein:

the monitoring system further includes a lubricant monitoring system configured to generate a signal indicative of a lubricant condition; and

the controller is configured to determine the remaining lifetime of the at least one rotational component based on the lubricant condition.

7. The monitoring system of claim 6, wherein the lubricant monitoring system includes one or more of a temperature sensor and a particle sensor.

8. The monitoring system of claim 7, wherein the particle sensor is one or more of an optical sensor and an electromagnetic sensor.

9. A method of monitoring a gearbox having at least one rotational component having a design lifetime and a plurality of design parameters, the method comprising:

receiving a first signal from a first sensor electronically connected to a controller and determining, via the controller, a rotational speed associated with the at least one rotational component based on the first signal;

receiving a second signal from a second sensor electronically connected to the controller and determining, via the controller, a torque associated with the rotational component based on the second signal;

determining, via the controller, a remaining lifetime of the at least one rotational component based on the design lifetime, the plurality of design parameters, and the rotational speed and the torque associated with the at least one rotational component over a period of operating time, wherein the plurality of design parameters includes a design torque and a design speed of the rotational component; and

generating, via the controller, a maintenance signal based on the remaining lifetime, wherein the maintenance signal is indicative of need to perform gearbox maintenance before a threshold time period will elapse.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the remaining lifetime is determined based on one or more of a ratio of the speed associated with the at least one rotational component to the design speed and a ratio of the torque associated with the at least one rotational component to the design torque.

11. The method of claim 9, further including:

determining a vertical load on the at least one rotational component;

determining a radial load on the at least one rotational component based on the vertical load; and

determining the remaining lifetime of the at least one rotational component based on the radial load.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining a tractive load on the at least one rotational component; and

determining the radial load on the at least one rotational component based in part on the tractive load.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein:

the design parameter is one or more of a design load and a design speed; and

the remaining lifetime of the at least one rotational component is determined based on one or more of a ratio of the radial load to the design load and a ratio of the speed associated with the at least one rotational component to the design speed.

14. The method of claim 9, further including:

determining a lubricant condition; and

determining the remaining lifetime of the at least one rotational component based on the lubricant condition.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein determining the lubricant condition includes determining one or more of a lubricant temperature and a concentration of debris particles.

16. A monitoring system for a gearbox having at least one rotational component having a design lifetime and a plurality of design parameters, the monitoring system comprising:

a first sensor configured to generate a first signal indicative of a rotational speed associated with the at least one rotational component;

a second sensor configured to generate a second signal indicative of a torque associated with the rotational component;

a third sensor configured to generate a third signal indicative of a vertical load on the at least one rotational component; and

a controller electronically connected to the first, second, and third sensors and configured to;

determine a remaining lifetime of the at least one rotational component based on the design lifetime, the plurality of design parameters, and the first, second, and third signals over a period of operating time, wherein the plurality of design parameters includes a design torque, a design speed, and a design load of the rotational component; and

generate a maintenance signal based on the remaining lifetime,

wherein the maintenance signal is indicative of a need to perform gearbox maintenance before a threshold time period will elapse.