Laboratory robustness validation of a humidity sensor system for the condition monitoring of grease-lubricated components for railway applications
<p>The condition monitoring of the health status of lubricating greases used in axle box bearings can be realized by applying well-established electrical or optical measurement principles. Furthermore, some novel methods have been reported that make use of humidity sensors or of dielectric the...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Copernicus Publications
2024-02-01
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| Series: | Journal of Sensors and Sensor Systems |
| Online Access: | https://jsss.copernicus.org/articles/13/9/2024/jsss-13-9-2024.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797311468175097856 |
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| author | K. Dubek K. Dubek C. Schneidhofer N. Dörr U. Schmid |
| author_facet | K. Dubek K. Dubek C. Schneidhofer N. Dörr U. Schmid |
| author_sort | K. Dubek |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>The condition monitoring of the health status of lubricating greases used in axle box bearings can be realized by applying well-established electrical or optical measurement principles. Furthermore, some novel methods have been reported that make use of humidity sensors or of dielectric thermoscopy. One of the most important grease condition parameters is the water content of the lubricating grease, as water can degrade grease to the point that it is no longer able to provide suitable lubrication and can also damage the bearing due to corrosion and cavitation. In this study, a new approach for water detection in lubricated wagon components is presented that is based on commercially available humidity sensors. The core element of this sensor system is a robust humidity sensor mounted in the immediate atmosphere of the grease-lubricated wagon axle bearing. In the case of water intake, the humidity of the gaseous atmosphere above the grease increases and can be detected by the customized sensor concept Humidity Sensor in Axle Bearings (HSAB). As this sensor system has to be sufficiently robust, it must be able to withstand environmental impact factors. The most important of these factors are temperature, relative humidity, and mechanical load, like vibrations and shocks, depending on the relevant railway application. To mimic these field effects under controlled laboratory conditions, the “lab-to-field” approach was set up and employed. Of the utmost importance was the installation of a development environment for the sensors that enabled the transfer of laboratory results to the respective rail field application. As a result, the HSAB system shows promise with respect to enhancing the reliability of railway wagons and decreasing maintenance costs, thereby reducing the downtime of railway wagons significantly.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T02:00:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c0a30b64c0d54174ad5cbcc2b8ab2ed4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2194-8771 2194-878X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T02:00:07Z |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Sensors and Sensor Systems |
| spelling | doaj.art-c0a30b64c0d54174ad5cbcc2b8ab2ed42024-02-14T06:06:07ZengCopernicus PublicationsJournal of Sensors and Sensor Systems2194-87712194-878X2024-02-011392310.5194/jsss-13-9-2024Laboratory robustness validation of a humidity sensor system for the condition monitoring of grease-lubricated components for railway applicationsK. Dubek0K. Dubek1C. Schneidhofer2N. Dörr3U. Schmid4AC2T research GmbH, 2700 Wiener Neustadt, AustriaInstitute of Sensor and Actuator Systems, TU Wien, 1040 Vienna, AustriaAC2T research GmbH, 2700 Wiener Neustadt, AustriaAC2T research GmbH, 2700 Wiener Neustadt, AustriaInstitute of Sensor and Actuator Systems, TU Wien, 1040 Vienna, Austria<p>The condition monitoring of the health status of lubricating greases used in axle box bearings can be realized by applying well-established electrical or optical measurement principles. Furthermore, some novel methods have been reported that make use of humidity sensors or of dielectric thermoscopy. One of the most important grease condition parameters is the water content of the lubricating grease, as water can degrade grease to the point that it is no longer able to provide suitable lubrication and can also damage the bearing due to corrosion and cavitation. In this study, a new approach for water detection in lubricated wagon components is presented that is based on commercially available humidity sensors. The core element of this sensor system is a robust humidity sensor mounted in the immediate atmosphere of the grease-lubricated wagon axle bearing. In the case of water intake, the humidity of the gaseous atmosphere above the grease increases and can be detected by the customized sensor concept Humidity Sensor in Axle Bearings (HSAB). As this sensor system has to be sufficiently robust, it must be able to withstand environmental impact factors. The most important of these factors are temperature, relative humidity, and mechanical load, like vibrations and shocks, depending on the relevant railway application. To mimic these field effects under controlled laboratory conditions, the “lab-to-field” approach was set up and employed. Of the utmost importance was the installation of a development environment for the sensors that enabled the transfer of laboratory results to the respective rail field application. As a result, the HSAB system shows promise with respect to enhancing the reliability of railway wagons and decreasing maintenance costs, thereby reducing the downtime of railway wagons significantly.</p>https://jsss.copernicus.org/articles/13/9/2024/jsss-13-9-2024.pdf |
| spellingShingle | K. Dubek K. Dubek C. Schneidhofer N. Dörr U. Schmid Laboratory robustness validation of a humidity sensor system for the condition monitoring of grease-lubricated components for railway applications Journal of Sensors and Sensor Systems |
| title | Laboratory robustness validation of a humidity sensor system for the condition monitoring of grease-lubricated components for railway applications |
| title_full | Laboratory robustness validation of a humidity sensor system for the condition monitoring of grease-lubricated components for railway applications |
| title_fullStr | Laboratory robustness validation of a humidity sensor system for the condition monitoring of grease-lubricated components for railway applications |
| title_full_unstemmed | Laboratory robustness validation of a humidity sensor system for the condition monitoring of grease-lubricated components for railway applications |
| title_short | Laboratory robustness validation of a humidity sensor system for the condition monitoring of grease-lubricated components for railway applications |
| title_sort | laboratory robustness validation of a humidity sensor system for the condition monitoring of grease lubricated components for railway applications |
| url | https://jsss.copernicus.org/articles/13/9/2024/jsss-13-9-2024.pdf |
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