A Sophisticated but Easy-to-Use and Cost-Effective Machine Condition Monitoring and Degration Prediction System

Abstract

All kinds of machines require proper maintenance, especially when the operation of machines involves human beings. In order to minimize machines’ failure rate, researchers have been searching more sophisticated methodologies for the earliest detection of the machine faults prior to causing any catastrophe. On the other hand, the industry requires such sophisticated methods easy-to-use and affordable. Hence, this paper presents a machine condition and its degradation monitoring system with the state-of-the-art capability yet easy-to-use and low-cost. In most of the rotating machines, bearings are the most frequent failure parts. Traditionally, maintenance persons would recognize the health of these parts through the monitoring of their vibration frequency spectra. However, modern machineries are so complex that many components may generate vibrations and affect each others. The vibration signals generated from bearing rolling parts may be overwhelmed by other higher amplitude vibration signals generated by nearby larger components. Hence, maintenance persons always encountered difficulties to distinguish the difference of vibrations generated by a bearing or nearby components. Hence, sophisticated machine fault diagnoses are required. Although a number of advanced diagnostic methods are available, they are either not ready for commercial use or too expensive and difficult to use without comprehensive learning. Therefore, we have designed and implemented an economic but yet efficient machine condition and its degradation monitoring system called the’ smart Asset Maintenance System (SAMS)’. Here, we have described its effective functions on machine fault diagnosis and prognosis, addedvalued capabilities, such as automatic report generation, smart data management, and ready to use Webbased remote monitoring. Most surprisingly, even equipped so many advanced functions, SAMS has been made for user-friendly and low-cost.