Asset Condition Management

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Experience with SKF Idler Sound Monitoring Kit

  • 1.  Experience with SKF Idler Sound Monitoring Kit

    Posted 03-04-2013 20:40
    Hello Team of Experts

    Does anyone have experience with SKF Idler Sound monitoring kit for detecting condition of idlers/rollers of conveyor belt ?
    Or with the same technology from any other supplier ?

    I want to compare notes on the advantages and any lessons learnt which can make our implementation faster and simpler.

    You may refer about the product here

    Regards
    Vin


  • 2.  RE: Experience with SKF Idler Sound Monitoring Kit

    Posted 03-05-2013 06:01
    I have no experience with the SKF unit but I believe you could do the same thing with a ultrasonic emmissions outfit.

    You will not have the bells and whistles as far as guages and charts but from my experience you will be able to tell a bad roller from further than 10 feet away.

    You may want to post a follow up question on this thread:

    UE on Conveyors

    Or email Jim Hall at jim.hall@ultra-soundtech.com. He has always helped me when I had questions about applications using UE.

    Not to mention you can use the equipment to do more than inspect conveyor belts.


  • 3.  RE: Experience with SKF Idler Sound Monitoring Kit

    Posted 03-24-2013 11:02
    Hello Vin,
    I know that there are many users around the world using SDT ultrasound equipment for this application in the airborne mode with great success.

    I hope to be in Oman in May.

    Tom Murphy
    tom@reliabilityteam.com


  • 4.  RE: Experience with SKF Idler Sound Monitoring Kit

    Posted 09-14-2013 02:10
    Thanks Tom. I went through your posts and found that most of the ultra sound techniques were used for detecting leakages.

    However my intention was to know about a tool/instrument/technique to quantitatively detect faulty idlers/rollers on a belt conveyor or otherwise who have the tendency to fail in near future.

    We have more close to 80k idlers in our plant so some methodology would help for sure.

    We tried using SKF idler kit but the hood covers on the top of the conveyor for dust protection hinders the measurement process to an extent the readings were found to be too weak to present an analysis.

    Regards
    Vin


  • 5.  RE: Experience with SKF Idler Sound Monitoring Kit

    Posted 03-13-2014 06:25
    Hi vinay,

    did you progress with SKF_ISM or did you find any useful alternatives to survey idlers.. I too have interest to find such monitoring tool for our plant conveyors.


  • 6.  RE: Experience with SKF Idler Sound Monitoring Kit

    Posted 07-14-2014 22:06
    Hi Vin and KJAP
    I realy need some feed back on the skf ISM. Failing rollers at the moment are our number 1 cause of unshedualed loss. I need to identify failing rollers. I need justification before spending almost $24000 on a system that may mot work.

    Any help appreciated

    David


  • 7.  RE: Experience with SKF Idler Sound Monitoring Kit

    Posted 07-15-2014 12:34
    quote:
    I need justification before spending almost $24000 on a system that may mot work.

    Your best justification will be based on trying the product at little/no cost for a few days and walk the conveyor lines. You should find one or more suspect bearings while deciding how easy it is to use or not. You could also compare to BAMbino Portable Bearing Acoustic Monitor by Vipac that is similar but uses sound spectrum; and also compare to ultrasound meters by SDT and UE Systems and others.

    Walt


  • 8.  RE: Experience with SKF Idler Sound Monitoring Kit

    Posted 08-20-2014 21:02
    Thanks Walt

    We actually had a SDT 170 hidden away. Does the job well using a wand. In the process of doing a risk assessment and tracking down a parabolic sensor wich would make the use of this system safer.

    Dave


  • 9.  RE: Experience with SKF Idler Sound Monitoring Kit

    Posted 08-28-2014 00:23
    usually conveyor rollers runs at low speed and we even have a case that the rollers were totally damage but still possible to run it for at time.

    I am not sure if there are technologies out there that will give you a large area reading for quick survey for roller bearing health. If this is not achievable, no value it has more than a seismic transducer.

    My idea for roller and its low speed, when it gets significant problem the temperature will rise. So basically what is needed is regular walk survey


  • 10.  RE: Experience with SKF Idler Sound Monitoring Kit

    Posted 01-27-2015 08:35
    Sorry for coming in too late. But better late than never.
    SKF Idler Sound Monitoring kit did not work since the conveyors have Inverted U shaped hood covers (to limit the dust). The sound waves get attenuated towards different direction from the point of measurement.
    Hence we had drop off the experiment.

    Workaround, although reactive it is to organise spreadhseet which contains conveyor wise Idler installation and its last replacement date if any. The operating hours of each ilder is tracked and time based colors are tracked to indicate which ones are suspicious. The inspectors thus focus on them on their visits along with operators.

    I cannot get the management convinced to remove hood covers (environmental commitment) to help me monitor the idler condition.

    Hope this helps.


  • 11.  RE: Experience with SKF Idler Sound Monitoring Kit

    Posted 01-28-2015 09:23
    quote:
    I cannot get the management convinced to remove hood covers (environmental commitment) to help me monitor the idler condition.

    VinMan,

    Why not drill small hole through hood for microphone? I have done this for belt guard on large pump. A large hole, if needed could be covered with rubber flap, but 1" diameter or less probably could be left uncovered.

    Walt


  • 12.  RE: Experience with SKF Idler Sound Monitoring Kit

    Posted 01-29-2015 04:38
    Thanks for the suggestion though, Does it really works ? Even the SKF guys gave up due to the hood covers. I will give it a shot.

    I would need to take the permission of environmental department before going ahead with it since the asset is part of containing dust emissions in the plant.
    Another problem i have is that we have 40 kms of belt conveyor so if this is successful it would be a good big task of drilling 1-2" holes.

    Let's see.


  • 13.  RE: Experience with SKF Idler Sound Monitoring Kit

    Posted 01-29-2015 07:30
    quote:
    Does it really works ? Even the SKF guys gave up due to the hood covers.

    VinMan,

    Tough question to answer. I have not used the SKF product, and I don't know the details of your conveyor arrangement. Regarding access: my first suggestion is to see if there is any way to avoid making holes. If conveyor is high overhead, then possibly use parabolic sensor and walk along below. If conveyor is slightly above ground/floor, then possibly place remote sensor on pole to reach in space below. I would not use any product that requires a sensor hole larger than 1". As previously indicated there are other alternatives (noncontact and contact sensors) to the SKF meter that could possibly adapt better to your situation. Another scheme would be to used vibration analyzer with ICP microphone and used frequency band alarms that match the bearing fault frequencies. Any system you choose should have audio headphones, because ears can be a great sensor too!

    With 40-km of belt conveyors you need to make a good instrument choice based on trials and do lots of planning to make the job successful.

    Walt


  • 14.  RE: Experience with SKF Idler Sound Monitoring Kit

    Posted 02-02-2015 02:46
    Thanks Walt for the perseverance to keep it up for me.

    quote:
    If conveyor is slightly above ground/floor, then possibly place remote sensor on pole to reach in space below. As previously indicated there are other alternatives (noncontact and contact sensors) to the SKF meter that could possibly adapt better to your situation.

    Would you like to elaborate more on this remote sensor part along with other contact/non-contact sensors application ?

    The conveyors are placed slightly above the ground making the inspection from below impossible.

    I would love to 'hear' more on it. Yes we tested with audio headphones arrangement but no success due to hood covers explained earlier.
    The presence of hood covers not only defect the bearing 'sound waves' but also attenuate them so 'horn' shaped collector also did not help in our case. The attenuation part was confirmed from SKF expert on site.

    You are right in indicating that planning along with good instrument choice is essential to make this program a success.

    Cheers.


  • 15.  RE: Experience with SKF Idler Sound Monitoring Kit

    Posted 03-11-2015 08:46
    quote:
    The conveyors are placed slightly above the ground making the inspection from below impossible.

    If there is not a lot of debris and a slight air gap between ground/debris and conveyor side frame, then a microphone on a short pole would be easy to use while walking along side of conveyor. From a strategy viewpoint, I would not strive to detect poor lubrication or even minor bearing faults. I would concentrate on bearings with quick screening survey to detect significant bearing faults. Sound measured in the audible frequency range with a directional (pressure gradient) microphone would be good for this. You or someone else could have a second method, vibration or ultrasound, to confirm and identify the specific faulty bearing, as needed. You need to spend enough time to find one or more suspect bearings, and get feedback that you were correct, before walking miles of conveyors!

    Walt


  • 16.  RE: Experience with SKF Idler Sound Monitoring Kit

    Posted 11-13-2015 21:04

    SKF's Idler Sound Monitor Kit is suitable for monitoring conveyor idlers used in heavy industries such as aggregates, cement, metal ore, coal and minerals processing. It can also be used to monitor conveyors in steel mills, as well as pulp and paper mills and other material handling systems, such as airport luggage conveyors.



  • 17.  RE: Experience with SKF Idler Sound Monitoring Kit

    Posted 06-19-2024 08:58

    Thanks for the sales Pitch.



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    Mark Lynskey
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