Predicting chain life
Original article date: September 1999
The testing and development is up and Renold’s remarkable strain gauge for drive chains is now looking to perform in anger. Alan Quinn explains what it’s all about.
An intelligent chain link capable of collecting load data and predicting chain life on actual applications has been jointly developed by Renold Chain and the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Whilst correctional strain gauging techniques have been used for many years it has not previously been possible to capture the actual loads and calculate stress on real applications. Monitoring has only been possible in laboratory conditions where peak and shock loads unique to each individual machine cannot be measured.
Branded Renold Smartlink the new units may be fitted to various types of transmission or conveyor chain to record dynamic loadings for subsequent analysis on a PC. In critical applications Renold engineers believe that it could be possible to fit the Smartlink permanently and to use sophisticated computer links to allow engineers to receive vital chain performance data off-site. Areas expected to benefit most include the offshore and leisure industries heavy lifting applications and general conveying.
The data recorded by the Smartlink system enables engineers to identify precisely the location of both peak and shock loads measure stresses and calculate an optimum chain size for each application. The same methodology can also be used to determine the causes of premature chain failure with the obvious safety benefits and cost savings for end users.
The system consists of the Smartlink unit currently about the size of a small calculator and a hand-held remote controller with a transmitter and receiver. Depending on the data required the hand-held units are used simply to select the required programme and then transmit the instructions to Smartlink in a similar way to programming a video recorder. The collected data is then recovered by the hand-held units and stored on an easily removed chip that can be sent to Renold Chain for analysis or alternatively downloaded onto a PC and analysed on site.
- Renold Chain
- Yvonne Alexandser
- 0161 437 5221
September 1999