Session: 10-10-02: Teaching Laboratories, Hands-on lab Experiences, Online Laboratory Teaching, Virtual Lab Simulation, Use of AI in Laboratory Experiments, Laboratory Equipment and Safety Practices, Technology-Aided Lecturing, Novel Manufacturing Processes II

Paper Number: 166126

Measurements of the Dynamic Forces Produced by a Damaged Ball Bearing Using Load Cells 

This technical paper is the second part of a large experimental project that started two years ago at the mechanical engineering department at Midwestern State University. The main goal of this project is to investigate the physical dynamic forces produced along the inner race surface of a ball or roller bearing that is slightly damaged or deformed. The behavior of the bearing is experimentally simulated by a ball being rotating around an egg-shaped trackway to demonstrate and numerically determine the magnitude of the dynamic forces produced. The equation of the trackway of the free rotating ball has been derived and subsequently clearly determining the path of the steel ball along the deformed trackway. In order to simulate a deformed or damaged bearing a trackway was constructed using an asymmetrical elliptic equation having an egg shaped form. The equation was programmed into MATLAB to provide a set of discrete traceable points featuring the asymmetrical egg shape. These points were geometrically modeled using a protractor, ruler, and pencil to design a clear outline of the egg shaped trackway. Following this outline a frame was constructed using a clear PVC tubing. The PVC tubing was constrained to follow the traceable trackway using a heating element to bring the tube into a plastic state allowing it to be conform to the trackway desired frame. Once shaped and constructed, the PVC pathway was fitted with essential auxiliary elements such as magnetic coils, Infrared (IR) sensor holders, electrical components housing, and a set of legs to hold the apparatus system. All the aforementioned auxiliaries were designed using the SolidWorks software and 3-D printed using a clear resin. The set of four electromagnets were designed to give the ball the necessary impulse to push the ball along the trackway. An Arduino micro-controller was used to allow for the ability to control the impulses given to the steel ball when it crosses each one of the four coils. This was done using relays, IR sensors, and power sources. The IR sensors allowed for the detection of the ball when approaching the coil sending a signal to the Arduino. Upon receiving the signal the Arduino powered a relay energizing the appropriate electromagnetic coils, subsequently creating a magnetic impulse propelling the ball forward. The four sets of electromagnetic coils were powered by a battery system allowing the apparatus to run independently and enabling the observation of the model's produced dynamic forces. After construction and fine tuning the apparatus, a measurement phase will take place to quantitatively evaluate the impact of the dynamic forces on the race of the simulated bearing. Two experiments will be conducted with this apparatus, one will be testing the produced dynamic forces fitting the apparatus with different ball sizes, and one experiment allowing for the variation of the speed of the ball by controlling the magnitude of the magnetic field produced by the electromagnet. The magnitude of the dynamic forces will be measured at four different points using load cells. The data will be collected and displayed on an Arduino screen.

Presenting Author: Salim Azzouz Midwestern State Univ

Presenting Author Biography: Dr. Salim Azzouz has a Bachelor and Master degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, Switzerland. He has also a License in Mechanics from Louis Pasteur University, Strasbourg, France. Dr. Salim Azzouz earned his PhD. degree in Engineering Mechanics from the Aerospace Engineering Department at Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, USA. He worked as an engineer with Laiteries Reunies Geneve SA (Dairy Industry), in Geneva Switzerland, and Siemens VDO (Automotive Industry), in Newport News, Virginia, USA. He is currently a full Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the McCoy School of Engineering at Midwestern State University (MSU) in Wichita Falls, Texas, USA. He has been teaching there for the past eighteen years. His fields of expertise include computational structural mechanics, non-linear finite elements applied to aerospace structures, smart materials, energy production systems, and engineering education.

Authors:

Joaquin Traslosheros Midwestern State University
Cesar Lim Midwestern State University
Nathaniel Joseph Midwestern State University
Salim Azzouz Midwestern State Univ