• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.73-77
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• 2010

One of the important trends for condition monitoring in the 21st century is the development of smart sensors that will permit the cost-effective continuous monitoring of key machine equipments. In this study, an integrated in-line oil monitoring sensor assigned for continuous in situ monitoring multiple parameters of oil performance is presented. The sensor estimates oil deterioration based on the information about chemical degradation, total contamination, water content of oil and oil temperature. The oil oxidation is estimated by "chromatic ratio", total contamination is measured by the changes in optical density of oil in three optical wave-bands ('Red', 'Green' and 'Blue') and water content is evaluated as relative saturation of oil by water. In order to evaluate the sensor's effectiveness, the sensor was applied to several used oil samples in steel making industry and the results were compared with those measured by standard test methods.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.297-306
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• 2020

This paper reviews studies on the types and functions of oil sensors used for machine condition monitoring. Machine condition monitoring is essential for maintaining the reliability of machines and can help avoid catastrophic failures while ensuring the safety and longevity of operation. Machine condition monitoring involves several components, such as compliance monitoring, structural monitoring, thermography, non-destructive testing, and noise and vibration monitoring. Real-time monitoring with oil analysis is also utilized in various industries, such as manufacturing, aerospace, and power plants. The three main methods of oil analysis are off-line, in-line, and on-line techniques. The on-line method is the most popular among these three because it reduces human error during oil sampling, prevents incipient machine failure, reduces the total maintenance cost, and does not need complicated setup or skilled analysts. This method has two advantages over the other two monitoring methods. First, fault conditions can be noticed at the early stages via detection of wear particles using wear particle sensors; therefore, it provides early warning in the failure process. Second, it is convenient and effective for diagnosing data regardless of the measurement time. Real-time condition monitoring with oil analysis uses various oil sensors to diagnose the machine and oil statuses; further, integrated oil sensors can be used to measure several properties simultaneously.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.111-121
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• 2008

An integrated in-line oil monitoring detector assigned for continuous in situ monitoring multiple parameters of oil performance for predicting economically optimal oil change intervals and equipment condition control is presented in this study. The detector estimates oil deterioration based on the information about chemical degradation, total contamination, water content of oil and oil temperature. The oil oxidation is estimated by "chromatic ratio", total contamination is measured by the changes in optical intensity of oil in three optical wavebands ("Red", "Green" and "Blue") and water content is evaluated as Relative Saturation of oil by water. The detector is able to monitor oils with low light absorption (hydraulic, transformer, turbine, compressor and etc. oils) as well as oils with rather high light absorption in visible waveband (diesel and etc. oils). In a case study that the detector is applied to a diesel engine oil, it is found that the detector provides good results on oil chemical degradation as well as soot concentration.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.38-43
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• 2012

Using a fiber laser heat source, an oil pressure sensor was fabricated to measure the pressure in commercial vehicles. A stepping motor was used for the rotational and translational motion in the diaphragms and hardware joining. Laser welding process algorism including shielding gas control and vision system was integrated by using LabVIEW software for the high quality welding and in-line monitoring purpose. For the maximum flexibility in pressure transmission to the pressure sensor, thin sheet metal diaphragm, $25{\sim}50{\mu}m$(SUS-316L), was used and the diaphragms were optimally designed with FEM analysis. The welded samples were cross-sectioned the observation showed that the maximum depth ratio was more than seven times of diaphragms. The maximum welding speed was measured to be as high as 50in/mm by the developed automation mechanism. The fabricated prototypes were tested for the proof pressure, spring constant and sealing. The FEM results of spring constant measurement was as accurate as up to 80% of the design value and the sensor was safely operated up to the nominal pressure of 10bars.