Tainter Gate Testing A Holistic Approach

摘要

For years medical professionals have tested the human body for overall health byelectronically monitoring the vitals while exercising the components. Most of us canenvision a middle age person on a treadmill with lots of probes attached. Our firm istaking a similar approach to the research and testing of active Tainter gates. Inconjunction with an ongoing rehabilitation project, our firm is performing tests on 12 (40’tall x 36’ wide) Tainter gates on a dam in Texas.The goal was to quantitatively determine the performance of each system component,specifically the trunnion pin friction for the Tainter gates before and after refurbishment.We will also determine the overall or holistic condition of the various systems that makeup the complete Tainter gate. Identifying the systems, how they interact and how theycan be isolated and monitored are the first steps. The systems identified are: electricalsupply, electrical to mechanical conversion, mechanical driveline, structural, seals andsupport. We will determine how each component interacts and is affected based onoperating parameters.We have developed a practical and flexible instrumentation system to collect data. Weare documenting each of the identified variables so that they can be isolated andquantified. Each test will be repeated to verify accuracy and or identify additionalvariables so that they could be isolated. At the time of printing this report, final testing onall (12) gates has not been completed. The results for installation and testing ofreplacement pins will be available when this paper is presented in July 2001.