A MODIFIED AUTO-ENGINE OIL DRAIN PLUG FOR IN SITU ULTRASONIC VISCOSITY MONITORING

摘要

A novel ultrasonic viscometer is presented that utilises continuous wave excitation and a sensitivity enhancing metallic matching layer to measure viscosity in situ on a moving vehicle. Though positioned on a static structure, the approach shows how the principle could be applied to loaded components such as crank journals to enable fluid properties to be measured within the loaded contact. Future work will involve integration into functional components to map the conditions within real operating contacts.