An electronic system to detect the acoustic emissions generated by a friction drive belt system in order to derive an indication of belt 'dynamic' efficiency

摘要

The efficiency of 'friction type drive belts' can be maximised through accurate monitoring of the radial speed of a motor drive and load. The efficiency is a good indicator of belt condition and consequently a device which can provide alerts to relatively low levels of efficiency could provide significant financial savings. Current methods require downtime and professional installation which offsets the potential savings. Consequently there is a need for a device which can be self-implemented by the consumer. This paper presents a body of research to study the viability of using acoustic detection methodology to sense the speed of the drive and its load from their Acoustic Emissions (AE) to determine the efficiency of energy transfer provided by a friction belt drive system. Analysis of the AE indicated that tones detected correlated with the frequency of rotation of the drive and load which meant that the speed measurement and hence the efficiency of the friction belt arrangement could, most probably, be determined either directly or with some data manipulation. It is proposed that using the researched technology it is most probable that a device could be created to provide an improved solution for the detection of friction belt slippage.