Development in Wear Debris Morphological Analysis at RAF Early Failure DetectionCentres

摘要

The RAF's Early Failure Detection Centres (EFDC) carry out routine inspection andanalysis of magnetic drain plug samples taken from aircraft while in service. The captured debris is assessed in which morphological analysis is an important integral activity. The development of computerized procedures to identify and categorize the debris has led to the implementation at specific EFDC's of new, improved methods for detecting and diagnosing the wear condition of critical components. In this paper, the background to the development and application of these procedures is described in which the scope for predicting the future course of the wear and the prospects of introducing automatic analysis procedures are discussed.