Bearing Inspection with SONAPHONE - App Release & New Ultrasonic Sensor for Condition Monitoring
The new version of the SONAPHONE LevelMeter App not only excels in its new design, but also offers all SONAPHONE users an optimal workflow for bearing inspection. Thanks to the newly integrated manual gain, constant measurement conditions can be ensured, such as in the context of comparative measurements. With the adjustable band-pass filter, the frequency range can be flexibly adapted to the respective test task and interfering noise can be suppressed. Therefore, the SONAPHONE is the world's first digital ultrasonic testing device capable of acquiring broadband ultrasonic signals with a bandpass that is variable in frequency and bandwidth. Additionally, the characteristic values for performing a bearing inspection have been expanded to include the CREST factor (crest factor). This factor represents the peak content in the measurement signal and is an important aid in the detection and evaluation of bearing damage.
Another new feature is the ability to view and log the time signal as a Time Wave Form (TWF) directly on the SONAPHONE. The time signal is now added to the previous display of the ultrasound as a level curve and spectrogram. An advantage of the time signal is the possibility to measure the repetition frequency in signals in the PC software SONAPHONE DataSuite.
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Hardware - Ultrasonic Sensor BS40
With the new BS40 structure-borne sound sensor, SONOTEC introduces a sensor that is ideally suited for bearings. It is extremely robust, with a laser-welded stainless-steel housing. Also, it uses the standard ¼"-28 UNF threaded bolt, which allows maximum flexibility in mounting. As such, the BS40 can be used with magnets for flat or curved surfaces, and can also be screwed to adhesive pads with an internal thread of ¼"-28 UNF.
The optimized sensor characteristic in the range from 10 kHz to 65 kHz ensures a nearly linear frequency response through a piezo-composite developed by SONOTEC. Furthermore, the downward extension of the frequency range to < 1 KHz also provides more flexibility for machine diagnostics.
SONAPHONE DataSuite PC Software
The updated SONAPHONE DataSuite software completes the new solution for bearing inspection. Key figure trending is now possible, and measurement conditions are easily transferred from the PC software to LevelMeter 2.0 for error-free data collection.
Thanks to a new analysis feature, repeating frequencies in the time signal (TWF) can be read by means of a cursor in the SONAPHONE DataSuite. This tool is particularly useful for bearing testing, but also for evaluating partial discharge using an airborne sound sensor (e.g. BS10 or BS30).