Aktiebolaget Skf

Adam Reedman

Hongyu Yang

Thomas G Mueller

Eric L Brubaker

A bearing comprises a Bragg grated optical fiber to measure one or more parameters of the bearing such as load, temperature, acceleration/vibration and identification. To be able to fit as many Bragg gratings as possible, the utilization of the corresponding frequency plane output is optimized by having low bandwidth next to large bandwidth sensors in the frequency place. The corresponding physical sensors such as load sensors on a bearing will not be adjacent. Sensors in the loaded zone are giving a high bandwidth output and sensors in the un-loaded zone are giving a low bandwidth output, thus even though these are not physically adjacent, the corresponding frequency areas are adjacent by appropriate grating.

Bearing monitoring using a fiber bragg grating

A bearing comprises a Bragg grated optical fiber to measure one or more parameters of the bearing. The optical fiber is coupled to the bearing in such a way that at least a part of the optical fiber that comprises Bragg grating is curved. The grating which is curved is adapted to the curvature in such a way that the frequency response is well defined and not spread out. This is achieved by arranging the gratings such that even though the fiber is curved the gratings appear to be substantially parallel instead of being influenced by the curvature.

Bearing monitoring using a fiber Bragg grating

A rolling element bearing comprises a groove with preferably an indentation in the bottom down the middle of the groove all around the bearing. The groove is to both accommodate a Bragg grated optical fiber and to increase the perceived sensitivity of the optical fiber by weakening the bearing and thereby creating larger deformation for specific loads/vibrations than if the groove was not there.

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Hoornaar, Netherlands

Adam Reedman