Development of a large scale bearing element thickness variation measurement device

Abstract

This work describes the development and testing of a new type of bearing element thickness measurement device specifically designed for large scale bearings. The device is built around a sensor head featuring two tactile sensors that enable differential measurement of the thick-ness. After analyzing an older prototype the new device and corresponding software that was devel-oped as part of this work is explained in detail. Those chapters focus on the features that were built into the device to improve measurement quality and ease of use in general. Based on the design an actual machine prototype was built and tested against a reference grade coordinate measurement machine. Through repeated comparative measurement and statistical analysis the measurement quality was assessed in terms of repeatability, trueness and other parameters. Examining the measurement results from both devices the feasibility of using such a device and its advantages and disadvantages compared to a conventional machine are discussed.