Rolling-element Bearing Testing
Critical component testing
Rolling element bearings play a vital role in the smooth and continued operation of most powertrain and power-steering assemblies.
When they are tested within an assembly (e.g. at the end-of-line), PLATO and its REVKIT add-on sub-product can be configured to identify defects in each bearing.
But many end-of-line detectable flaws can be identified at the bearing component level by implementing an in-process bearing NVH test.
Test machine set-up
Contact-probes or non-contact laser vibrometers are typically used to measure vibration of the stationary element while the bearing is rotated at a constant speed with constant load applied.
Clear and unequivocal results
Test results (including clear indication of which bearing features, if any, are defective) are reported using PLATO’s intuitive test report, passed to the machine controller (PLC) via OPC and stored within PLATO’s results database (SQL) and/or passed to the PLATO server.
Detailed analysis
By using a PLATO Analysis License (PAL) – available free-of-charge from AB Dynamics – users can dive deep into test data to visualize results and further their understanding of defects etc.
The example here shows a defect on the outer race of a taper roller bearing; categorically detected using REVKIT’s event envelope analysis.