Influence of Operating Parameters on Unbalance in Rotating Machinery Using Response Surface Method

Wide range of rotating machinery contains an inherent amount of unbalance which leads to increase in the vibration level and related faults. In this work, the effect of different operating conditions viz. the unbalanced weight, radius, speed and position of the rotor disc on the unbalance in rotating machine are studied experimentally and analyzed by using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). RSM is a technique which consists of mathematical and statistical methods to develop the relationship between the inputs and outputs of a system by distinct functions. L27 Orthogonal Array (OA) was developed by using Design of Experiments (DOE) according to which experimentation has been carried out. Three accelerometer sensors were mounted to record the vibration responses (accelerations) in radially vertical, horizontal and axial directions. The responses recorded as root mean square values are then analysed using RSM. The relationship between response and operating factors has been established by developing a second order, non-linear mathematical model. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) has been performed for verification of the developed mathematical models. Results obtained from the analysis show that the unbalance weight and speed are most significant operating conditions that contribute the most to the effect the unbalance has on the rotating spindle.     

Fuzzy logic based automatic slip control system for agricultural tractors

In this study, a fuzzy-based automatic slip control system was developed for agricultural tractors. The developed system continuously measures the amount of slip that occurs during the tillage activities and automatically changes the operation depth of tillage equipment according to the amount of increase in the slip value. The amount of slip occurring on the driving wheels was applied as a separate input to the designed fuzzy control system (FCS) and at the fuzzy rule base, it was decided how much the depth of tillage would be reduced. The system was mounted on an agricultural tractor and trials were carried out in actual field conditions. The results of the tillage trials performed with the developed FCS were compared separately with the results of the tillage trials performed with an operator control (OC) without using any automatic control system. As a result of the trials, compared to the operator control, it was determined that in the tillage activities carried out with FCS, there were 42% decreases in slip values, 30% decreases in draft force values, 44% decreases in fuel consumption values and 5% increases in field work performance values. It was also observed that there were 10% changes in tillage depth.