The science of shaking: tracking vibrations to improve safety
21 May 2014 03:38 PM
Nervous about vibrations? When your car starts to shake
for no apparent reason or when the plane rumbles during taking off or landing,
does it mean there is a real problem? An EU-funded team analysed vibrations and
developed a self-powered wireless sensor system that collects vibration
information and prevents failures of machinery. This technology can
dramatically improve safety in many of our day-to-day activities. A European
railway company has already adopted the system, reducing service disruptions
for passengers and cutting down maintenance costs.
Vibration is a daily occurrence in a vast range of
machinery, not to mention in buildings, bridges and other infrastructures. It
is a normal phenomenon: in most cases there is no reason for concern, but close
monitoring is essential. Vibrations cause wear and tear and can lead to
equipment or structural failure. Engineers within the WiBRATE project have
come up with an innovative new technology to detect and analyse the underlying
causes of vibrations in a wide range of applications. It consists of a
self-powered wireless vibration control and monitoring platform that can be
fitted to trains, civil engineering structures, energy installations such as
petrochemical plants, and factory-floor machinery, in a matter of minutes. Part
of the strength and uniqueness of the system is that there is no need for
batteries: the sensor system converts the vibration into power. And all data is
transmitted wirelessly.
The
EU invested €2.85 million in the WiBRATE project to develop and test
detectors. The sensor system is the brainchild of a consortium of research
centres and companies, led by the University of Twente in the Netherlands. Less
than two years into the project and the WiBRATE consortium has been rewarded
with one of its first industrial contracts, from Southeastern Railways in the
UK.
Vice-President of the European Commission @NeelieKroesEU, responsible for the Digital
Agenda, says: "Europeans spend a significant part of their lives
on public transport, and they want to rely on it! Our journeys should be safe,
and as predictable as possible. This project can help make a difference - it is
another example of how new technologies can improve our daily lives. With a
boost from the EU, research teams are able to develop their best ideas. Then
they can bring their findings to the market, for the benefits of citizens and
businesses".
Keeping trains running on time
British Southeastern Railways installed the new sensor
system on a number of its trains and found they worked impressively by
delivering significant reductions in operational and maintenance costs –
some €12 000 per train per year, as well as improving safety in helping
identify premature failures. Train operators get real-time information on the
health status of the trains, allowing constant monitoring and prevention. This,
Southeastern says, reduces service disruptions for passengers and optimises the
use of its assets.
"The technology has attracted attention from
European train operators in a number of countries including Sweden, Italy,
Spain, Ireland and Germany," explains project coordinator Prof. Paul
Havinga, of the University of Twente.
Big monitoring and
control market
The
technology appears to have a breathtaking range of applications.
"Imagine for example a factory where machines are equipped with
intelligent sensors that detect impending failures by monitoring
vibrations," says Prof. Havinga. "The sensors can be installed
with minimum effort and cost. They create an ad hoc intelligent network that
can supervise the machinery on a continuous basis and eliminate the
labour-intensive process of periodic monitoring."
The
project partners are moving fast to take their results to the monitoring and
control market. This sector – which ranges from the alarm system in your
house to the control and command equipment for a machine-tool in factory
– represents 750,000 jobs in the EU. By 2020, monitoring and control
revenues are forecast to grow to €143 billion, twice the amount mobile
phones bring in (see study).
The
WiBRATE project is coordinated by the University of Twente. Other partners are
the Swiss university Universita Della Svizzera Italiana, Fiat’s research
centre in Italy, IT giant Honeywell (India), mechatronics leader LMS
International (Belgium), and the project’s SMEs: Inertia Technology (The
Netherlands) and Perpetuum (UK), winner of the Southeastern
contract.
Background
WiBRATE project was awarded funding from the
EU’s Seventh framework programme for research &
technological development (#FP7 - 2007-2013). The new EU research and innovation
programme Horizon 2020 #H2020 promises even more breakthroughs with
€80 billion of funding available over the next 7 years (2014 to
2020).