A new approach to monitor wear tracks propagation on-site with electromechanical impedance technique

Generally, the determination of the wear in the mechanical systems is done by checking the critical components in periodic maintenance or by monitoring the secondary indicators such as vibration, noise, and temperature. These indicators can only be recognized after the wear reaches a certain level. In this study, an approach has been carried out on the use of the electromechanical impedance (EMI) method. In this study, EMI measurements were carried out depending on the different test samples, representing a different amount of wear level and wear location of the AISI 1040 steel block. The test samples were worn out in a controlled laboratory environment. The impedance measurements were taken before and after wear tests for each sample. Different measurements were made, and damage metrics were calculated and compared with the reference measurement made; the amount of the wear could be monitored primarily using the Root Mean Square Deviation (RMSD) method without dismantling the system. The location of wear could be determined by Correlation Coefficient Deviation (CCD) technique. In this study, it has been demonstrated that it could be possible to monitor the progress of wear in sensitive mechanical systems periodically without disturbing the integrity of the machine system.