Transmission and measurement characteristics evaluation of surface acoustic wave sensor on rotating spindle in machine tools

Abstract

Surface acoustic wave sensors offer overwhelming advantages over other potentially competitive sensing technologies in rotating mechanical structures for their wireless and passive capability. Nevertheless, the challenges of using these sensors have not been adequately addressed. Radio frequency signal of surface acoustic wave sensors acts as not only the role of data transmission but also the role of energy supply during the sensing system working process. Thus, the performance of surface acoustic wave sensors when they are used to monitor rotating spindles should be investigated due to the harsh metallic environments for radio propagation in machine tool. This article aims to experimentally study the performance of surface acoustic wave sensors on both rotating spindle with Computer Numerical Control machine tool and self-developed spindle apparatus. The measurement study is performed using a temperature surface acoustic wave sensor working in the Industrial Scientific and Medical (ISM) band (433.05-434.79 MHz). Experimental results have shown that transmission and measurement characteristics were closely depended on the surface acoustic wave sensor installation location and rotation speeds. The conclusions will directly guide the sensor location optimization, power setting, errors avoidance, or correction in the future work.

Self-Sensing of Position-Related Loads in Continuous Carbon Fibers-Embedded 3D-Printed Polymer Structures Using Electrical Resistance Measurement

“…The monitoring of real-time conditions, including the sensing of strain or stress within a structure and the sensing of damage, plays a pivotal role in securing structural and operational safety or issuing early warnings on damage and deterioration. A number of sensors, such as piezoelectric, thermoelectric, electromagnetic, optical fiber, acoustic, and others, have been developed over the years to assist with structural condition monitoring [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. Most of them can be classified as either embedded sensors or attached sensors.…”