Visualization Study for Enhancing the Efficiency of Local Damage Diagnosis on Flat Belts Based on MFL Technology

Flat belts are increasingly used in elevators, which offer faster stabilization and energy savings compared to wire ropes. How- ever, damage to flat belts during operation can lead to catastrophic accidents, such as rope failure and falls due to tensile loads. Therefore, there is a need for monitoring techniques to detect damage in advance and prevent accidents. Although extensive research has been conducted on the diagnosis of damage to wire ropes, studies on diagnosing damage to flat belts are lacking. In this letter, we propose a monitoring technique that applies the magnetic flux leakage (MFL) method to diagnose flat belt damage. MFL sensors utilizing permanent magnets were tailored for flat belts to measure the leakage flux. Six instances of artificial damage were created using samples of flat belts actually used in elevators, with damage induced at 30-cm intervals. Subsequently, MFL sensors were used to measure the leakage flux, confirming its occurrence in the damaged areas. Furthermore, as the degree of damage increased, the size of the leakage flux also increased. These findings confirm the potential of using MFL sensors for damage diagnosis through monitoring.