An In Situ Mechatronic Instrument for Real-Time Sensing Slip Information of Cam Roller Bearings

Slip of the cam roller bearing (CRB) has a significant influence on the wear rate, vibration level, and fatigue life of the cam and roller follower mechanism, especially under accelerating conditions. However, there is a lack of an in situ mechatronic instrument to acquire the instantaneous slip information of the CRB. For that, this study develops an in situ mechatronic instrument, which can acquire the slip information of the CRB in real time under different accelerating conditions. In this instrument, the fuzzy proportion integration differentiation (PID) algorithm is integrated into the control system to realize the accurate adjustment of the drive speed and acceleration. Based on the roller speed measured by the non-contact Hall sensor and the drive speed measured by the speed sensor, the instantaneous slip ratio of the CRB is obtained after signal resampling and synchronization. Finally, the slip information under different constant and accelerating drive speeds is acquired. The results show that the maximum instantaneous slip ratio can reach up to about 15% under constant drive speed and 27% under accelerating drive speed. Compared to the existing methods, the developed instrument obtains the instantaneous slip information caused by transient collision and inertia torque of the CRB for the first time. This instrument can facilitate a more accurate and effective evaluation of the tribology and dynamics characteristics of the cam and roller follower mechanism.