Product category:
Monitoring and sensor equipment and systems
News Release from: Sensor Technology | Subject: Surface Acoustic Wave equipment
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 14 March 2003
Ultrasound waves model pump drive torque
A bespoke pump maker is using ultrasound waves to efficiently model drive torque and thus contain development costs to within predictable limits.
A bespoke pump maker is using ultrasound waves to efficiently model drive torque and thus contain development costs to within predictable limits Charles Austen Pumps has recently upgraded test facilities with Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) equipment from Sensor Technology, a recognised leader in the field
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 9 Jul 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Digital torque sensor is low-cost
An in-line digital torque sensor which is easy to use, accurate and low cost, is said to be ideal as the core of any automotive motor test bed.
Fire sprinkler systems get safety torque
The TorqSense unit from Sensor Technology has changed validating process for bespoke Fireset sprinkler systems built by Grundfos Pumps in Leighton Buzzard.
Charles Austen Pumps manufactures pumps individually designed to meet specific customer requirements that cannot be satisfied by off-the-shelf units.
Over the three generations that this family firm has been operating it has continually honed its skills at accurately predicting development costs and working within budgets, and has become adept at using advanced techniques such as SAW analysis.
Much of its work comes down to optimising drive dynamics to produce the desired characteristics, be it a smooth flow in a critical medical situation, ultra low noise for pumps in home and office installations, or the guaranteed extra long life of pumps in inaccessible locations.
Further reading
Drive turns washing machines green
The TorqSense transducer from Sensor Technology helped Technical Solution of Stoke-on-Trent research ways of making the motors in washing machines more energy efficient.
Non-contact torque monitoring system
A non-contact torque monitoring system that could guarantee an infinite lightness of touch has been installed to test the seals of super high performance vacuum systems at Ferrotec of Woolwich.
Torque sensor for food mixer analysis
A torque sensor is helping analyse recipe mixing properties in a project that could slash development costs in the food and plastics industry and help nanotechnology advances in pharmaceuticals.
The cyclic nature typical in many pumps' operation tends to induce torsional oscillations in the drive shaft, which can have a significant adverse effect on performance if unchecked, and this is where much of Charles Austen Pumps' development effort is focussed, as technical Manager Brian Glover explains: "We have recently built a new test station based on Torqsense, Sensor Technology's SAW sensor, and it is proving it's worth time and time again.
Many years ago we used a simple torque arm and scales when developing prototype, then we moved on to slip ring technologies which were expensive and difficult to use because they induced a frictional load of their own.
"Techniques based on Surface Acoustic Waves began to emerge about 10 years ago and we embraced these with considerable success." SAW provides non-contact monitoring of instantaneous rotary torque, allowing accurate modelling of the load changes.
Charles Austen Pumps built its own test stand and it served them well for many years.
"The state of the SAW art has now moved onto a higher plane, so last year we decided to tap into Sensor Technology's expertise and develop a new cutting edge test rig.
They supplied us with a Torqsense unit and helped with designing and building the rig." In essence a Torqsense is a frequency dependent strain gauge operating at ultrasound frequencies.
It consists of a transducer mounted on the shaft, which monitors variations in resonance frequency of a drive shaft as the torsional load varies and transmits a radio frequency signal to an adjacent pick up.
Torqsense embraces all the advantages of SAW technology, including a broader signal bandwidth than other analogue based technologies and elimination of electronic interference.
As Charles Austen Pumps found, it often also proves far lower cost, simpler to use, is more reliable and has a wider operating than contact alternatives.
Glover sums up: "Our reputation is based entirely on the quality of our engineering, and our business on the ability to accurately forecast development cost for each job. Request a free brochure from Sensor Technology ...
Sensor Technology has helped us build a new facility that makes our drive engineering accurate, predictable and reliable, or put another way we are moving from a black art to an exact science!".
• Sensor Technology: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Manufacturingtalk email newsletter
• Manufacturingtalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
