Development of non-contact structural health monitoring system for machine tools

In this era of flexible manufacturing systems, a real-time structural health monitoring (SHM) is paramount for machining processes which are of great relevance today, when there is a constant call for better productivity with high quality at low price. During machining, vibrations are always brought forth because of mechanical disturbances from various sources such as an engine, a sound, and noise, among others. A SHM system provides significant economic benefits when applied to machine tools and machining processes. This study demonstrates a non contact SHM system for machine tools based on the vibration signal collected through a low-cost, microcontroller based data acquisition system. The examination tests of this developed system have been carried out on a vibration rig. The readings have also been calibrated with the accelerometer to validate the proposed system. The developed system results in quick measurement, enables reliable monitoring, and is cost effective with no need to alter the structure of the machine tool. It is expected that the system can forewarn the operator for timely based maintenance actions in addition to reducing the costs of machine downtime and acquiring equipments with reduction in complexity of machine tools.