Intelligent gearbox monitoring system

The unique PRAXIS condition monitoring partnership between CNES and Schaeffler UK has enabled plant engineers at the beam mill in Lackenby, Teesside to oversee an internal redesign to the hot saws gearbox, which has ultimately saved the company more than £100,000.

In 2006, an FAG DTECT X1 online remote monitoring device was installed on the hot saws to determine the condition of the saws. The hot saws consist of two circular saws, one fixed and one moving, which cut through ‘H’ section beams of hot steel as they exit the beam mill. The online monitoring device soon highlighted problems that had previously gone unnoticed. As well as imbalances to the saw blades, it also detected bearing and lubrication problems within the gearbox. 

The DTECT X1 system has been monitoring this critical piece of machinery for more than 2 years now and has provided the plant engineers at Corus with valuable trending information on the condition of the gearbox. It soon became apparent that there were inherent design faults within the gearbox itself that were causing regular bearing failures.