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Session 1547

Wheel Bearing Tester Project: Machine Elements to Design Engineering

Nikhil K. Kundu Purdue University

Introduction In order to be competitive in the job market engineering graduates are required to have understanding in fundamentals as well as training in the state of the art technology along with realistic design experience. This demand can be satisfied by introducing real world applications in design courses, where students can use theories as well as training in solving problems.

In this project students were presented with a problem of an axle manufacturing company who was experiencing accumulated repairs with a machine designed to test wheel bearings. This project involves designing a testing equipment that will overcome some of the shortcomings of the current tester and use standard hubs and shafts to mount the sample bearings. The bearing tester will use wheel assembly under conditions of actual use. The wheel speed and loads simulated by the tester is matched to highway conditions. By simulating the speed and forces until failure, the quality and reliability of the bearings are assured.

During the project students used the fundamentals they learned in statics, strength of materials, and introductory machine elements courses. This involved free body diagrams, load calculations, and reactions under highway conditions. The test fixture shaft sizing involved bending and torsional moment diagrams, shaft deflection, stress concentration, and combined stress calculation. In designing the testing equipment students were involved in the calculations and parts selections of bearings, belts, and pulleys. Two cylinders are used to simulate load under road conditions. In designing the hydraulic system students had the opportunity to use their background in hydraulics including pumps, actuators, valves, and controls that they learned in a basic fluid power course.

The bearing tester consists of a number of control elements such as vibration analyzer, load cells, temperature and pressure sensors. Based on their calculations and catalog search required parts were selected. In the selection process students contacted vendors and discussed parts specification and costs. The project ends with instructions and operational procedure of the testing device.

Design The wheel bearing tester (fig. 1) involve the design of a fixture shaft for mounting test specimens and a hydraulic system for simulating radial and axial loads. The system instrumentation include feedback and control of temperature and pressure, monitoring of the generated heat and a vibration analyzer. The design is based on the defined test parameters identical to road

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Kundu, N. K. (1998, June), Wheel Bearing Tester Project: Machine Elements To Design Engineering Paper presented at 1998 Annual Conference, Seattle, Washington. 10.18260/1-2--7528