FARIAS, R. A.; http://lattes.cnpq.br/9515738402447009; FARIAS, Rodolfo Aquino de.
Resumen:
The objective of this study is to evaluate the possibility of detecting failures in a worm
gear reducer system due to inadequate lubrication, using the infrared thermography
technique, in a laboratory with controlled conditions. The motivation of this study arose
from the study on thermotribology, in which was found that there is lack of understanding
the relation between the contact failures between moving parts and the change of
temperature in these parts in machines and equipments. Methodologically, this research,
as a quantitative approach, is classified as applied, explanatory, experimental and
bibliographical. To collect the experimental data, thermographic tests were carried out in
a mechanical worm gear reducer, where the temperature values were measured from its
surface for the following operating conditions: no load, varying the lubricant levels, and
with load, varying lubricant levels, in a closed environment with strict control of ambient
temperature and air humidity. As a result, temperature values that start at 23 °C and reach
up to 45 °C for unloaded conditions and temperatures that start at 23 °C and reach up to
59 °C for loaded conditions were presented. These results reveal that the gearbox did not
present a significant temperature change due to lack of lubrication, even when working
with extra load. The results also present equations that relates the heating of the gearbox
with its operation. Hence this paper shows that it is not possible to distinguish, via
thermography, the lubricant deficiency in a LILO ERV-042-n2 gearbox.
