Guide Roller Integrated Optical Sensors for Continuous Casting
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Guide rollers in continuous casting machines lack monitoring capabilities, leading to high maintenance costs due to unpredictable service life and adverse working conditions such as high temperature, high load, and pollution, making it difficult to predict and prevent failures.
Innovation Solution
Integration of passive optical sensors on guide rollers connected via optical fibers to a processor, allowing for online monitoring of physical parameters like temperature, vibration, load, and grease health, enabling timely detection and replacement of abnormal rollers and reducing maintenance costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional electronic sensors are used to monitor guide rollers, then monitoring capability is provided, but the sensors are affected by electromagnetic interference, high temperature, and vibration in the adverse working environment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces electronic sensors with optical sensors that use optical fibers for signal transmission. Optical fibers are immune to electromagnetic interference and can withstand high temperature and vibration environments, thereby resolving the contradiction between providing monitoring capability and resisting adverse working conditions.
2Ease of manufacture
If no sensors are installed on guide rollers, then the system remains simple and cost-effective, but the service life cannot be predicted and maintenance costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables guide rollers to self-monitor their own physical parameters (temperature, vibration, load) through integrated optical sensors. This self-monitoring capability allows for predictive maintenance, extending the service life and reducing maintenance costs without significantly increasing system complexity.
3Measurement precision
If optical sensors are integrated on guide rollers, then online monitoring of physical parameters is achieved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the optical sensor and optical fiber directly into the guide roller structure, creating an integrated monitoring unit. This merging approach simplifies the overall system by eliminating separate sensor modules and wiring connections, thereby achieving accurate physical parameter monitoring without significantly increasing device complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides stable and reliable monitoring of guide rollers, allowing for accurate prediction of service life and timely maintenance, reducing costs and improving operational efficiency by using non-electronic sensors resistant to electromagnetic interference and harsh environments.
Implementation Method 1
A passive optical sensor is installed on the roller seat and is connected to a processor via an optical fiber. The processor determines one or more physical parameters at the installation position of the optical sensor based on optical signals collected by the optical sensor.
Data Source
AI summary
A guide roller for a continuous casting machine includes a roller seat having bearings, a roller shaft mounted for rotation in the roller seat and at least one roller body mounted on the roller shaft and configured to support a billet. A passive optical sensor is mounted to the roller seat and configured to output optical signals, and an optical fiber extends from the passive optical sensor and is configured to convey the optical signals to a processor configured to determine one or more physical parameters of an installation position of the passive optical sensor based on the optical signals.