In Situ Sensing Method for Detecting Wear Particles in Lubricating Grease Based on Ultrasonic Scattering

Wear particles, the most destructive pollutants in lubricating grease, are the main cause of its performance deterioration and pose a serious threat to the service life of major mechanical equipment. To tackle the issues of inadequate timeliness and ineffective detection rates that are prevalent in current methods for detecting wear particles in lubricating grease. The article proposes a method for in situ detection of wear particles based on the principle of ultrasonic scattering, and designs an ultrasonic sensor device for in situ detection of wear particles in lubricating grease. The finite element software was utilized to investigate the correlation between ultrasonic signals and wear particle size, position, content, and material. A quantitative method for characterizing the wear particle content in lubricating grease is established in this article, enabling rapid in situ detection of wear particle content. The experimental investigation was conducted to validate the correlation between changes in ultrasonic imaging and wear particle content in lubricating greases. The test results demonstrate that the detection of wear particles with a particle size of 48 mu m is effective within the range of 0%-1% wear particles in lubricating grease, while maintaining excellent temperature stability between 20 degrees C and 80 degrees C.