The FCS was also bolted to the spinning driveline and wired to the strain gauges, poteniometer, and magnetic pick-up. Because test set-up files can be created in advance, it is a very simple task to quickly switch between different test setups. Running TCS on the notebook PC also permits real-time viewing of data. This feature ensures that a test is working properly before too much valuable test time is wast ed. The torque, joint angle and rpm gathered by the Model 2100 unit make it possible to calculate accurately how long different bearing alternatives will last.
Bearings are nearly always the first item to fail in an agricultural driveline.
The B-10 calculation method is used to run a damage calculation on each of a selected number of time history points and provides an accurate estimate of bearing life. These calculations provide a theoretical life in hours for a given size of cross-kit bearings. The life of the bearing also depends on the percentage of time spent turning corners where the joint angle is high and wear on bearings is proportionately greater. The ability to estimate accurately the life for different bearing choices has made it possible to significantly down-size bearings and structural components, reducing both the size and cost of the drivelines, while meeting life requirements. Thrust load measurements are used to size the bearing pedestal.