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The paper reports design and development of a PLC-based controller for pneumatic pressing machine, which performs the most critical operation in an engine bearing manufacturing plant. The paper firstly overviews the manufacturing process of engine bearing and then discusses the need of automating the pneumatic press. The proposed automation system involves (a) speed control by replacing the conventional method with a variable frequency drive (VFD), (b) feeder and pusher control using PLC, (c) fault detection and safety measures, (d) and PLC-based sequential control of all the processes carried out on pneumatic press. The control system is based on MicroLogix-1000 PLC from Allen Bradley and the ladder logic program for it has been written on RSlogix-500. For the evaluation of the proposed control system, the PLC program was emulated on RSLogix Emulate-500 and the operations of the pneumatic press were simulated on FluidSIM-P. The results of simulation validate the design of PLC-based controller in general and digital input-output connections of the PLC and PLC program in particular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The trend towards high power output, high speed and low power loss in engines requires a better understanding of bearing behaviour. Research in this area is directed more towards different aspects involved in bearing analyses, rather than providing a comprehensive guideline on design of bearing. This effort compiles the design methodology for selection of diametral clearance and bearing length by limiting the minimum film thickness, maximum pressure and temperature. The design procedure is summarized on the basis of the existing rapid bearing analyses for evaluation of the journal trajectory, minimum film thickness and maximum pressure and simplified thermal analysis. A flow chart is provided for step-by-step bearing design. Finally, two case studies of engine bearings are described: one investigates the VEB big-end connecting-rod bearing for a large industrial reciprocating engine and the other a main crankshaft bearing for an automotive engine. The methodology translates into easy-to-use expressions and the overall procedure is outlined, using practical data to demonstrate how this can be employed effectively by users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a novel experimental approach to the measurement of big-end bearing journal motion in reciprocating machinery. The procedure is based upon measurements recorded from inductive displacement transducers mounted in the crankshaft, which measure the instantaneous clearance between crankshaft journal and the big-end bearing surface of the connecting rod. The results of the work demonstrate that the procedure is a feasible way of collecting experimental data for comparison with the output from theoretical models. Experimental data are presented for a single-cylinder four-stroke compression ignition engine operating under various load conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A significant advance has been achieved in the development of predictive tools for engine bearing analysis in the last 15 years. Many of these tools have been adopted by vehicle and bearing manufacturers. The use of these tools has helped us to achieve a better understanding of the engine bearing behaviour. Elastohydrodynamic lubrication predictive tools also make it possible to study a bearing as a part of the bearing system. This paper gives a summary of recent advances in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]