Diagnostics for the mechanical drive components In modern drive systems, the material properties are continually being stressed further and further. As a result, the strain on the components and the elastic deformation of the drive train components increase. This can lead to unwanted oscillations in the drive trains and subsequently to overloads with consequential defects. In order to optimize the drive components against mechanical stress, plant constructors and component manufacturers are using torque measurement techniques with increasing frequency to optimize drive components. Torque analysis. Increases availability As primary process variable, torque best describes the loads on the components in a drive train. It is normally the highly dynamic oscillation component in the torque signal which makes it possible to make a statement regarding impermissible resonance-like torsional vibrations or overload peaks. Measurement of the mechanical torque in the drive train is therefore often indispensable. Possibilities for torque analysis Research into the reasons for forced rupture and fatigue cracks More precise resonance phenomena Measurement of uneven load distribution Torque Amplification Factor, TAF Identification of load collectives Verification of simulation models Integration in torque control loops Analysis of the level of performance and efficiency For the measurement, a suitable component of the drive train, for instance a shaft or a coupling bush, is itself made into a torque sensor by gluing special foil strain gauges (DMSs) on the surfaces of shafts and interconnecting them to a Wheatstone resistance measuring bridge. The surface elongation caused by the torsion is transferred loss-free to the DMSs. Flender Service has so optimized the required technique in innumerable applications that the entire measuring chain for a torque channel, from the preparation of the shafts to data acquisition, can usually be completed in one shift.