Metal wear particles, due to their high hardness, can exacerbate the wear of mechanical components and even lead to failures. Additionally, the concentration of metal wear particles in lubricating oil is a crucial indicator for assessing the wear condition of machinery. Therefore, metal wear particle detection sensors play a vital role.
Metal wear particle detection sensors can monitor the content and distribution of ferromagnetic and non-ferromagnetic particles in lubricating oil in real-time, making them indispensable in mechanical equipment, especially in high-end machinery. An excellent metal wear particle detection sensor should possess high precision in detecting ferromagnetic/non-ferromagnetic particles, strong anti-interference capability, fast response speed, pressure resistance, chemical corrosion resistance, high reliability, and a long service life.
According to the New Thinking Industry Research Center‘s report titled “2025-2030 China Metal Wear Particle Detection Sensor Industry Market Deep Research and Development Prospects Forecast Report”, during the operation of mechanical equipment, wear occurs, leading to the generation of metal particles on the surface of metal components, which enter the lubricating oil. Lubricating oil serves functions such as lubrication, oxidation resistance, sealing, and cooling. The entry of metal wear particles can contaminate the lubricating oil. The high hardness of these particles can further exacerbate the wear of mechanical components and even lead to failures. Thus, the role of metal wear particle detection sensors is extremely important.
Based on their working principles, metal wear particle detection sensors can be divided into two main categories: capacitive and inductive. Capacitive metal wear particle detection sensors can distinguish between metal particles and bubbles, while inductive metal wear particle detection sensors can differentiate between ferromagnetic and non-ferromagnetic particles. In comparison, inductive metal wear particle detection sensors have been more extensively researched, as they are based on the principle of electromagnetic induction.
Metal wear particle detection sensors based on the three-coil electromagnetic induction principle are quite common. They consist of two sets of excitation coils and one set of sensing coils, and include components such as sampling units, filtering units, signal amplification units, and signal extraction units. They can detect ferromagnetic and non-ferromagnetic metal wear particles with diameters in the micrometer range and can estimate temperature and flow rate.
Both capacitive and inductive metal wear particle detection sensors have their shortcomings. For instance, inductive metal wear particle detection sensors have relatively weak sensitivity in detecting non-ferromagnetic metal particles. A combined approach could be taken to develop integrated metal wear particle detection sensors capable of high-precision detection of bubbles, ferromagnetic particles, and non-ferromagnetic particles.
Metal wear particle detection sensors can be widely applied in various fields such as wind power, hydropower, thermal power, petroleum, medical equipment, construction machinery, rail transportation, shipping, and aviation. In high-end equipment like aircraft engines, metal wear particles can lead to catastrophic failures. Utilizing metal wear particle detection sensors can enhance equipment safety and reliability, reduce maintenance needs, and extend equipment lifespan, highlighting their significant importance.
Industry analysts from New Thinking indicate that the commercialization scale of metal wear particle detection sensors is continuously expanding. To meet the development needs of the high-end equipment industry, national policies are also promoting technological advancements. In August 2024, China released the national key R&D plan “Intelligent Sensors” key special project application guidelines for 2024, proposing the need for online detection of wear conditions for critical components such as rotors, gears, and drive shafts in high-end equipment across energy, shipping, and aviation sectors, and researching high-resolution, wide-temperature range metal wear particle detection sensors.
New Thinking Industry Research InstituteNew Thinking is committed to being a comprehensive and professional industry research platform, establishing a domestic business system centered on market research, industry research, and planning consulting, and an overseas business system focused on overseas market research and company registration.We provide comprehensive domestic and international industry consulting services to our clients.QQ: 3100916304, 2984389851Consultation Hotline: 15210522389Search “New Thinking” on BaiduCooperation Email: [email protected]