Enhancing safety on South Africa’s roads with SKF TKSU 10 Ultra Sonic Leak Detectors

Regardless of where an air pressurised system is being used, be it in commercial vehicle air brake systems, passenger vehicle suspension systems, workshop or production line pneumatic tools, pneumatic lifts or even dentists’ drill, an air leak negatively affects the performance of the pneumatic system with a host of costly consequences. In addition to downtime and added work load on air compressor (wear and tear and increased energy consumption), excessive air leaks that go undetected in the brake systems of commercial vehicles can result in brake failures, posing a serious threat to road safety.

SKF, in collaboration with its Authorised Distributor, Supreme Bearings, came to the assistance of a longstanding customer in the transport sector who was having issues with air leak detection on their heavy vehicles’ pneumatic brake systems.

SKF Product Manager, MaPro, Eddie Martens,explains that testing the pressure drop off within a system will indicate a leak but does not necessarily indicate where the leak is. “With a fluid it is readily picked up due to the presence of a drip or wet spot, but with air, the only telltale sign is sound. However, the sound of a micro leak is outside the range of the human ear, essentially making detection impossible. Where there is one micro leak there may be many.”

“We decided to conduct a courtesy call at the workshop of the transport company who has been a customer of Supreme Bearings in the Free State for some 20 years. Together with Supreme Bearings, we demonstrated the SKF TKSU 10, putting our Ultra Sonic Leak Detector through its paces.”

As the name implies, the SKF TKSU 10, via its ultrasound measurement sensor, rapidly detects ultrasonic leaks in a host of pneumatic and vacuum systems including commercial vehicle brakes, compressed air lines, steam traps and hydraulic cylinders that may have internal bypasses. Benefits include reduced load and maintenance costs and improved equipment operation and reliability.

The customer was extremely impressed with the versatility and user friendliness of the SKF Ultrasonic Leak Detector. “With the added value of safety, which is understandably at the top of our customer’s benefit list, the transport company immediately purchased two TKSU 10 units,” states Martens. The Ultra Sonic Leak Detectors assist in the final control of the heavy vehicles’ pneumatic braking systems after service as well as prior to being put back into full service.

The light weight, easy-to-use TKSU 10 can detect leaks from a distance. Moreover, noise cancelling headphones facilitate leak detection even in noisy industrial environments. The instrument features adjustable sensitivity and the intuitive LED display gives the user guidance on leak detection results. The SKF TKSU 10 is designed for use in all industries utilising compressed air, and is particularly recommended by SKF for paper and chemical industries, as well as workshops with air-driven power tools and many other pneumatic applications.

According to Martens, the customer reports extreme satisfaction with the performance of the two TKSU 10 units over the past two years. “The staff took to the user-friendly units seamlessly without the need to attend training courses, resulting in quick and efficient service turnaround times that put the heavy vehicles back on the road in no time, secured in the knowledge that their braking systems are air-leak free and safe.

Martens confirms that the success of the TKSU 10 units has led to the customer purchasing other SKF products. “We also supplied a record order of wheel bearings for their heavy vehicles,” he concludes.