Photography of Gear Failures

Robert ErricheUo

hotography is an essential part of ge ..ar failure analysis. It not only provides a fast, convenient way to accurately docu-

era stores. It consists of the camera, lenses, and a tripod. The subject of what kind of lighting to use and when will be discussed later in the article.

ment the appearance of gear failures, but also is an effective diagnostic tool because the magnification through and slide projection obtained photographicenlargement often discloses

Camera. Most of the features of

newer, computerized necessary photographing cameras are not or do not work well for gears. I have found of gears

that auto-focus cameras are not suited to the macrophotography because the light reflected from shiny surfaces. of gear teeth tends to confuse the computer. Almost any manual, 35

evidence that may have been missed if the gears were not photographed. lam not a professional do my own photography. been by personally photograph through photograIt has only the the camera pher, however, [ find it necessary to composing

mm single lens reflex. (SLR) camera

body with quality lenses can be used for photographing gears. I use a manual Pentax SP 1000, SLR camera body that is an early version of the

viewfinder that the photographs show the particular detail I wish to capture. While there are a multitude of ways to obtain good photographs and a huge array of photographic equipment to choo e from, what follows is a description of equipment and techniques that I use for field and studio photography features: All equipment is lightweight and readily portable (easily carried on board aircraft); All equipment trial environments; The technique is easily learned and can be relied on to produce good photographs consistently. The Basics The equipment nece sary for gear failure photography i not elaborate and is readily available at good camis robust enough to withstand the rigors of harsh indusof gear failures. It is a proven system that has the following

Pentax K-lOOO. Tripod_ For overall photographs I

prefer to rely on ambient lighting, which usually requires relatively long exposures. With macrophotography, the lens needs to be stopped down ill order to maintain the depth of field, which aJ
0

Address your g'earing questions to our panell 01 experts .. Write to them care of Sho'p Floor. Gear TechnollogiY. iP. O. B.ox 1:426.,Ellk Grove Village, IL 60009. er call our editoria,l stalff at (708)437~6604 ..

requires long exposures.

Therefore, a good tripod is a necessity to avoid camera-shake. I use a Benbo Trekker weighs

35 tripod
It is

with a pan-ballhead. It is compact and less than five pounds. unique because the legs can be positioned at any angle, and it features a special monorail. that allows you to raisevlower, extend, retract, twist or angle the camera without changing the tripod position. The flexibility is espe-

Hobert Enichello
is the principal in GEAR TECH. a gear consulting firm and founder of GEARTECH Software, lnc., in Albany, CA. He is also a writer and instruclor 011 gear design. analysis and application subjeers. He is a member of ASME. AGMA. STLE. and a Registered Professional Engineer ill the State of California.
I,IARCHIAPRIL 1994

ciallyunportant
phy because

for macrophotogradistances

the working

between the camera, umbrella, lamp

43,

and subject are small, and the camera is usually the easiest item to adjust. The tripodadjusts easily to uneven terrain because each leg can be individually adjusted. This feature is espe-

polished, from

because

light reflecting causes "hot flash-

and tungsten lampeliminate by providing that result in photographs

hot spots that are

shiny

surfaces

soft, even illumination

spots" in the photograph that obliterate details. guns becausethe Camera-mounted are especial.ly problematic

realistic and pleasing. The only disadvantage of the tungsten lamp is that

cially important

for photographing

light is reflected off hiny

it is hot and can be uncomfortable at

close working distances . Overall Photography

gears om-site where there may be lim.ired space and no flat surfaces.

surfaces directly into the lens. Some improvement is obtained by using an extension cord and holding the flashgun to the side at an angle so that reflected light is directed away from the lens, hut there is no sure way to know where to place the flashgun. The basic problem with flashguns is that they emit a point source of very harsh light.. Adding diffusers to the flash help to soften the light, but the lighting is still too harsh because it originates from a Ingle point. White card can be used to bounce the light

Lenses. ~ find that three lenses are

sufficient for most of my failure analysis work. I use a 55 mm normal lens for mast of the overall When there is not enough

For overall photos of the entire

gearbox or other large equipment. I

u e a 55 mm normal lens or a 35 rnm

wide angle lens. I prefer to use ambient lighting where possible because it

pho-

tographs of large gears and gearboxes .. roam to back away from the subject to include everything in the photograph, I use a 35 mm wide-angle lens. Far dose-up photographs of individual gear teeth, I use a 90 mm macro lens.

SHOPFLOOR
Basic Equipment for Gear Failure Photography
What follows is a list of my "personal favorites' in terms of equipment. Other, comparable equipment is on the market, and readers are encouraged to look for that which works best for them. Camera - Pentax SP 1000, 35 mm SLR Tripod - Benbo Trekker 35 with pan-balihead Normal lens - Takumar 55 mm Wide angle lens - Tamron 35 mm Macrolens - Tamron SP 90 mm f/2.5 with extension tube Tungsten lamp - Lowel TotaLight, 1000W Umbrella - Photek Goodliter Stowaway Light stand - Photoflex Litestand Color slide film - Kodak Ektachrome 320T Professional, ISO 320 Color print film - Fujicolor Reala.ISO 100 Gray card - Kodak 8 x 10 in. gray card Color card - Jobo Filters - No. 80A and skylight IA skylight filter is a clear glass cover you may wish to put over your lenses to prevent scratches on them. A new lense may cost upwards of $100; a skylight filter costs less than $10.) Ring flash - Sunpak auto OX 8R Flashgun - Vivitar 283 with S8-4 power supply and flash cord Cable release

Macrofenses. Macrolensesare
optically close corrected for shooting at range. Fixed-focal-length have the best image lenses.

from the flashgun.

which in effect

increases the number of light sources, but the results are still unpredictable. A ring flash is an improvement over a flashgun because it surrounds the lens with a ring of even light that is relatively soft ..The ring fla h eliminates hot spots in most cases. except for mirror-like subjects. such as bearing raceways. The performance of a flash can be improved immensely by directing the light into an umbrella that reflects the light back to the subject. In effect. the source of the light is increased to the size of the umbrella. and the light is diffused and softened.

macrolenses

quality. Macro/zoom lenses can focus closer than fixed-focal-length for close-up but they are not specifically designed work, and their image lenses allow vary extra quality is not as good. Fixed-focal-length from Longer working about focal lengths 50 mm to 200 mm. between the lens

distance

and the subject. I use a Tamron SP 90 mm f/2.S macrolens, The 90 mm focal length gives a minimum working distance of about 215 mm from the end of the lens to the subject. (about 125 mm with. extension tube). The degree of magnification cation between ratio, which with macrolenses is specified a a magnifiis the ratio the size of the subject's have a magnification

Tungsten Ligluing .. A major disadvantage of flash photography is that the lighting cannot be previewed by looking through the viewfinder. The solution is to eliminate the flash and substitute a tungsten lamp. With the light from the tungsten lamp reflected from an umbrella, the photograph can be composed through the viewfinder, and the photographer can see exactly what the photograph win show. Shadows are easily controlled by moving the umbrella or subject, and fill light can be added by using white cards. I find that the umbrella

image on film and its real size. Most macrolenses ratio of 1:2, which gives a film image that is 112 the real. size. With an extension tube, the magnification ratio is increased to I: 1, giving a film image the same size as the subject. Lighting The Subject Gear teeth are hard to photograph properly. especially if they are highly

44

GE ....R TECI-INOLOGY

allows composition of the photograph through the lens, Ambient photography, over! y dark lighting avoids problems associated with flash uch as "hot spots" or backgrounds. Many

industrial sites have fluorescent lights

which create problems for most color

films. However, Fujicolor Reala film gives excellent color reproduction, lighting. The even with fluorescent

film speed is [SO 100, which is relatively slow, and it requires long exposures and a 'tripod.

Flash Photography
Flash photography is necessary for stop-action photography, such as when photographing a gear hanging

from a swaying hoist, h also works

well for photographing the interior of

a gearbox through the inspection port because the light bounces off the interior surfaces of the housing, providing soft lighting. I use a Vivatar 283 flashgun for photographing nents that are not shiny. Nevertheless, to avoid hot spots.jt is best to use an extension cord and hold the flash somewhat above and to the side, at about a 45 angle to the film plane. The flash can be mounted on a bracket attached to the camera or held in one hand. I find it convenient to hold the flash in my left hand and press the back of my wri
t

compo-

against my

left temple, while holding the camera with my right hand. This maintains a consistent flash-to-camera distance. When photographing at dose range. this technique works wen: Set the lens for the distance viewfinder you want and the required aperture. Look through the and rock back and forth

ornpare induction and furnace _ heaters, which heat from the outside in. Magnatech's revolutionary patented Magnetic Held Technology uniformly through-heats ferrous and non-ferrous metal part cross-sections to 1250 F with 2 precision and virtually no thermal gradients. Magnatech" heaters are energy and space-efficient, easily automated and are ideal for use in cellular processes.
'. Fast, precise Wliform heat. Higher quality prod.v.cu. ne:dhle.

C-

slightly to focus precisely: then trip the hurter just as the subject becomes

sharp. For components that are shiny, such as polished gear teeth, it is best to use the ring flash rather than the flashgun in order to avoid hot spots. Ring Flash. It may not be practical
to use a tungsten quarters, small inspection light in cramped through port . or in areas for photography

'. Compact.
10
40

"'-0

.. ~ iCC 141 nm"ln.~~!!I!!!'

12~

no

,.0

5790 Fenno Rd. Bettendorf, IA 52722 Phone: 319359-8604 FAX: 319-359-4837 Write, Can 01' Fax for Infol'ftlation 'Teday.
CIRCI..E A-39 on READER REPI.. V CA.RD

where electric power is not available. For these

disclosed features that were not noted in visual inspection

A filter and Fujicolor Reala (ISo. 100) film, the exposure is usually about peed of one sec-

cases .I use a Sunpak ring

of the gears,
is a

flash with a battery pack. The ring flash surrounds the lens with light and produces soft illumination that avoids most "hot spots." The results are not as good as those achieved with the tungsten lamp because ring lighting lacks gives "flat" photos. Macrophotogr.aphy For most cia e-up photography, The advantages are: Tungsten lighting reflected from an umbrellagives soft, dispersed light that avoids "hot spots" or bright reflections from shiny gear teeth: Tungsten lighting allows viewing of the subject through the lens, enabling the photographer to see exactly what the photograph will bow; [ use a macro lens and tungsten lighting.

proving that macrophotography ure analysis. For extreme close-ups, extension reserve the extension especially reduces interesting the working

fill with a shutter

very effective diagnostic tool for fail-

ond. When using Kodak Ektachrome 320T slide film without the No. 80A filter, the exposure f/16 and 114 second. I always bracket the exposure ensure that] to get at least one good is usually about

add the 1

tube to the macrolens.

tube for only because distance it and

those features of the subject that are

photograph of each subject. For color print film, I bracket the ba e exposure by one stop. For example, if the base aperture is fIll, I also shoot the subcolor ensiti ve to the

reduces the amount of light reaching the film. With less light, larger lens aperture Ie are required, and there is associated depth of field. The major problems

jectat

f/] 6 and f/8. Because

slide film is more

aperture setting, I bracket by 112stop.

with macrophotography are:

Working distances are small; Depth of field is shallow; Sharp focus is difficult to achieve. Films for Macropbotograpby For color Ektachrome slides, ~ use Kodak. film. 320T professional tographing

Documentation
l start every roll of film by phoa color card. I write the film mil number and the date on the color card. This permits me to identify any exposed roll of film because the first frame is the color card with the roll number and date. When the film is processed, I ask the photo laboratory to include a print of the color card. By comparing the actual color print of the card to the laboratory's

It is balanced for tungsten light,elimmating the need for a lens filter. If a daylight-balanced film is used in

Macrophotography is a very eff,ective tool lor faillure anallysis ..

Adjusting the angle of the light, camera or subject allows the photographer to get just the right amount of shadow or highlights to enhance the features he or she wants to show. ] use a Lowe) Tota-Light, 1000 W rungsten lamp for a light source and a Photek Goodliter Stowaway umbrella. The light and umbrella are mounted on a Photoflex Litestand . .AIl the lighting equipment was chosen for its compactness. Total weight for tbe lamp, of umbrella and stand is only six pounds. or most of my photographs out the extension SUbject. There instances gear teeth, I use the macrolens withtube. A 4 x 6 in. have been everal print is about twice the real size of the where the magnification
TECHNOLOGY

tungsten light, a No. 80A filter must be added to the camera lens to keep the pictures from being too orange. The disadvantages 80A filter are that it: Requires two stops of exposure compensation, giving less depth of field for the same shutter speed; Gives a dim, blue image in the viewfinder; Gives the photographer one more thing to remember films or light sources; .Causes loss of image quality; Does not reproduce tungsten Ught Unfortunately, I have not found' a tungsten-balanced film for color prints, o I normally use daylight-balanced Fujicolor Reala with a No. 80A filter, Exposure I use the camera's through-the-lens (ITL) meter and a gray card to get the proper exposure. For macrophotography with the tungsten light, a No. 80 colors as well as a film originally balanced for when changing of using a No.

color card, the laboratory can correct the processing so that it produces the correct colors. I record each photograph
011

a log

sheet and include a brief description of the subject and the aperture setting, shutter peed, type of film and lightfor future phothe phowritten ing. The log sheet. helps to identify the best camera setting tographs tographs description instructions and correlates with my separate, of gear failures. for each photographic photography.

It is a good idea to type a list of process when first beginning to do fail-

ure analysis
instructions

Put the

on a laminated card and

keep it in your camera bag for quick reference. It is also a good idea to make a list of all your camera equipment and put it
011

a laminated card. When pack-

ing up your equipment at the end of the day, checking the list will avoid leaving equipment behind .

46

GeAR