A Simple Condition Monitoring Method for Gearboxes Operating in Impulsive Environments

Area of Science:

• Mechanical Engineering
• Vibration Analysis
• Condition Monitoring

Background:

• Effective diagnosis and prognosis of rotating machinery rely on reliable condition indicators.
• Vibration signals are often corrupted by non-Gaussian noise and time-varying operating conditions, hindering conventional methods.
• The synchronous average of the squared envelope is a common technique but is sensitive to impulsive signal components.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and evaluate the synchronous median of the squared envelope as a superior alternative to the synchronous average for gearbox fault diagnosis.
• To enhance the robustness and reliability of condition indicators in the presence of impulsive noise and varying operational conditions.

Main Methods:

• Utilized numerical and experimental datasets for gearbox fault diagnosis.
• Compared the performance of the synchronous median of the squared envelope against the synchronous average of the squared envelope.
• Assessed the robustness of the methods to impulsive signal components.

Main Results:

• The synchronous median of the squared envelope demonstrated greater robustness to impulsive signal components than the synchronous average.
• The proposed synchronous median method proved more reliable for estimating the condition of specific machine components.
• Fault detection, identification, and trending were improved under challenging operating conditions.

Conclusions:

• The synchronous median of the squared envelope is a more reliable indicator for gearbox fault diagnosis than the synchronous average.
• This method enhances the capability of condition monitoring systems to accurately assess machinery health, even with signal interferences.