Detection of minute signs of a small fault in a periodic or a quasi-periodic signal by the harmonic wavelet transform

If a machine in operation has a fault, signs of the fault appear in the monitored signal and are usually synchronised with the operating speed. The signs are very small when the fault is at an early stage. The fast Fourier transform (FFT) is often utilised to detect these signs, but it is very difficult to detect minute signs. In this paper, harmonic wavelet transform is utilised to detect the minute signs of small faults in a monitored signal. The monitored signal of a machine element, in ordinary operation, is regarded as periodic or quasi-periodic. It is important for the effectual detection of the minute signs to reduce the obstructive noise and the end effects in the signal. The end effect is a peculiar phenomenon to wavelet transform and hampers effective detection. Useful methods to reduce the obstructive noise and the end effects are devised herein by the authors. Even if no visible information pertaining to a fault appears in the monitored waveform, the present method is able to detect a minute sign of a small fault. It is demonstrated that the present method is capable of detecting minute signs arising from slight collisions caused by a loose coupling and a fatigue crack.