Detection and diagnosis of surface wear failure in a spur geared system using EEMD based vibration signalanalysis

Gears are used for transmission of power, motion or both. Under increased power and higher speeds, tribological failures such as scuffing, pitting, mild wear and tooth breakage are of major concern. This paper presents the results of experimental investigations carried out to assess wear in spur gears of a back-to-back gear box under accelerated test conditions. The studies considered the estimation of specific lubricant film thickness and its effects on the fault growth on gear teeth surface. Ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) technique is used to extract the fault related features from the vibration signals acquired from the gearbox. The results highlight the advantage of EEMD technique for effective assessment of wear in spurgears.

► Attempts are made to diagnose gear faults using lubricant film and vibration signal analyses methods.
► Kurtosis values of EMD and EEMD based methods reveal reliable diagnostic information.
► Lubricant film analysis is used in conjunction with EMD and EEMD based vibration signal analysis.
► Integration of these methods improves the diagnostic capability of gear fault detection.