Local fault detection in helical gears via vibration and acoustic signals using EMD based statistical parameter analysis

Gear is a vital transmission element, finding numerous applications in small, medium and large machinery. Excessive loads, speeds and improper operating conditions may cause defects on their bearing surfaces, thereby triggering abnormal vibrations in whole machine structures. This paper describes the implementation of empirical mode decomposition (EMD) method for monitoring simulated faults using vibration and acoustic signals in a two stage helical gearbox. By using EMD method, a complicated signal can be decomposed into a number of intrinsic mode functions (IMF) based on the local characteristic time scale of the signal. Vibration and acoustic signals are decomposed to extract higher order statistical parameters. Results demonstrate the effectiveness of EMD based statistical parameters to diagnose severity of local faults on helical gear tooth. Kurtosis values from EMD and that obtained from vibration and acoustic signals are compared to demonstrate the superiority of EMD based technique.