Analyzing Gearbox Degradation Using Time-Frequency

Signature Analysis

SpectraQuest Inc.
8205 Hermitage Road
Richmond, VA 23228
(804)261-3300
www.spectraquest.com

March, 2006

Abstract: In this work, vibration signature caused by gear tooth seeded fault is studied
in the time and frequency domains. The experiment was conducted on a Machinery Fault
Simulator TM (MFS). The pinion gear in the gearbox was intentionally faulted with
increasing severities, and a vibration signal was collected for each case. The signal was
analyzed in a time and frequency domain. The results indicated that the vibration
signature of a faulted bevel gear tooth is a pulse in time domain. Because of this impulse
signal, strong sidebands arise in the spectrum around the mesh frequency.

Test Setup
The experiment is conducted on a Machinery Fault Simulator TM (MFS). The MFS and
the position of the gearbox in the MFS are illustrated in Fig. 1.

Figure 1. MFS and Gearbox in MFS

The gearbox is shown in Fig. 2(a). The transmission ratio is 1.5:1. There are two straight
bevel gears in the gearbox and they are shown in Fig. 2(b). The number of teeth on the
pinion is 18. The gearbox input shaft is connected to a sheave and driven by a “V” belt
drive. The gearbox output shaft is connected with a variable brake loader. The tachometer
is installed on the rotor deck with a bracket and used to measure the speed of the belt
sheave connected to the gearbox input shaft as illustrated in Fig. 3.

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 (a) gearbox (b) pinion and gear

Figure 2. Gearbox

Figure 3. Installation of Tachometer

The vibration data was collected by a tri-axial accelerometer installed on the top of the
gearbox. The accelerometer is also shown in Fig.3. The frequency limit was set to 5 KHz
during data acquisition. During the test, the motor speed was kept at 1000 RPM and the
brake loader was set to 2.5. First, the baseline of the gearbox vibration data is collected.
Then the gearbox is disassembled and the pinion gear is taken out. The surface of one of
the pinion’s teeth on the meshing side is milled using a drill mill. After the damage is
done to the tooth, the pinion gear is put back into the gearbox. Vibration data is collected

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again under the same running conditions (speed and load) as before. This process is
repeated four more times with additional damage applied to the same pinion tooth for
each case scenario. The five damage severities are denoted as Severity Level 1 to Level
5, from the least to the most. The final pinion tooth damage is illustrated in Fig. 4. The
main body of the faulted tooth has been milled out and the damage is referred to as the
“missing of a tooth”.

Figure 4. Damage Severity at Level 5

Test Results

Time Domain Signal

The baseline waveforms illustrated in Fig.5. Fig. 5(a) and (b) are of the tachometer signal
and gearbox acceleration in the axial direction, respectively. The time between two
successive pulses in the tachometer signal is the rotation period of the pinion. The time
scales for both Figures 5(a) and 5(b) show the identical time range.

(a) Tachometer signal

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 (b) Acceleration signal
Figure 5. Baseline Signals in Time Domain

The waveforms for the damaged pinion with Damage Severity Level 1 are illustrated in
Fig. 6. Comparing Fig. 6(b) with Fig. 5(b), notice that there are impulses appearing in
Fig. 6(b). By a careful study of the position of the faulted pinion tooth, the positions of
the pulses indicated by arrows in Fig. 6(b) correspond to the instances when the faulted
pinion tooth enters meshing.

(a) Tachometer signal

(b) Acceleration signal

Figure 6. Time Signals (Damage Severity Level 1)

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The waveforms for the damaged pinion with Damage Severity Levels 2 through 5 are
illustrated in Fig. 7 through Fig.10. Notice that the impulses caused by the faulted tooth
in meshing are consistently clear in each of the four faulted case scenarios. Comparing
the signal amplitudes in Fig. 10(b) and Fig. 7(b), it can be concluded that impulse
amplitude increases with damage.

(a) Tachometer signal

(b) Acceleration signal

Figure 7. Time Signals (Damage Severity Level 2)

(a) Tachometer signal

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 (b) Acceleration signal
Figure 8. Time Signals (Damage Severity Level 3)

(a) Tachometer signal

(b) Acceleration signal

Figure 9. Time Signals (Damage Severity Level 4)

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 (a) Tachometer signal

(b) Acceleration signal

Figure 10. Time Signals (Damage Severity Level 5)

Frequency Domain Signal

The spectrum of the baseline vibration data is illustrated in Figure 11. Fig. 11(a) is the
spectrum example as it appears in the baseband spectrum reading, and Fig. 11(b) is the
spectrum around the mesh frequency with a frequency range from 250 Hz to 350 Hz (the
mesh frequency is around 300 Hz, 1000 RPM/60*18 = 300 Hz). The mesh frequency and
its harmonics are illustrated clearly in Fig. 11(a). Fig. 11(b) shows that there is a pinion
rotation modulation sideband occurring around the mesh frequency component.
However, the sideband is not dominant.

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 (a) Baseband Spectrum

(b) Spectrum around Mesh Frequency Component

Figure 11. Baseline Vibration Signal Spectrum

The spectrum for the damaged pinion with Damage Severity Level 1 is illustrated in Fig.
12. Comparing Fig. 12(a) with Fig.11(a), notice that although the mesh frequency and its
harmonics are still clearly visible, there are more spectrum lines appearing. Most of the
spectrum lines can be attributed to the pinion speed sidebands around the mesh
frequencies and its harmonics which are illustrated by Fig. 12(b). By comparing Fig.
12(b) with Fig. 11(b), it is easy to see that there are more pinion sidebands appearing.

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 (a) Baseband Spectrum

(b) Spectrum around Mesh Frequency Component

Figure 12. Vibration Signal Spectrum (Damage Severity Level 1)

The spectrums for the damaged pinion with Damage Severity Levels 2 through 5 are
illustrated in Fig. 13 through Fig.16. A careful study of these figures indicates that the
pinion sidebands become more and more dominant as the damage severity levels
increase. In particular, Damage Severity Levels 4 and 5 reveal that the mesh frequency
components are almost immersed by the pinion sidebands as illustrated in Fig. 15(a) and
16(a). And, Fig. 15(b) and 16(b) indicate the sidebands have higher amplitude than the
mesh frequency component under these same two Damage Severity Level examples.

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 (a) Baseband Spectrum

(b) Spectrum around Mesh Frequency Component

Figure 13. Vibration Signal Spectrum (Damage Severity Level 2)

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 (a) Baseband Spectrum

(b) Spectrum around Mesh Frequency Component

Figure 14. Vibration Signal Spectrum (Damage Severity Level 3)

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 (a) Baseband Spectrum

(b) Spectrum around Mesh Frequency Component

Figure 15. Vibration Signal Spectrum (Damage Severity Level 4)

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 (a) Baseband Spectrum

(b) Spectrum around Mesh Frequency Component

Figure 16. Vibration Signal Spectrum (Damage Severity Level 5)

Summary and Remarks

In this test, the vibration signature caused by “bevel gear tooth seeded fault” is studied in
the Time and Frequency domains. The pinion gear in the gearbox is intentionally faulted
with increasing severity levels while a vibration signal is collected for each case. Then
the Time and Frequency domain is used to analyze the resulting vibration signal. The two
observations can be summarized as:
1. When a faulted bevel gear tooth enters meshing, it creates an impact pulse in the
time domain vibration signal. The amplitude of impulse increases with damage.
2. The pinion sidebands increase with damage.

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