Application of a Continuous Wavelet Transform for the Diagnosing of Excessive Valve Clearance of the Combustion Engine

Abstract

Combustion engines are the components of means of transport which during service are exposed to the occurrence of excessive clearances. The diagnosing of the condition of the engine requires developing methods which could be useful during both continuous and single checks of the engine. Application of measurements and acoustic signal processing may facilitate a quick diagnosis of the engine without any additional disassembly work. As part of the study, research was conducted to develop a non-invasive method of diagnosing excessive clearance of the combustion engine. Based on the recorded acoustic signals of the combustion engine and reference signals of the momentary crankshaft position, a method was developed to diagnose an increased valve clearance in the combustion engine. In this method, processing of the recorded acoustic signals by means of the continuous wavelet transform was applied together with a comparison of their instantaneous energy, depending on the crankshaft rotation angle and timing angles, as well as the scale parameters of time and frequency distributions.