Experimental study and comparative analysis of pitting fault in spur gear system

Abstract

This paper uses a dynamic six-degree-of-freedom model that considers torsional and lateral motions to predict the impact of pitting on vibration parameters in a spur gearbox for various operating speeds and torque loads. The study examines the dynamic characteristics of a gearbox with localized pitting damage on a single gear tooth using theoretical and experimental approaches. The research analyzes the forced vibrations of a single-stage spur gear system with pitting damage, which includes variations in mesh stiffness, damping, and gear error excitation, to identify symptoms of default. The equation of motion for the rotary gearbox system is established using the Lagrangian method in tandem with Short-Time Fourier Transform (STFT) and frequency-RPM map fault diagnosis. During real-time vibration monitoring, vibration signals are captured via accelerometers and processed in both the time and frequency domains using the LabVIEW data acquisition signal processing package to extract diagnostic information. The experimental findings demonstrate how vibration analysis combined with time-frequency processing can recognize machine conditions even in harsh operational conditions. Moreover, the experimental results indicate a significant similarity with the theoretical analysis and validate the effectiveness of the RPM frequency technique-based pitting detection method, which can be an asset in gear fault monitoring.