Mechanical Fault Detection in Induction Motor Drives through Stator Current Monitoring - Theory and Application Examples

Abstract

In a wide variety of industrial applications, an increasing demand exists to improve the reliability and availability of induction motor drives. Common failures occurring in such drives can be classified into electrical and mechanical faults (rotor eccentricity, bearing faults, shaft misalignment, load unbalance, gearbox fault or general failure in the load part of the drive). Mechanical faults are most commonly detected through vibration or noise monitoring, but stator current monitoring is an interesting alternative. Indeed, current sensors are cost-effective, easy to implement, and most drives already contain such sensors for protection and control purposes. However, the effects of mechanical faults on the stator currents are more indirect compared to vibration or noise analysis. This work focuses on various aspects of mechanical fault detection through stator current monitoring, starting from a general theoretical analysis to signal processing methods for fault detection and several application examples.