Planetary Gear Tooth Fault Detection using Stator Current Space Vector Analysis in Induction Machine-Based Systems

The aim of this article is to present the planetary gear tooth fault detection using stator current space vector analysis in steady-state working condition of induction machine-based systems. For this study a universal method is used. The proposed technique is mainly relied on the computation of a transfer function which defines the response of the stator current space vector to the perturbations induced by gear tooth fault of the planetary gear located within the drive train. The idea of electrical-mechanical analogy is employed to facilitate the computation of the mentioned transfer function. This approach is considered as an upstream phase for studying the feasibility of gear tooth fault diagnosis using non-invasive measurement. A fault index is recommended for the fault severity evaluation at different levels of the mechanical load. The performance of the proposed fault index is validated through experiments using a representative induction machine-based test rig which includes a three-phase 5.5kW wound rotor induction machine connected to a fixed ring single-stage planetary gearbox.