Abstract
Helicopter gearboxes significantly differ from other transmission types and exhibit unique behaviors that reduce the effectiveness of traditional fault diagnostics methods. In addition, due to lack of redundancy, helicopter transmission failure can lead to catastrophic accidents. Bearing faults in helicopter gearboxes are difficult to discriminate due to the low signal to noise ratio (SNR) in the presence of gear vibration. In addition, the vibration response from the planet gear bearings must be transmitted via a time-varying path through the ring gear to externally mounted accelerometers, which cause yet further bearing vibration signal suppression. This research programme has resulted in the successful proof of concept of a broadband wireless transmission sensor that incorporates power scavenging whilst operating within a helicopter gearbox. In addition, this paper investigates the application of signal separation techniques in detection of bearing faults within the epicyclic module of a large helicopter (CS-29) main gearbox using vibration and Acoustic Emissions (AE). It compares their effectiveness for various operating conditions. Three signal processing techniques including an adaptive filter, spectral kurtosis and envelope analysis, were combined for this investigation. In addition, this research discusses the feasibility of using AE for helicopter gearbox monitoring.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1192-1212 |
Number of pages | 21 |
Journal | Structural Health Monitoring |
Volume | 17 |
Issue number | 5 |
Early online date | 11 Jan 2018 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Sep 2018 |
Keywords
- Helicopter Main gearbox
- bearing diagnostics
- signal separation
- Acoustic Emission
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Mechanical Engineering
- Aerospace Engineering
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Profiles
-
Faris Elasha
- School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Automotive Engineering - Assistant Professor (Academic)
- Institute for Future Transport and Cities - Associate
Person: Teaching and Research