Defect detection in deep groove ball bearing in presence of external vibration using envelope analysis and Duffing oscillator

This paper deals with detection of local defects existing on races of deep groove ball bearing in the presence of external vibrations using envelope analysis and Duffing oscillator. Experiments have been carried out using a test rig for capturing the vibration signals of test bearing. The external vibration has been imparted to the housing of the test bearing through electromechanical shaker. In envelope analysis the centre frequency has been selected using the spectral kurtosis for the filters length of 32 and 64 for different bandwidths. Through this study, it has been revisited and confirmed that the defect detection in envelope analysis mainly depends on the selection of centre frequency and bandwidth. The spectra of selected centre frequency with several bandwidths have been studied and compared for identification of defective frequency. The system defined by the Duffing equation entered into the periodical state from the chaotic state at the critical value of disturbing periodic force in the presence of defective bearing signal. The state change has been identified using the phase plane trajectories and Lyapunov exponents of Duffing equation. It is worth to mention here that envelope spectrum reveals the information about the defect frequencies and their harmonics. However, the Duffing oscillator only confirms the presence of defect frequencies by indicating closed phase plane trajectories and negative Lyapunov exponents. Authors believe that for speedy assessment about the presence of defects on races of rolling element bearings, the use of Duffing oscillator may be preferred. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.