Acoustic Emission-Based Detection of Starved Conditions to Prevent Adhesive Wear Damage in Journal Bearings

Many technical applications, such as wind turbines, place high demands on journal bearings regarding wear and reliability. The sequential start-stop operation as well as high-load and low-speed operation lead to a higher probability of wear-critical loads on the bearings. Particularly, adhesion is one damage mode that can lead to catastrophic failures within a short period of time. Therefore, this study aims to study the suitability of Acoustic Emission (AE)-based condition monitoring as an appropriate countermeasure to detect critical operational conditions of journal bearings while shutting off the oil supply on a journal bearing test rig.