Influence of Direction Vectors on Amplitude Factor in Gearbox Vibration Signals Under Varying Loading Conditions

The condition monitoring of gearboxes is crucial due to their extensive use in various mechanical transmission systems, facing challenges of fluctuating loads and speeds, which can lead to system failure. Vibration analysis is a preferred technique for condition monitoring of the gearbox. This research employs Multivariate Empirical Mode Decomposition (MEMD) to decompose the raw 3D vibration signal into 3D Intrinsic Mode Functions (IMFs) and investigates the influence of direction vectors under varying loading conditions on Amplitude Factor (AF). The methodology involves collecting vibration data at varying loading conditions and using a defined set of direction vectors to decompose the IMFs from the vibration signal through MEMD. The Amplitude Factor (AF) is then calculated using the normalized FFT of IMFs for both faulty and healthy signals at defined operating conditions for each direction vector. The results of this study provide insights into the impact of direction vectors on AF and emphasize the significance of exploring multiple values of direction vectors for gearbox condition monitoring. The findings of this work can be used for further feature extraction and selection, enhancing the understanding of gearbox behavior and improving the effectiveness of condition monitoring techniques.