Instantaneous Circular Pitch Cyclic Power (ICPCP) – A Tool for Diagnosis of Planetary Gearboxes

Abstract

The process of monitoring and diagnosis of planetary gearboxes is currently one of the most significant topics for vibroanalysis. The reason for ubiquitous research activities on the topic arises form a shortage of efficient method for a non-destructive thorough vibration analysis of planetary gearboxes, especially working under low speeds. On the other hand, the number of high-value planetary gearboxes working in industry rises rapidly, mainly due to expansion of wind farms. In the paper, the authors present a novel method for the assessment of the technical state of planetary gearboxes with a vibration sensor mounted on the casing, and without a planets position sensor. The method is based on the calculation of cyclic energy of gearbox teeth contact within consecutive carrier revolutions. The methods performance is illustrated on a real data from a wind turbine.