Machine fault detection methods based on machine learning algorithms: A review

Preventive identification of mechanical parts failures has always played a crucial role in machine maintenance. Over time, as the processing cycles are repeated, the machinery in the production system is subject to wear with a consequent loss of technical efficiency compared to optimal conditions. These conditions can, in some cases, lead to the breakage of the elements with consequent stoppage of the production process pending the replacement of the element. This situation entails a large loss of turnover on the part of the company. For this reason, it is crucial to be able to predict failures in advance to try to replace the element before its wear can cause a reduction in machine performance. Several systems have recently been developed for the preventive faults detection that use a combination of low-cost sensors and algorithms based on machine learning. In this work the different methodologies for the identification of the most common mechanical failures are examined and the most widely applied algorithms based on machine learning are analyzed: Support Vector Machine (SVM) solutions, Artificial Neural Network (ANN) algorithms, Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) model, Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) applications, and Deep Generative Systems. These topics have been described in detail and the works most appreciated by the scientific community have been reviewed to highlight the strengths in identifying faults and to outline the directions for future challenges.