Identification of Single and Multiple Teeth Damage in a Gear Transmission System

The main objective of this article is to identify single and multiple gear teeth damage based on vibration signatures analysis of experimental results and their comparison with those by numerical simulations. In this study, vibration signals are experimentally acquired for the case with no tooth damage to cases with multiple teeth damage using the controllable wear/damage gear sets in the 75-HP gear test rig. Vibration signatures for cases similar to the experimental studies are numerically simulated based on a two-spool rotor-bearing model connected by a set of meshing gears. The effects of the wear on the gear tooth surface are numerically represented by the phase change in the gear teeth mesh stiffness during both gear mesh engagement and disengagement. Results from both experimental studies and numerical simulations are examined and compared in the time domain, the frequency domain, and the joint time-frequency domain using the Wigner-Ville distribution (WVD). Based on results of this comparative study, general conclusions are drawn concerning the identification of single and multiple gear teeth damage and their effects in affecting the global dynamics of the gear transmission system.