Bearing fault detection of wind turbine using vibration and SPM

Rolling bearings are one of critical components in rotating machines. The importance of monitoring the bearings conditions to prevent the breakdown of system is becoming more and more obvious. Vibration and shock pulse method (SPM) are the two popular methods for detecting the bearings fault. Vibration method and theory have been comprehensively studied. SPM has gained a wide acceptance in industrial applications. But few studies have compared the superiority of the two methods, especially utilizing the industrial data. In order to solve this problem, a gearbox test rig of wind turbine is set up. Vibration device and SPM instrument are used to monitor and acquire the condition data of bearings respectively. Through analyzing the derived frequency spectrum, a conclusion that SPM is superior to vibration when detecting the bearings fault in industrial applications has been derived.