Gear Failure with Backlash and Misalignment at Pelletizing Disc Drive
A hidden dual fault in a pelletizing disc drive was traced using Pytomation algorithms. The algorithms revealed a distinct clattering sound, a prominent peak indicating backlash and misalignment, and repeated impact patterns, confirming faults in the pinion and cranville gears.
🔎 A Hidden Dual Fault in Pelletizing Disc Drive – How We Traced It
🚨 During industrial machinery condition monitoring, what initially appears as a simple anomaly can sometimes lead to the discovery of multiple simultaneous faults. This scenario unfolded in a pelletizing disc drive
It all started with an unusual vibration, so strong that even heavy objects on the disc foundation shifted vertically. This was our first clue that the system had a serious issue.
👨🔬 For a more detailed analysis, we applied four proprietary #Pytomation algorithms: #HR_ENV, #Spectopy, #HR_Signal_Enhancer and #UltraLowRPM. The results revealed:
Audio processing confirmed a distinct clattering sound coming from the pinion.
In the frequency spectrum (Figure 3), a prominent peak at 25.6 Hz (2×GMF) indicated backlash, gear wear, and coupling misalignment between the gearbox and pinion. High floor noise and multiple GMF harmonics reinforced these findings.
The Time Signal showed repeated impact patterns consistent with faults in the cranville and pinion gears.
📌 Final analysis and algorithm outputs confirmed that the main source of vibration originated from the Pinion & Cranville, with sidebands corresponding to the cranville rotation speed (5.97 rpm) validating this conclusion(GearBacklash).
Pinion = 18 teeth, speed = 42 rpm
Cranville = 127 teeth, speed = 5.97 rpm
GMF = 12.8 Hz
🎯 This case provided a valuable validation of #Pytomation’s proprietary algorithms, especially #HR_ENV, which enabled early fault detection. The combination of these algorithms demonstrated that even in heavy, low-speed machinery, it is possible to accurately detect multiple simultaneous mechanical faults.
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