This study is concerned with the development of a non-intrusive engine fault detection system that uses vibration signature analysis to detect and diagnose mechanical defects in internal combustion engines. Various existing engine fault detection methods are studied and a new method is developed that incorporates the use of Wavelet Packet Transform (WPT). Vibration signals are recorded using accelerometers mounted on the engine and measurements are then transformed to the crank angle domain and subsequently to wavelet domain from which the features are analyzed and compared to the vibration signatures of engines with known defects. The results from this study show that the proposed method can detect the cause of several commonly occurring mechanical defects in engines, such as defective valve lash adjusters, cam phasers, chain-tensioners and piston rod assembly related defects while also allowing for the precise identification of the faulty component(s) without the need to dismantle the engine.
展开▼
