Detection of inter-turn short-circuit fault in induction motor operating under varying load conditions by using the angular domain order tracking technique

Order tracking is one among the most reliable techniques in the field of vibration analysis for condition monitoring and fault diagnosis of rotating machineries. The key of its success is due to its capability to clearly identify non-stationary vibrations, which vary in amplitude and frequency. In the present paper, the Angular Domain Order Tracking (AD-OT) technique is applied for the first time on the induction motor current signal for detecting inter-turn short-circuit (ITSC) fault and compared with the classical Fourier analysis (FFT). For this purpose, an induction motor with an ITSC fault was modelled in the Matlab/Simulink environment and numerical simulations were performed under varying load conditions. The motor current and speed were monitored with and without fault (i.e healthy and with ITSC fault), and then analysed by the AD-OT technique. The obtained results show that the presented technique is more efficient than the FFT technique, especially for the detection of the inter-turn short-circuit fault under non-stationary conditions.