On-shaft ball bearings monitoring by using an inertial measurement unit (IMU): defects severity signatures under stationary and non-stationary conditions

The present work focuses on the using of an inertial measurement unit (IMU) to monitor the signatures of defects in ball bearings under stationary and non-stationary regimes. The present paper completes the existing literature for both regimes by (i) investigating the influence of IMU parameters on signals derived from six axes and by (ii) proposing signal processing methodologies to detect defects in outer and inner rings. Defects are both declined on the inner and outer rings in five severities, and are studied at six rotation speeds (5 rpm to 400 rpm) and five radial loads (100 kg to 500 kg). Detection and diagnostic were made qualitatively and summarize in tables. Two different methods for processing the non-stationary regime signals are compared. Our results open new ways on the improvement of inertial units and their application.