Remaining Useful Life Prognostics of Rolling Element Bearings Based on State Estimation Techniques

Rolling element bearings (REBs) are key components in rotating machines. 40% of the failures in electrical motors occur due to bearing faults. Consequently, monitoring the health stage and estimating the remaining useful life (RUL) of the REBs is essential. Additionally, maintenance of rotating machines can be scheduled based on the RUL estimation, which will mitigate potential time wasting, economic losses and hazards. In this summary, several issues that exist in current research are highlighted. Then a series of preliminary explorations have been performed, and some results have been already obtained. Finally, a systematic methodology is expected to be proposed by combining the state estimation techniques and physical models to facilitate the development of the PHM.