Accelerometer Locus Investigation for Induction Machine Misalignment Fault Diagnosis Including Transient Behaviour

The monitoring of vibration signals acquired in non-rotating parts represents a widespread methodology for induction machine health assessment. These signals provide direct insights about mechanical and electromagnetic signatures. However, detecting mechanical defects such as shaft misalignment remains challenging due to the complex interactions between mechanical and electromagnetic domains. The accurate measurement and acquisition of vibration signals plays a key role on elucidating possible fault indicators, which stem from different multi-physical mechanisms. The present paper presents an experimental study to analyze the effect of sensor location and placement within an induction machine housing for accurate mechanical fault identification. The comparison is performed for classical time and frequency-domain fault indicators. In addition, different time-frequency evolutions of start-up transient signals are introduced and compared.