Detection of particle contamination in journal bearing using acoustic emission and vibration monitoring techniques

Oil contamination resulting from externally ingested particles is one of the major causes of journal bearing failure in industrial machinery. The present study has been carried out to assess the case of externally ingested particle contaminants in a journal bearing lubrication using acoustic emission (AE) and vibration monitoring techniques. Besides quantitative evaluation, the features of AE and vibration spectra have been classified and key parameters for condition monitoring deduced. Furthermore, cases involving different particles sizes and concentrations have been exhaustively examined and illustrated; and the capability of these two methods described in terms of detectability.