General Electric Company
Systems and methods for detecting damage in wind turbine bearings

Abstract:

A method for detecting damage in a bearing of a wind turbine includes collecting vibration data relating to the bearing. Another step includes storing the vibration data in a memory device. The method also includes identifying a plurality of harmonics in the vibration data that are indicative of bearing damage. Further, the method includes eliminating harmonics within a specified frequency proximity to areas of high energy content representative of normal gearbox operation. Moreover, the method includes determining at least one of increases in energy or a variance of the energy within each of the remaining harmonics and calculating a damage factor of the bearing as a function of a least one of the increases in energy or the variance of the energy within each of the remaining harmonics. Accordingly, the method includes comparing the damage factor to a predetermined damage threshold, wherein a damage factor exceeding the predetermined damage threshold may be indicative of a damaged bearing.