A Review on Prognosis of Rolling Element Bearings Operated Under Non-stationary Conditions

Abstract

Bearings constitute a majority of the components found in rotating machines. Though inexpensive, their failure can result in unnecessary downtime, losses in production and propagation of failure to other critical components leading to expensive maintenance actions. Most of these machinery are operated under adverse and varying conditions which result in difficulty in defining health indices from condition monitoring data. Therefore, techniques for condition monitoring of rotating machinery operated under nonstationary conditions are necessary. This paper aims at summarizing and reviewing the recent trends and developments in prognostics of rotating machines operating under non-stationary conditions with emphasis on rolling element bearings. Various techniques, methods, and models used in bearing prognosis are discussed. Moreover, the research gaps and possible future trends are addressed in the conclusion.