PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Gajdošík, Tomáš
AU  - Vereš, Matúš
AU  - Gajdáč, Igor
AU  - Bašťovanský, Ronald
TI  - Experimental Evaluation of Vibration Responses to Progressive Gear Damage in Planetary Gear
DP  - 2025 Nov 11
TA  - Manufacturing Technology Journal
PG  - 469--481
VI  - 25
IP  - 4
AID - 10.21062/mft.2025.056
IS  - 12132489
AB  - This study presents a systematic experimental analysis of vibration responses in a planetary gearbox (type A2000) under both undamaged and artificially induced fault conditions. The primary aim was to identify specific frequency-domain signatures of various types and severities of gear defects-such as pitting on the flanks of gear teeth, missing teeth, unbalance of the carrier, and damage to the ring gear-through spectral analysis of vibration signals. Measurements were conducted in both loaded and unloaded states using non-contact torque sensors and a multi-channel diagnostic system (SKF IMx-S) with tri-axial accelerometers. The results demonstrate a strong correlation between the severity of gear damage and the amplitude and structure of sidebands around the gear mesh frequencies. Notably, the presence of pitting consistently increased the sideband amplitudes, while unbalance induced distinct harmonics in the frequency spectrum. Damage to the ring gear and central gear exhibited overlapping features but were distinguishable in the acceleration envelope spectrum. The findings provide a foundation for the early-stage identification of gearbox faults and highlight the potential for deploying automated diagnostic systems in industrial applications. Future work will focus on real-time AI-based detection methods and application of the results in industrial environments such as Continental and U.S. Steel.