Hilbert-huang transform-based vibration signal analysis for machine health monitoring

This paper presents a signal analysis technique for machine health monitoring based on the Hilbert-Huang Transform (HHT). The HHT represents a time-dependent series in a two-dimensional (2-D) time-frequency domain by extracting instantaneous frequency components within the signal through an Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) process. The analytical background of the HHT is introduced, based on a synthetic analytic signal, and its effectiveness is experimentally evaluated using vibration signals measured on a test bearing. The results demonstrate that HHT is suited for capturing transient events in dynamic systems such as the propagation of structural defects in a rolling bearing, thus providing a viable signal processing tool for machine health monitoring.