Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering (2021) 46:12221–12234

https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-021-05930-y

RESEARCH ARTICLE-MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Detection of Gear Wear and Faults in Spur Gear Systems Using

Statistical Parameters and Univariate Statistical Process Control Charts
Sinan Maraş1   · Hakan Arslan2 · Burak Birgören3

Received: 27 January 2021 / Accepted: 23 June 2021 / Published online: 5 July 2021
© King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals 2021

Abstract
In this study, the detection of wear faults in spur gears was examined using vibration analysis, statistical process control
method, and statistical parameters. For this purpose, a closed-loop test rig with a power transmission system was established.
Defect-free gears were attached to the test assembly, and the system was operated at a specific torsional load and number
of cycles until the gears were worn. Vibration amplitudes at vertical and horizontal directions, received via sensors on the
bearings, were transferred to the computer with a digital-analog converter. The control charts were plotted by sampling 30
data points per hour. Upper and lower control limits were determined by using the data obtained from the defect-free gears.
The gears are worn in the process due to the effect of applied torque and the operation conditions suitable for the formation
of defects. As a result, the vibration amplitudes were increased. The accuracy and convergence of the statistical process
control method were verified by the statistical parameters root mean square, kurtosis value, skewness value, crest factor, and
peak-to-peak values. It was emphasized that great convergence and accuracy between the statistical process control results
and statistical parameters results are achieved. The present study showed that the detection of abrasion of a robust gear could
be graphically demonstrated through a real-time experimental study. The statistical process control method is convenient and
easily applicable, which allows constructing a real-time early warning system detecting malfunctions at the start.

Keywords  Spur gears · Gear fault · Wear · Vibration · X̄  -S charts · Statistical parameters · Generalized variance chart

1 Introduction reliability and higher costs. Therefore, early detection of

faults on gear wheels is critical. Various parameters for mon-
Gear wheels are widely used in many mechanical engineer- itoring the condition of machines are being used to detect
ing applications to transmit power between rotating shafts. damages. Several techniques such as vibration analysis, oil
Damages such as abrasion, fatigue, and breakage occur analysis, temperature analysis, flow and leakage control,
on these significant machine elements: Undesired, sudden pressure control, acoustic emission, and noise analysis meth-
occurrences may happen and cause more significant mal- ods are used to assess gear damages. Among these methods,
functions in time, resulting in lower product quality and vibration analysis is commonly used today because it accu-
rately reflects the condition within the machines’ internal
* Sinan Maraş structure [1]. Fault detection of gears can be performed by
sinan.maras@omu.edu.tr vibration measurement and analysis of measurement data
Hakan Arslan through signal processing, artificial intelligence, support
arslan@kku.edu.tr vector machines, and statistical analysis methods [2, 3].
Burak Birgören Recent studies on these topics involve [4–11].
birgoren@kku.edu.tr Several statistical analysis methods have been applied
to vibration data for fault detection in the literature. For
1
Mechanical Engineering Department, Ondokuz Mayıs example, the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test was performed to
University, 55139 Samsun, Turkey
vibration data obtained for various load conditions to moni-
2
Mechanical Engineering Department, Kırıkkale University, tor gear condition by researchers. Thus, the conditions, for
71450 Kırıkkale, Turkey
example, standard, faulty, abraded, and fractured spur gears’
3
Industrial Engineering Department, Kırıkkale University, progression, were determined [12–15].
71450 Kırıkkale, Turkey

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Multivariate statistical methods were applied to gear fault
diagnosis in relatively few studies. Particularly, Baydar and
Chen [16] determined the jag faults of helical gears using the
principal components analysis. Next, Loutridis [17] analyzed
the robust and broken gears through multiscale statistical
methods for fault detection. Besides, they have compared
this method with the wavelet transformation method. Fur-
ther, Yang and Huang [18] proposed a technique combin-
ing data mining and control charts to select critical vari-
ables for fault detection in a wind turbine. They also used
the exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) and
multivariate EWMA methods to compare the types of errors
generated. Along the same lines, Ge and Kruger [19] used
different methods for gear fault detection such as dynamic
multivariate statistics, independent component analysis, sup-
port vector data description, and local statistical approaches.
Then, Yuzukirmizi and Arslan [20] investigated the fault
detection of gears with localized defects using vibration sig-
nal data in the multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA).
Moreover, Makis [21] applied a time-synchronous averaging
and vector auto-regressive multivariable method using gear
vibration data to detect an early malfunction in a gearbox
operating under varying load. Finally, Lal and Kane [22]
used the time series model to extract properties that charac-
terize gearbox faults and applied the EWMA charts to obtain
deviations in property values.
Many works of fault categorization were performed for
vibration data. The fuzzy inference, hidden Markov process,
artificial neural network, and support vector machine meth-
ods were used for fault classification [23–26]. To indicate
a few, Raad and Antoni [27] studied the novel indicators of
periodicity for the classification of vibration signals whose
statistical values periodically change with respect to some
global variables. They also showed how these indicators
were used for gear fault detection in the applications. For
statistical analysis, Heyns and Godsill [28] performed some
experiments to detect gear faults using residual signals.
Pacheco de Oliveira [29] classified the vibration signals for
gear fault detection using artificial neural networks. They
also determined whether there are statistically significant
similarities between neural networks. Next, Kane and And-
hare [30] examined psychoacoustic, acoustic, and vibration
properties for gear fault correlation and classification. In
addition, they found that psychoacoustic properties clas-
sify faults better than acoustic and vibrational statistical
properties.
The parametric and nonparametric statistical procedures
of signals obtained from vibration tests were performed as
another approach for fault diagnosis of gears in the litera-
ture. To remark a few, Rafiee and Rafiee [31] studied the
detection of gear and bearing damages by using the wavelet-
based signal processing methods. They also determined that
bearings provide more relevant results than gears in fault
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Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering (2021) 46:12221–12234
detection using standard deviation and variance values of
synchronized vibration signals. Further, Villa and Reñones
[32] studied gear fault detection of unbalance and misalign-
ment by statistical analysis of vibration data obtained from
wind turbine gear working at high-speed loading conditions.
They have developed a statistical fault detection algorithm
based on fault significance level (p-value). Yin and Wang
[33] presented a statistical model of the vibration signal for
gear fault detection. They derived sample means in the first
step and then set up a signal model consisting of a sinusoidal
function. Signal parameters of the model were estimated by
the least square analysis method. They also determined the
optimal model with the Bayesian information criterion. Fur-
ther, Li and Zhu [34] perused the statistical properties (mean
and variance) of the vibration signals of a rotating machine
using a decoupling technique and compared them with the
threshold values for fault classification. As an ensemble
method, Hsu and Wang [35] used statistical quality con-
trol charts and machine learning algorithms to detect wind
turbine faults. They also classified the failure types of wind
turbines using methods such as Pareto analysis and scatter
plot. Wang and Lu [36] proposed a new statistical time–fre-
quency analysis for rotating machine condition monitoring.
They performed statistical analyses for fault diagnosis by
transforming the spectral content of conditional signals into
dynamic graphics. It was stated that the median graph and
the hypothesis test are effective methods for the decision to
change the condition.
Other methods based on vibration analysis to detect gear
failures are Bayes estimation [37], statistical kurtosis [38],
empirical mode decomposition method [39], application of
a scalogram, and its mean frequency change [40]. In addi-
tion, the statistical process control (SPC) method has been
increasingly used to monitor the process conditions for fault
diagnosis in rotary machines [41]. In this method, lower
and upper control limits are determined using the mean and
standard deviation values of vibration data obtained from the
robust gears. Fault detection can be performed by observ-
ing data outside the control limits, which signals a potential
change in the distribution.
The literature survey shows that statistical methods such
as the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, statistical kurtosis, empir-
ical mode decomposition, the parametric and nonparametric
statistical procedure of signals, and artificial neural networks
are used to diagnose artificially generated gear faults. How-
ever, there are only a few studies using the univariate and
multivariate statistical process control methods for data
obtained from vibration test systems for real-time spur gear
fault detection. Among these studies, independent compo-
nent analysis, support vector data description, local statisti-
cal approaches, and dynamic multivariate statistical methods
are used for helical gear fault detection [19]. The time series
and EWMA charts are used in [22] to obtain deviations in
Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering (2021) 46:12221–12234 12223
property values in detecting spur gear malfunction. How-
ever, these two studies are concerned with faults on the gear
created by artificially breaking the teeth.
The difference of this study from the published literature
is that a real-time early warning system was performed by
detecting malfunction at the start using the SPC method and
statistical parameters. The SPC method can be used with
minimal data compared to other signal processing methods
and statistical parameter methods. The study demonstrates
the advantages of the SPC method, such as using less calcu-
lator capacity by using less data, detecting faults in shorter
times, convenience, and applicability, as compared to previ-
ous studies on real-time fault detection.
In this study, vibration amplitudes obtained from spur
gears through a gear test assembly with a closed-circuit
power transmission system were examined using process
control charts. The control charts of robust gear under first
operation conditions, and the control charts of data obtained
from experimental results were compared. The existence of
abrasion damage was evaluated. In addition, fault detection
was performed in the gears by using statistical parameters. It
was noteworthy that a high degree of similarity and accuracy
was observed between the SPC and statistical parameters
methods. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the
first research paper applying the SPC method using vibration
data to detect wear failure in spur gears, which is a signifi-
cant deficiency in spur gear systems.
2 Statistical Process Control Charts
Control charts are graphs used to study how a process
changes over time. So, data are plotted in time order. A con-
trol chart has a central line for the average, an upper line for
the upper control limit, and a lower line for the lower control
limit. These lines are determined from historical data. By
comparing current data to these lines, conclusions can be
drawn about whether a process variation is consistent, in
control, or unpredictable, that is, out of control, affected by
special causes of variation.
Univariate control charts are used to monitor a single
variable over time, such as vibrations received from the
radial direction. In this study, 𝐗̄ (average) charts are chosen
to monitor means and S (standard deviation) charts are used
to monitor univariate variations. Two variables are under
investigation in this study: (1) vibrations received from the
radial direction and (2) the axial direction. A traditional
approach is followed in this study: two separate univariate
charts monitor the means and standard deviations of the two
variables. Detailed descriptions and formulae of the charts
mentioned above can be found in Montgomery [42] and in
Minitab® Software [43], used for the data analysis and con-
trol charts’ application.
3 Statistical Parameters
The statistical parameters were calculated from the time
domain data. The parameters used in the statistical analy-
sis include root-mean-square (RMS), kurtosis value (KV),
skewness value (SV), crest factor (CF), and peak-to-peak
values. These parameters were obtained by receiving the
500 vibration data from the gear abrasion test rig of each
hour as the sampling volume. The RMS value indicated
the continuous or steady-state amplitude in a time-varying
signal. The RMS values were calculated from the equation
shown below:
√
√
√1 ∑ N
RMS = √ x2
N k=1 k
xk ∶ k th vibration data in time domain
N ∶ the number of vibration data
The root-mean-square is proportional to the root of the
power of the vibration, including noise. Thus, it is helpful
to identify balance problems. However, it is not helpful to
distinguish the failing component.
The skewness for a normal distribution is zero, and
hence any symmetric data should have skewness nearly
equals zero. The skewness value was calculated from the
equation shown below:
N
1 ∑
SV = (x − x̄ )3 (2)
N𝜎 3 i=1 i
x̄ ∶ The mean value of the whole data in time domain
𝜎 ∶ The standard deviation of the whole data in time domain
The KV was a higher-order statistical attribute of a time
series. The values corresponded to the normalized fourth
central moment. This situation was shown for Gaussian
distribution, and a brief description of each is provided
below:
N
1 ∑
KV = (x − x̄ )4 (3)
N𝜎 4 i=1 i
Kurtosis is a measure of the peakedness of distribution
according to the normal distribution. For the same variance,
higher kurtosis values correspond to fat tails, and low kurto-
sis values correspond to concentration toward the mean with
skinny tails in the distribution. The kurtosis value increases
when a gear wears or breaks due to the vibration.
The CF corresponded to the ratio between the crest
value (maximum absolute value reached by the function
representative of the signal during the considered period).
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� �
max ��xi �� 4 Experimental Setup
CF = �
N
1 ∑ 2
xk Gear test assemblies with a closed-circuit power transmis-
N
k=1 sion system are an assembly widely used in gears’ experi-
mental studies. Gear abrasion test assembly was generated
Peak-to-peak value is somewhat the difference between to perform the planned tests.
positive and negative peaks. This value was calculated as As shown in Fig. 1, the experiments were carried out
follows: using an ordinary back-to-back test rig (FZG). Two pairs of
( ) ( ) spur gear units were used in the tests. A three-phase, 1.1 kW,
Peak to Peak Value = max xip − min xjv and 1460 r/min AC motor was used in the experimental set-
1≤p≤NP 1≤v≤NV
up. This drive motor was connected to a Telemekanique
brand speed control device which enables to adjust speed
xiP ∶ i th local maximum value in vibration - time curve precisely. As seen in Fig. 2, the accelerometers were fixed
xjV ∶ j th local minimum value in in vibration - time curve on the bearings magnetically. They were used to measure in
radial and axial direction vibrations of the gears indirectly.
NP ∶ the number of local maximum values
PCB 352C68 model accelerometer receiver generates an
NV ∶ the number of local minimum values electric signal due to the pressure composed by the vibra-
tion. These signals are being elevated to the PCB 482A16

Fig. 1  A view of the test rig

Fig. 2  Magnetically fixed
accelerometers on ball bearing
at axial and radial directions

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Table 1  Vibration measurement Device Model(type) Technical specifications

devices and technical
specifications Accelerometer
A/D data control card
Amplifier/signal conditioner
PCB 352C68 Measurement range: ± 50 g pk
Sensitivity: 100 V/g
Frequency range: 0.5 Hz-10 kHz
Resolution: 0.00016 g RMS
NI PCI-6251 2 Analog output channel
16 Analog input channel
Resolution: 16-Bits
Sampling rate: 1.25 MS/s single channel
Input range: ± 100 mV to ± 10 V
PCB 482A16 4 Channels
Low frequency response (− 5%): 0.225 Hz
High frequency response (− 5%): 100,000 Hz
Broadband noise (at unity gain): 9.1 μV RMS

Fig. 3  Test gears used in experi-

ments

model signal conditioner and then transferred to NI PCI- Table 2  Parameters of the test gear pair
6251 A/D data collection control card. The measurement Pinion gear Wheel gear
values, being received as an electric signal (analog) by the
A/D data collection control card, are converted to accelera- Materials GG 25 cast iron GG 25 cast iron
tion values through the computer software. Vibration meas- Hardness 83 HRB 81 HRB
urement devices and their technical specifications are shown Elasticity of material (kN/mm2) 118–128 118–128
in Table 1. Number of teeth 43 111
There are gearboxes on the test assembly with the same Module (mm) 2 2
cycle rates. Loading on the system is performed by wring- Tooth width (mm) 23 23
ing the outlet shaft between the gearboxes, and the assem- Addendum circle diameter (mm) 93 228
bly is stationary. The system was made stationary by plac- Shaft diameter (mm) 25 25
ing a metal ring (torque coupling) on the shaft part, which
exists as two pieces between the test gearbox. Torque is
applied to the system by placing a bolt in the hole on this
ring located on the slave gearbox side and contacting this wringing moment applied for loading is in the opposite
bolt to the adjusted fixed support placed on the construc- direction of the motor’s rotation direction. In the tests, the
tion. As 200 Nm torsional preload will operate in the tests, motor was operated at a fixed cycle of 1000 cycles/minute.
20 kg weight is being hung on the moment arm. The torque Pinion gear and wheel gears used in the tests are shown in
coupler’s bolts are tightened while the weight is hung and Fig. 3, and their features are shown in Table 2. This test
the closed circuit is completed. The direction pinion of system was operated for 199 h in total.

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Gears were subjected to abrasion within the process
through the wringing moment applied. Thus, the vibration
amplitudes were increased. These changes in vibrations were
−
analyzed using the X —S charts. The first 30 data points of
each hour are used for subgrouping the data; increasing the
subgroup sample size makes the charts oversensitive to small
changes in the process while more data are available. The
first 20 h are used for constructing the charts (Phase I), and
the rest is used for Phase II. The control graphs monitored
the process, and abrasion damage was detected.
5 Results and Discussion
The test system was operated for 199 h in total, and data-
set consisting of 30 data was obtained from the vibrations
received from the radial direction. X  - S charts were drawn
by using these datasets. The timeline of the gear fault detec-
tion process during experimental studies is shown in Fig. 4.
Figure 5 shows the X  - S chart of 199 h of data received
from the radial direction. In the graphs, the average was
found as 0 and the standard deviation as 0.579. X  -S chart
was drawn in the MINITAB program. In this graph, pinion
and wheel gear wear faults are observed significantly. In the
following sections, the review of graphics will be carried out
locally for a detailed analysis.
The spur gears used were installed in the system while
they were in good condition, and the same gears were oper-
ated without changing in the experiments. During the pro-
cess, the occurrence of abrasion damage was analyzed using
SPC and statistical methods. As the oil in the gearbox lost its
quality due to heating, the oil was drained once every 40 h
and new oil was added instead. During this operation, the oil
heats up, and its viscosity decreases and thus increases the
friction. In the quality control charts, an increase of vibra-
tion amplitudes and relative standard deviation values are
observed. Vibration amplitudes decrease by adding new oil,
Fig. 4  Timeline of gear fault
detection process
Gear Oil
changed abraded gear surfaces
40, 80th hours 96th hours
Start of abrasion
was observed
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Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering (2021) 46:12221–12234
which is observed as sudden changes in the standard devia-
tion values.
In Fig. 5, while there is no deviation in the sampling aver-
age on the graph obtained from the data of the first 40 h, the
change in standard deviation started by hour 40. When the
chart is examined between the 41st and 74th hours, the devi-
ation from the average began after the 70th hour. At the 41st
hour, the average value deviated significantly, but the fluc-
tuation of average decreased at the 42nd hour. The decrease
in friction can explain this situation because of the gears’
operation by the new oil and oil film adaptation on the gear
surfaces. In Fig. 5, when the X  - S chart is observed between
the 74th and 93rd hours, it is observed that the average of the
gear amplitudes is very close to the central line value. These
values are within the control limits during these hours. It is
observed from the standard deviation chart that the average
of the amplitudes is closer to the upper control limit and
that the metal pieces breaking off the gear surface increases
abrasion. Although the abrasion cannot be observed between
these hours, it is examined on average and standard devia-
tion control charts. A fluctuation is investigated among aver-
age values after the 95th hour. As the abrasion starts on all
the gear surfaces, the standard deviation is beyond the end
values. A decrease in the vibration amplitudes is observed
on the graph as a result of the adaptation of abraded gear
surfaces due to continuous operation and increasing vibra-
tion amplitudes along with the start of abrasion. An increase
of vibration amplitudes resulting from the fault of rotating
parts of machines is a possible condition. However, at ini-
tial operations of the machines of the vibration amplitude
first decreases due to adaptation of machine parts, and it is
considered to increase as per the occurrence of malfunction
[44]. The effects of the adaptation of the worn gear sur-
faces to each other are seen in the standard deviation graph
between the 94th and 97th hours and between the 113th and
118th hours. (Fig. 5). Average values of gear frequencies
approached the central line value, and less fluctuation was
composed. This behavior is the adaptation of surfaces due to
Abrasion on gear surfaces is
severe and it signals to the
Start of adaptation
fact that larger damages may
occur on the gears
113th hours 120, 160th hours 182th hours 192th hours
Gear Oil Vibration values periodically
changed increase and start to infringe
the control limits
Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering (2021) 46:12221–12234 12227
Fig. 5  X  - S Graph of 194 h of data received from the radial direction (X)
correspondence of abraded points of abraded gear surfaces at
each tour. In this process, the gear surface’s abrasion amount
will increase and will continue until the breakpoint.
The abrasion on pinion gear and wheel test gear is visible
between the 94th and 97th hours, as shown in Fig. 6. As the
abrasion starts on all the gear surfaces, the standard devia-
tion is beyond the end values. A decrease in the vibration
amplitudes is observed on the graph due to the adaptation of
abraded gear surfaces for continuous operation and increas-
ing vibration amplitudes along with the start of abrasion.
The abrasion of both corresponding gears continues until
they adapt to each other.
Vibration-time graph in the radial direction between the
93rd and 96th hours is given in Fig. 7. As shown in this
figure, since the 95th hour, vibration amplitudes are started
to increase in the radial direction. Furthermore, as seen in
Fig. 8, vibration peak amplitudes increase in the frequency
spectrum starting from the 95th hour.
It can better be observed from the standard deviation
graph in Fig. 5 that the abrasion adaptation of gears has just
started between the 128th and 181st hours. No net change is
observed between these hours. This situation is the adapta-
tion of surfaces due to correspondence of abraded points
of abraded gear surfaces at each tour between the 73rd and
93rd hours. While the adaptation period is less between
the 128th and 165th hours, a longer adaptation period has
been observed between the 165th and 175th hours. After the
175th hour, the standard deviation values are within end lim-
its. When the graphs between the 182nd and 199th hours are
observed, average and standard deviation values periodically
increase and infringe on the control limits. It means that the
abrasion on gear surfaces is now severe, and it signals the
fact that more considerable damages may occur on the gears,
such as breakage.
At the end of 199 h of operation, the wear of the pinion
gear surface and the wheel test gear surface is observed, and
the effects of this situation can be seen in Fig.9.
Figure 10 shows the X  - S charts of 199 h of data received
from the axial direction. In the graphs, the average was
found to be -0.110, and the standard deviation was 3.158.
It was observed that no visible changes occurred during the
first 17 h. Between the 19th and 40th hours, small changes
in the amplitudes were observed simultaneously on the X  - S
charts because of increased abrasions. The reason for this
situation is that heating up of oil and its viscosity decreases.
The oil change was performed between the 41st and 73rd
hours. Small changes were observed on the graphs as a result
of this change. Changes of vibration increased between
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Fig. 6  The abrasion of pinion and wheel gear surfaces as the result of
95 h of operation
the 73rd and 93rd hours, and the abrasion of gear surfaces
became visible by the 93rd hour. Although the gear’s abra-
sion started between the 94th and 124th hours, no net change
can be observed from the graphs. The reason for this is the
adaptation of surfaces after the start of abrasion at gear sur-
faces. Abrasion continues between the hours of 125 and 181.
When the standard deviation graph is observed between the
181st and 199th hours, it is investigated that the abrasion
progressed. For example, breakage may occur on the gears
as a result of extensive damages.
Consequently, abrasion could be observed on the graphs
composed by the data received from a radial direction.
Moreover, composed of data received from the axial direc-
tion in control charts, this condition is not as bright as the
graphs drawn as per the vibrations received from the radial
direction, although abrasion of gears was analyzed.
RMS values obtained from vibration signals are shown
in Fig. 11. There is no abnormality on the graph in the first
40 h. After the 40th hour, the RMS values increase, and
fluctuations and wear begin between the 41st and 74th hours.
The RMS values are close to each other between the 74th
and 95th hours because the worn points on the gear surfaces
adapt to each other at each turn [44]. There is an increase in
RMS values after the 95th hour. It is examined that the val-
ues between the 95th hour and the 124th hour show a sudden
and steady increase and decrease and follow a trend. During
this time, abrasions have become noticeable. No net change
is observed between hours 125 and 181. This situation is
the adaptation of surfaces due to correspondence of abraded

Fig. 7  Vibration-time graphs for radial direction(X) between 93 and 96 h

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Fig. 8  Frequency-vibration amplitude graphs for radial direction(X) between 93 and 96 h

Fig. 9  The abrasion of the

pinion gear and wheel test gear
surfaces as a result of 199 h of
operation

points of abraded gear surfaces at each tour. After the 181st
hour, RMS values increase following the trend. The wear
on gear surfaces becomes severe, and it signals that more
significant damage such as breakage in gears may occur.
Kurtosis values obtained from vibration signals are
shown in Fig. 12. Kurtosis values increase from the 40th
hour, and at this stage, abrasion damage begins to occur.
Kurtosis value exceeds 10 in the 74th hour. Between the 74th
and 95th hours, the kurtosis values are close to each other
due to the worn gear surface adaptation [44]. It is observed
that there are sudden increases and an abnormal trend in
values between the 95th and 124th hours. The fluctuations
have decreased between the 125th and 181st hours due to the
worn gear surfaces’ adaptation. It is shown from Fig. 12 that
the sudden increases and decreases in kurtosis values are
observed starting from the 182nd hour. It can be determined
during this time that the wear damage is effective.
The crest factor values obtained from vibration signals are
shown in Fig. 13. It can be seen from the graph that there
are increases in values as of the 40th hour. The abrasions on
the gear surface occurred from starting this hour. Especially
in the 74th hour, the crest factor value surpassed 6, and the
wear became apparent. Due to the adaptation of the gear
surfaces [44], there is a very small increase in the values

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Fig. 10  X  - S Graph of 199 h of data received from axial direction (Y)

Fig. 11  The plot of RMS values 1.80

obtained from vibrations signals
1.60

1.40

1.20
RMS Value

1.00

0.80

0.60

0.40

0.20

0.00
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
100
105
110
115
120
125
130
135
140
145
150
155
160
165
170
175
180
185
190
195
200

Working Hour

between the 75th and 95th hours. The sudden increases are
investigated in values after the 95th hour. The wear dam-
age has become more pronounced. After the 125th hour,
crest factor values increased and decreased between 2 and
3.5. During this time, wear damage progress, but the values
have remained close to each other due to the adaptation of
gear surfaces. Since the 182nd hour, there are significant
increases and decreases in values, and the process follows
an abnormal trend. It can be concluded that the wear damage
has occurred clearly and become severe.
Figure 14 shows the peak-to-peak values obtained from
vibration signals. The chart is similar to RMS data. After the

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Fig. 12  The plot of kurtosis 13.00

values obtained from vibrations 12.00
signals 11.00
10.00

Kurtosis Value
9.00
8.00
7.00
6.00
5.00
4.00
3.00
2.00
1.00

0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
100
105
110
115
120
125
130
135
140
145
150
155
160
165
170
175
180
185
190
195
200
Working Hour

Fig. 13  The plot of crest factor 6.50

values obtained from vibrations 6.00
signals
5.50
5.00
Crest Factor

4.50
4.00
3.50
3.00
2.50
2.00
1.50
1.00
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
100

200
105
110
115
120
125
130
135
140
145
150
155
160
165
170
175
180
185
190
195
Working Hour

Fig. 14  The plot of the peak- 12.00

to-peak values obtained from 11.00
vibrations signals 10.00
Peak-to-Peak Value

9.00
8.00
7.00
6.00
5.00
4.00
3.00
2.00
1.00
0.00
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
100
105
110

200
115
120
125
130
135
140
145
150
155
160
165
170
175
180
185
190
195

Working Hour

40th hour, values increase, and wear damage begins to occur.
It is seen that it exceeds the value of 9 in the 73rd hour.
The values between the 75th and 95th hours are close to
each other due to the worn gear surfaces’ adaptation. Sudden
increases and decreases are observed after the 95th hour, and
it can be concluded that the abrasion damage has become
severe. Between the 125th and 181st hours, the worn gear
surfaces adapt to each other; therefore, the values are close
to each other [44]. After the 181st hour, the values show
sudden increases and decreases, and it is examined that an

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12232 Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering (2021) 46:12221–12234

abnormal process follows. Then, the wear on gear surfaces
has increased considerably.
Figure  15 shows the skewness values obtained from
vibration signals. After the 35th hour, irregular increases and
decreases began to be observed in values. It can be deter-
mined from here that abrasion damage has started to occur.
In the 73rd hour, the skewness value suddenly increased
from − 1 to 1. From the 75th hour, it is observed that the
points follow a trend by increasing and decreasing steadily.
Between the 125th and 181st hours, the values seem to be
close to each other due to the adaptation of the wear of the
gear surfaces [44]. After the 181st hour, there are sudden
increases and decreases, and it can be investigated that the
process is not in a random trend as abnormal behavior. It can
be examined that the wear damage in gears has increased
considerably.
6 Conclusions
In this study, the determination of abrasion damage, which
is the primary damage mechanism for gears, was carried
out using vibrations recorded during spur gears rotation.
Analysis of process control charts realized this damage. A
gear test assembly having a closed-circuit power transmis-
sion system was formed to perform the tests, and the system
was operated for 199 h in total. X control charts are used to
measure the differences of process average and S control
charts’ standard deviation regarding the vibration amplitudes
received from axial (X) and radial (Y) directions. In addi-
tion, X and S charts were drawn in the MINITAB program.
The gearbox’s oil changing period was determined as
40 h by evaluating the quality control charts, which show
an increase in vibration amplitudes and standard deviation
values over this period. Vibration amplitudes decrease by
adding new oil, which was reflected as sudden changes
in the standard deviation values as well as gear abrasion
initiation and violation of control limits on and S control
chart is investigated between the 93rd and 123rd hours. First
of all, vibration amplitudes increase with the initiation of
wear between the 94th and 181st hours. Due to the ongoing
study, with the adaptation of the worn gear surfaces to each
other, a decrease in vibration amplitudes occurs over time.
As a result, no net change can be examined on the average
and standard deviation charts in this period. As a result of
severe abrasion of gear surfaces between the 181st and 199th
hours, the average and standard deviation values periodically
increased and infringed on the control limits. Moreover, it
signals the possibility of more considerable damages on
gears, such as breakage.
In addition, fault detection was performed using statisti-
cal parameters in the gears. The RMS, kurtosis, crest factor,
peak-to-peak, and skewness methods were used as statisti-
cal parameters. When the graphs obtained from statistical
parameter analysis were examined, it was determined that
there was an irregular increase and decrease in the values as
an abnormal trend due to the occurring and gradual increase
of the wear. Thus, wear damage in gears could also be deter-
mined by statistical parameter analysis. While the control
limits were used in the SPC method, the fault was detected
by evaluating the diagnostic statistics. The number of data
used in the SPC method is 30, whereas the number of data
used in statistical parameter methods is 500. Therefore, less
data were used in the SPC method compared to the statistical
parameter methods. The advantages of the SPC method are
that it uses less calculator capacity by using fewer data and
allows detecting faults in a shorter time.
This study showed that the detection of a robust gear’s
abrasion could be graphically demonstrated through real-
time experimental study. The statistical process control
method can be used with the minimum data concerning
the other signal processing techniques. The detection of
malfunction may realize a real-time early warning sys-
tem at the start. Early detection of faults before the system

Fig. 15  The plot of SV obtained 1.50

from vibrations signals 1.25
1.00
0.75
Skewness Value

0.50
0.25
0.00
-0.25
-0.50
-0.75
-1.00
-1.25
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
100
105
110
115
120
125
130
135
140
145
150
155
160
165
170
175
180
185

200
190
195

Working Hour

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Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering (2021) 46:12221–12234 12233
becomes inoperable will allow measures to be taken within
this time frame. Thus, overcoming the malfunction with
the least material and time loss will provide an economic
contribution.
The main concluding remarks are as follows:
1. Abrasion starts with increasing working time leading to
increasing vibration data in statistical control charts, and
vibrations start to go out of the control limits.
2. Large vibration amplitudes were observed when a
fault occurred, but the vibration amplitudes gradually
decreased during the wear adaptation (wear-in) period.
3. While the means of the amplitudes give some inference
on the status of gear, the standard deviation of the ampli-
tudes is more significant on changes.
4. The average gear frequencies and standard deviation val-
ues were increased with the increase of wear amount on
gear surfaces, and most of the values mentioned above
were gone out of the control limits. For example, vibra-
tion data did not show random distribution around the
central line and showed an increasing periodical trend
with increasing abrasion.
5. The start of wear was observed both on statistical control
charts and by visual determinations at the same time.
6. Fault detection in gears has been determined both by the
SPC method and specific diagnostic statistics. With the
SPC method, fault detection was achieved in a shorter
time.
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