Search Results (15)

Early bearing faults are often difficult to identify because their characteristic components are weak and easily masked by strong interference. To improve weak-fault feature extraction, this paper proposes a particle-swarm-optimization-based FitzHugh–Nagumo stochastic resonance (FHN-SR) method for bearing vibration signals. The raw signal is first preprocessed by de-meaning, Hilbert envelope demodulation, and standardization to construct a stable stochastic resonance (SR) input. Then, the key model parameters are adaptively optimized by maximizing the output signal-to-noise ratio around the target fault characteristic frequency. To evaluate the proposed method comprehensively, comparisons are carried out with classical SR, underdamped bistable stochastic resonance (UBSR), and a Fast-Kurtogram-based envelope-analysis scheme. Experimental validation is performed on three fault cases, including the rolling element fault case from the Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) dataset and the inner-race and outer-race fault cases from the Machinery Comprehensive Diagnostics Simulator (MCDS) platform. The results show that FHN-SR produces a clearer concentration of fault-related energy and achieves a higher output signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) than the compared methods in most cases. In particular, under degraded noise conditions, FHN-SR maintains more stable enhancement performance, indicating stronger robustness to interference. These results demonstrate that the proposed method provides an effective approach for extracting weak bearing fault features under complex noise backgrounds. Full article

Incipient fault signatures in rolling bearings are often compromised by intense background noise and stochastic impulses. Conventional resonance demodulation frequently relies on rigid frequency partitioning, which tends to disrupt the physical continuity of resonance bands and results in the incomplete capture of essential diagnostic information. Furthermore, the robustness of prevailing optimal demodulation frequency band (ODFB) selection indicators remains limited under heavy noise interference. This study develops the WLERgram framework, which utilizes regularized Fourier series to capture the global morphology of the vibration spectrum. By anchoring filter boundaries at natural energy troughs, the method mitigates spectral truncation based on inherent signal characteristics. The framework integrates an Adaptive Morphological Consensus (AMC) strategy, employing multi-scale operators to extract rotation-correlated components and enhance resistance to incoherent interference. By incorporating a Weighted Logarithmic Energy Ratio (WLER) metric, the method utilizes a nonlinear operator to implement differential mapping between coherent fault harmonics and stochastic noise, enabling autonomous optimization of the demodulation band. Validations using synthetic simulations and experimental benchmarks (CWRU and UORED) suggest that WLERgram offers reliable feature extraction performance and diagnostic robustness under harsh noise environments. Full article

Tilted fibre Bragg gratings are optical fibre structures used as sensors of various physical quantities. Their unique measurement capabilities result from the high complexity of the optical spectrum consisting of several dozen cladding mode resonances. TFBG spectra demodulation methods generate signal features that highlight changes in the spectrum due to changes in the interacting quantities. Such methods should enable the distinction between two slightly different values of the measured quantity. The paper presents an effective method of processing the TFBG spectrum for use in measuring the refractive index of liquids. The use of Gabor and log-Gabor filters and their adaptive version eliminates the problem of discontinuity in determining the SRI value related to the existence of the cladding mode comb. The Gabor filters used make visible the shifting and fading of spectral features related to the decrease in the intensity of leaking modes. Subsequent modifications of the proposed algorithm led to an increase in the quality factor of the processed spectrum. Full article

In light of the issue that the vibration signal from an axle-box bearing collected during the operation of an electric multiple unit (EMU) is seriously polluted by background noise, which leads to difficulty in identifying fault characteristic frequency, this paper proposes a resonance-based sparse signal decomposition (RSSD) and variational mode decomposition (VMD) method based on sparrow search algorithm (SSA) optimization to extract the fault characteristic frequency of the bearing. Firstly, the RSSD method is utilized to decompose the signal based on the obtained optimal combination of quality factors, resulting in the optimal low-resonance component with periodic fault information. Then, the VMD method is performed on this low-resonance component. The parameter combinations for both methods are optimized utilizing the SSA method. Subsequently, envelope demodulation is applied to the intrinsic mode function (IMF) with maximum kurtosis, and fault diagnosis is achieved by comparing it with the theoretical fault characteristic frequency. Finally, experimental validation and comparison are conducted by utilizing simulated signals and example signals. The results demonstrate that the proposed method extracts more obvious periodic fault impact components. It effectively filters out the interference of complex noise and reduces the blindness of setting weights on parameters due to human experience, indicating excellent adaptability and robustness. Full article

This paper proposes an improved fault diagnosis algorithm that combines a modified fast kurtogram (FK) method with the lightweight convolutional neural network GhostNet. The FK algorithm can adaptively select resonance demodulation bands for envelope demodulation to extract fault features, but it may be disturbed by non-Gaussian noise. Hence, the fast average kurtogram (FAK) method based on sub-band averaging was introduced. This method effectively weakens the impact of pulse noise on the kurtosis graph by splitting the signal into equal-length sub-signals and calculating the average kurtosis value of all sub-signal filters. Simultaneously, to fully utilize the advantages of deep learning technology in feature extraction and classification, this study used the FAK to convert vibration signals from one-dimensional to two-dimensional kurtosis graphs as the input for the GhostNet model. This combination not only achieved accurate fault diagnosis and classification but also showed significant advantages in processing efficiency and resource utilization. The experimental results indicate that the algorithm excelled in extracting features and diagnosing periodic transient impact faults, and compared with traditional methods, it exhibited noticeable improvements in computational efficiency and resource management. Full article

We first report that the solar flare time sequence exhibits a fluctuation characterized by its power spectral density being inversely proportional to the signal frequency. This is the 1/f fluctuation, or pink noise, observed ubiquitously in nature. Using GOES16 data, we found that low-energy flares ($E\le E_{mean}$) display 1/f fluctuations, whereas high-energy flares ($E>E_{mean}$) show a flat spectrum. Furthermore, we found that the timing sequence of the flares reveals clearer 1/f fluctuations. These observations suggest that the solar flare 1/f fluctuations are associated with low-energy phenomena. We investigated the origin of these 1/f fluctuations based on our recent hypothesis: 1/f fluctuations arise from amplitude modulation and demodulation. We propose that this amplitude modulation is encoded by the resonance with the solar five-minute oscillation (SFO) and demodulated by magnetic reconnections. We partially demonstrate this scenario by analyzing the SFO eigenmodes resolving the frequency degeneration in the azimuthal order number m using the solar rotation and resonance. Given the robust nature of 1/f fluctuations, we speculated that the solar flare 1/f fluctuations may be inherited by the various phenomena around the Sun, such as the sunspot numbers and cosmic rays. In addition, we draw parallels between solar flares and earthquakes, both exhibiting 1/f fluctuations. Interestingly, the analysis applied to solar flares can also be adapted to earthquakes if we read the SFO as Earth’s free oscillation and magnetic reconnections as fault ruptures. Moreover, we point out the possibility that the same analysis also applies to the activity of a black hole/disk system if we read the SFO as the quasi-periodic oscillation of a black hole. Full article

Aiming at the poor effect of traditional denoising algorithms on image enhancement with strong noise, an image denoising algorithm based on improved whale optimization algorithm and parameter adaptive array stochastic resonance is proposed in the paper. In this algorithm, through dimensionality reduction scanning, coding, modulation and other processing, the noise-containing gray image becomes a one-dimensional aperiodic binary pulse amplitude modulation signal suitable for a bistable stochastic resonance model. Then, the traditional whale optimization algorithm is improved in the initial solution distribution, global search ability and population diversity generalization. The improved whale optimization algorithm is applied to select the parameters of the stochastic resonance, which effectively improves the parameters self-adaptive of the array stochastic resonance model. Finally, the denoised image is obtained by demodulating, decoding and anti-scanning the stochastic resonance output. The experimental results show that compared with the array stochastic resonance method with fixed parameters and the classical image denoising method, the algorithm proposed in this paper has better performance in terms of visual effect and peak signal-to-noise ratio index, which proves the advantages and effective application of the method in image denoising. Full article

For the sake of addressing the issue of extracting multiple features embedded in a noise-heavy vibration signal for bearing compound fault diagnosis, a novel model based on improved adaptive chirp mode decomposition (IACMD) and sparse representation, namely IACMDSR, is developed in this paper. Firstly, the IACMD is employed to simultaneously separate the distinct fault types and extract multiple resonance frequencies induced by them. Next, an adaptive bilateral wavelet hyper-dictionary that digs deeper into the periodicity and waveform characteristics exhibited by the real fault impulse response is constructed to identify and reconstruct each type of fault-induced feature with the help of the orthogonal matching pursuit (OMP) algorithm. Finally, the fault characteristic frequency can be detected via an envelope demodulation analysis of the reconstructed signal. A simulation and two sets of experimental results confirm that the developed IACMDSR model is a powerful and versatile tool and consistently outperforms the leading MCKDSR and MCKDMWF models. Furthermore, the developed model has satisfactory capability in practical applications because the IACMD has no requirement for the input number of the signal components and the adaptive bilateral wavelet is powerfully matched to the real fault-induced impulse response. Full article

This study proposes a novel resonance demodulation frequency band selection method named the initial center frequency-guided filter (ICFGF) to diagnose the bearing fault. The proposed technology has a better performance on resisting the interference from the random impulses. More explicitly, the ICFGF can be summarized as two steps. In the first step, a variance statistic index is applied to evaluate the energy spectrum distribution, which can adaptively determine the center frequency of the fault impulse and suppress the interference from random impulse effectively. In the second step, a modified mayfly optimization algorithm (MMA) is applied to search the optimal resonance demodulation frequency band based on the center frequency from the first step, which has faster convergence. Finally, the filtered signal is processed by the squared envelope spectrum technology. Results of the proposed method for signals from an outer fault bearing and a ball fault bearing indicate that the ICFGF works well to extract bearing fault feature. Furthermore, compared with some other methods, including fast kurtogram, ensemble empirical mode decomposition, and conditional variance-based selector technology, the ICFGF can extract the fault characteristic more accurately. Full article

It is difficult to extract the fault signal features of locomotive rolling bearings and the accuracy of fault diagnosis is low. In this paper, a novel fault diagnosis method based on the optimized variational mode decomposition (VMD) and resonance demodulation technology, namely GNVRFD, is proposed to realize the fault diagnosis of locomotive rolling bearings. In the proposed GNVRFD method, the genetic algorithm and nonlinear programming are combined to design a novel parameter optimization algorithm to adaptively optimize the two parameters of the VMD. Then the optimized VMD is employed to decompose the collected vibration signal into a series of intrinsic mode functions (IMFs), and the kurtosis value of each IMF is calculated, respectively. According to the principle of maximum value, two most sensitive IMF components are selected to reconstruct the vibration signal. The resonance demodulation technology is used to decompose the reconstructed vibration signal in order to obtain the envelope spectrum, and the fault frequency of locomotive rolling bearings is effectively obtained. Finally, the actual data of rolling bearings is selected to testify the effectiveness of the proposed GNVRFD method. The experiment results demonstrate that the proposed GNVRFD method can more accurately and effectively diagnose the fault of locomotive rolling bearings by comparing with other fault diagnosis methods. Full article

A sensitive optical microphone for photoacoustic spectroscopy based on the common path topology of a fibre laser Doppler vibrometer (FLDV) using phase-generated carrier demodulation and a slim diaphragm as an acoustic wave transducer was demonstrated. A resonant gas cell was adapted to enhance gas-detection performance and simultaneously provide efficient cancellation of the window background acoustic signal. Ammonia (NH₃) was selected as the target gas. The absorption line was experimentally identified using a distributed feedback laser diode emitting at 1530 nm. The linearity and sensitivity of the gas sensor were measured using wavelength modulation spectroscopy with second harmonic detection. A Teflon diaphragm was used to implement the optical microphone, along with the FLDV, showing a minimum detectable pressure of 79.5 μPa/Hz^1/2. The noise-equivalent absorption sensitivity for NH₃ detection at the absorption line at 1531.7 nm was 1.85 × 10⁻⁸ W cm⁻¹ Hz^−1/2, and the limit of detection was 785 ppbv. Full article

Early fault information of rolling bearings is weak and often submerged by background noise, easily leading to misdiagnosis or missed diagnosis. In order to solve this issue, the present paper puts forward a fault diagnosis method on the basis of adaptive frequency window (AFW) and sparse coding shrinkage (SCS). The proposed method is based on the idea of determining the resonance frequency band, extracting the narrowband signal, and envelope demodulating the extracted signal. Firstly, the paper introduces frequency window, which can slip on the frequency axis and extract the frequency band. Secondly, the double time domain feature entropy is proposed to evaluate the strength of periodic components in signal. The location of the optimal frequency window covering the resonance band caused by bearing fault is determined adaptively by this entropy index and the shifting/expanding frequency window. Thirdly, the signal corresponding to the optimal frequency window is reconstructed, and it is further filtered by the sparse coding shrinkage algorithm to highlight the impact feature and reduce the residue noise. Fourthly, the de-noised signal is demodulated by envelope operation, and the corresponding envelope spectrum is calculated. Finally, the bearing failure type can be judged by comparing the frequency corresponding to the spectral lines with larger amplitude in the envelope spectrum and the fault characteristic frequency. Two bearing vibration signals are applied to validate the proposed method. The analysis results illustrate that this method can extract more failure information and highlight the early failure feature. The data files of Case Western Reserve University for different operation conditions are used, and the proposed approach achieves a diagnostic success rate of 83.3%, superior to that of the AFW method, SCS method, and Fast Kurtogram method. The method presented in this paper can be used as a supplement to the early fault diagnosis method of rolling bearings. Full article

The Empirical Wavelet Transform (EWT), which has a reliable mathematical derivation process and can adaptively decompose signals, has been widely used in mechanical applications, EEG, seismic detection and other fields. However, the EWT still faces the problem of how to optimally divide the Fourier spectrum during the application process. When there is noise interference in the analyzed signal, the parameterless scale-space histogram method will divide the spectrum into a variety of narrow bands, which will weaken or even fail to extract the fault modulation information. To accurately determine the optimal resonant demodulation frequency band, this paper proposes a method for applying Adaptive Average Spectral Negentropy (AASN) to EWT analysis (AEWT): Firstly, the spectrum is segmented by the parameterless clustering scale-space histogram method to obtain the corresponding empirical mode. Then, by comprehensively considering the Average Spectral Negentropy (ASN) index and correlation coefficient index on each mode, the correlation coefficient is used to adjust the ASN value of each mode, and the IMF with the highest value is used as the center frequency band of the fault information. Finally, a new resonant frequency band is reconstructed for the envelope demodulation analysis. The experimental results of different background noise intensities show that the proposed method can effectively detect the repetitive transients in the signal. Full article

The fast spectrum kurtosis (FSK) algorithm can adaptively identify and select the resonant frequency band and extract the fault feature via the envelope demodulation method. However, the FSK method has some limitations due to its susceptibility to noise and random knocks. To overcome this shortage, a new method is proposed in this paper. Firstly, we use the binary wavelet packet transform (BWPT) instead of the finite impulse response (FIR) filter bank as the frequency band segmentation method. Following this, the Shannon entropy of each frequency band is calculated. The appropriate center frequency and bandwidth are chosen for filtering by using the inverse of the Shannon entropy as the index. Finally, the envelope spectrum of the filtered signal is analyzed and the faulty feature information is obtained from the envelope spectrum. Through simulation and experimental verification, we found that Shannon entropy is—to some extent—better than kurtosis as a frequency-selective index, and that the Shannon entropy of the binary wavelet packet transform method is more accurate for fault feature extraction. Full article

The kurtosis-based indexes are usually used to identify the optimal resonant frequency band. However, kurtosis can only describe the strength of transient impulses, which cannot differentiate impulse noises and repetitive transient impulses cyclically generated in bearing vibration signals. As a result, it may lead to inaccurate results in identifying resonant frequency bands, in demodulating fault features and hence in fault diagnosis. In view of those drawbacks, this manuscript redefines the correlated kurtosis based on kurtosis and auto-correlative function, puts forward an improved correlated kurtosis based on squared envelope spectrum of bearing vibration signals. Meanwhile, this manuscript proposes an optimal resonant band demodulation method, which can adaptively determine the optimal resonant frequency band and accurately demodulate transient fault features of rolling bearings, by combining the complex Morlet wavelet filter and the Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm. Analysis of both simulation data and experimental data reveal that the improved correlated kurtosis can effectively remedy the drawbacks of kurtosis-based indexes and the proposed optimal resonant band demodulation is more accurate in identifying the optimal central frequencies and bandwidth of resonant bands. Improved fault diagnosis results in experiment verified the validity and advantage of the proposed method over the traditional kurtosis-based indexes. Full article