Vibration source inversion-based fault diagnosis: Approach and application

•Proposes a novel vibration source inversion-based fault diagnosis framework.•Links dynamics and non-stationary signal processing to identify vibration sources.•Extends vibration source identification from static to operational gear transmission systems.•Capable of diagnosing weak faults in a complex planetary transmission system. The gear transmission system of industrial equipment is characterized by a highly integrated structure, non-stationary operating conditions, and large loads. Therefore, the attenuation of fault signal characteristics and the complexity of operating conditions in gear transmission systems significantly affect the effectiveness of vibration signal-based fault diagnosis. This paper proposes a unified diagnostic framework based on vibration source inversion for two typical transmission component fault signal phenomena: meshing frequency modulation sidebands and equally spaced fault characteristic frequency interval harmonic clusters. This approach incorporates the vibration transfer path analysis of passive subsystems and identifies bearing dynamic forces, followed by their decomposition, reconstruction, and sensitive frequency band localization. It enables accurate diagnosis of complex gear transmission systems under non-stationary conditions with limited vibration testing. The effectiveness and advantages of this method over existing mainstream signal processing techniques are validated through actual cases of gear and weak bearing fault diagnosis on a complex planetary gear transmission system test bench.