METHODS, APPARATUS AND COMPUTER READABLE STORAGE MEDIUMS FOR MODEL-BASED DIAGNOSIS

The invention relates to the diagnosis of faults and damage in a gearbox in order to predict the operational life of a gearbox. An end of line test is performed to infer information on each gearbox on the production line. A highly detailed model of the gearbox is created to determine the optimal sensor positions for the end-of-line test so that the test can discriminate between different types of manufacturing variation. This information is then used to construct a unique, highly detailed model for each gearbox. During operation, forces and moments acting on the gearbox are measured at regular intervals and the model is used to continuously update a prediction of the total damage on each gearbox component. The probability of failure in a given time period is then calculated. An existing condition monitoring system approach such as vibration analysis may be used in parallel with the model-based diagnosis. The overall probability of failure for a required lifetime is calculated and, if necessary, operation is limited to provide a required probability of failure in a given time period.