Transfer learning evaluation based on optimal convolution neural networks architecture for bearing fault diagnosis applications

Intelligent fault diagnosis utilizing deep learning algorithms is currently a topic of great interest. When developing a new Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) architecture to address machine diagnosis problem, it is common to use a deep model, with many layers, many feature maps, and large kernels. These models are capable of learning complex relationships and can potentially achieve superior performance on test data. However, not only does a large network potentially impose undue computational complexity for training and eventual deployment, it may also lead to more brittleness—where data outside of the curated dataset used in CNN training and evaluation is poorly handled. Accordingly, this paper will investigate a methodical approach for identifying a quasi-optimal CNN architecture to maximize robustness when a model is trained under one set of operating conditions, and deployed under a different set of conditions. Optuna software will be used to optimize a baseline CNN model for robustness to different rotational speeds and bearing Model #’s. To further improve the network generalization capabilities, this paper proposes the addition of white Gaussian noise to the raw vibration training data. Results indicate that the number of trainable weights and associated multiplications in the optimized model were reduced by almost 95% without jeopardizing the network classification accuracy. Additionally, moderate Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN) improved the model adaptation capabilities.