Remaining Useful Life Prediction of Helicopter Gearbox Bearings via Vibration Diagnosis and Physics-based Prognostic Modeling

This paper describes an innovative approach for predicting the remaining useful life (RUL) of a tapered roller bearing in the tail gearbox (TGB) of the UH-60M. The approach integrates vibration-based CIs with two of Sentient Corporations™ software packages, CABPro (Contact Analysis for Bearing Prognostics) and the Prognostic Integration Architecture (PIA). CABPro uses physics-based damage progression modeling to predict the onset and progression of fatigue spalling in rolling bearings based on material properties, bearing geometry, lubrication conditions, and operating conditions.

Author: Nathan Bolander, Ph.D.

Publish Date: Mar 15, 2013