Customized wavelet for bearing defect detection

This paper presents a new, structural dynamics-based wavelet transformation technique for bearing defect detection. Specifically, a customized wavelet was developed analytically, using the scaling function derived from the actual impulse response of a ball bearing. Experiments under various loading conditions have confirmed that the customized wavelet provides a better match to the defect-induced signals of the bearing than a standard wavelet commonly used in the literature and is, thus, more effective in detecting bearing structural defects.