Contrastive learning and dynamics embedding neural network for label-free interpretable machine fault diagnosis.

Industrial machinery often produces vibration signals that can serve as indicators of underlying faults. However, these signals often need to be labeled, presenting a challenge for accurate and interpretable fault diagnosis. While supervised learning methods, such as deep neural networks, have been applied for fault diagnosis, they need help in effectively distinguishing between different vibration-related faults. In response to this issue, our study introduces an innovative approach for automatic fault diagnosis through the application of the Bootstrap Your Own Latent and Dynamical Systems Model Discovery algorithm (BYOLDIS). This method not only addresses the challenge of unlabelled signals but also provides readily interpretable results. The proposed methodology consists of three fundamental steps. First, we derive a matrix of differential equations to capture the dynamic behavior of faulty bearings. Second, we employ a contrastive learning network alongside a time-delay embedding matrix to reconstruct the coordinates of the fault-dynamical system. Lastly, we construct a library of fault machine dynamic polynomial equations, incorporating prior constraints based on physical models. To assess the effectiveness and robustness of our proposed method, we conducted both simulations and experiments. The results of these case studies affirm that BYOLDIS can accurately diagnose bearing faults and offer dynamic explanations for the diagnostic outcomes. This suggests that BYOLDIS holds substantial promise as a diagnostic tool for processing unlabelled vibrational data.

Machinery Prognostics and High-Dimensional Data Feature Extraction Based on a Transformer Self-Attention Transfer Network.

Machinery degradation assessment can offer meaningful prognosis and health management information. Although numerous machine prediction models based on artificial intelligence have emerged in recent years, they still face a series of challenges: (1) Many models continue to rely on manual feature extraction. (2) Deep learning models still struggle with long sequence prediction tasks. (3) Health indicators are inefficient for remaining useful life (RUL) prediction with cross-operational environments when dealing with high-dimensional datasets as inputs. This research proposes a health indicator construction methodology based on a transformer self-attention transfer network (TSTN). This methodology can directly deal with the high-dimensional raw dataset and keep all the information without missing when the signals are taken as the input of the diagnosis and prognosis model. First, we design an encoder with a long-term and short-term self-attention mechanism to capture crucial time-varying information from a high-dimensional dataset. Second, we propose an estimator that can map the embedding from the encoder output to the estimated degradation trends. Then, we present a domain discriminator to extract invariant features from different machine operating conditions. Case studies were carried out using the FEMTO-ST bearing dataset, and the Monte Carlo method was employed for RUL prediction during the degradation process. When compared to other established techniques such as the RNN-based RUL prediction method, convolutional LSTM network, Bi-directional LSTM network with attention mechanism, and the traditional RUL prediction method based on vibration frequency anomaly detection and survival time ratio, our proposed TSTN method demonstrates superior RUL prediction accuracy with a notable SCORE of 0.4017. These results underscore the significant advantages and potential of the TSTN approach over other state-of-the-art techniques.

New Multifeature Information Health Index (MIHI) Based on a Quasi-Orthogonal Sparse Algorithm for Bearing Degradation Monitoring.

Data-driven intelligent prognostic health management (PHM) systems have been widely investigated in the area of defective bearing signals. These systems can provide precise information on condition monitoring and diagnosis. However, existing PHM systems cannot identify the accurate degradation trend and the current fault types simultaneously. Given that different fault types have various effects on the mechanical system, the corresponding maintenance strategies also vary. Then, choosing the appropriate maintenance strategy according to the future fault type can reduce the maintenance cost of the equipment operation. Therefore, a multifeature information health index (MIHI) must be developed to trace various bearing degradation trends with various types of faults simultaneously. This paper reports a new quasi-orthogonal sparse project algorithm that can mutually convert the degraded processing feature vector sets (such as spectrum) for each type of fault to orthogonal approximate spatial straight lines. The algorithm builds a MIHI through the spectrum of current state measured points. The MIHI is then transformed by a quasi-orthogonal sparse project algorithm to trace the various bearing degradation trends and recognize the fault type simultaneously. The case study of bearing degradation data demonstrates that this approach is effective in assessing the various degradation trends of different fault types.