Cascaded signal processing approach for motor fault diagnosis

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to inspect strategic placing of different signal processing techniques like wavelet transform (WT), discrete Hilbert transform (DHT) and fast Fourier transform (FFT) to acquire the qualitative detection of rotor fault in a variable frequency drive-fed induction motor under challenging low slip conditions. Design/methodology/approach The algorithm is developed using Q2.14 bit format of Xilinx System Generator (XSG)-DSP design tool in MATLAB. The developed algorithm in XSG-MATLAB can be implemented easily in field programmable gate array, as a provision to generate the necessary VHDL code is available by its graphical user interface. Findings The applicability of WT is ensured by the effective procedure of base wavelet selection, which is the novelty of the work. It is found that low-order Daubechies (db) wavelets show decent shape matching with current envelope rather than raw current signal. This fact allows to use db1-based discrete wavelet transform-inverse discrete wavelet transform, where economic and multiplier-less design is possible. Prominent identity of 2sf(s) component is found even at low FFT points due to the application of suitable base wavelet. Originality/value The proposed method is found to be effective and hardware-friendly, which can be used to design a low-cost diagnostic instrument for industrial applications.