ABSTRACT
Gearboxes are mechanical devices which have wheels with teeth connected to a rotating shaft and have the function of producing motion; reducing speed and increasing torque; or increasing speed and reducing torque. This kind of device is very common in several industries. Especially in automated industrial systems, gearbox failures can impact directly on the financial health of companies. Therefore, it is very important to detect gearbox faults in advance. Among several types of failure, tooth rupture is one of the most serious in a gearbox. Prior detection of cracks in gearboxes is essential if tooth rupture is to be prevented. For this purpose, vibration signals can be acquired from transducers in order to obtain information to investigate the condition of gearboxes. It is noted however, that signals are complex and it may not be easy to diagnosis a gearbox from vibration signals (LIN & ZUO, 2003).
