Diagnosing Helicopter Gearboxes Using Connectionist Networks

A method of automated diagnosis of helicopter gearboxes involves processing of selected features of digitized outputs of vibration sensors via structure-based connectionist networks (SBCNs), which are mathematical constructs that incorporate elements from the disciplines of dynamical modeling, fuzzy systems, and neural networks. Like vibration-analysis gear-diagnostic methods that have been reported previously in NASA Tech Briefs, the SBCN method offers a partial solution to the basic problem of using pattern-classification techniques to extract indications of specific faulty gearbox components from the outputs of accelerometers mounted at several locations on a gearbox.