Assessing Bearing Health for Helicopter Power Train Systems

Bearings are critical components in helicopter power train systems. A failing bearing not only could jeopardize the safety of flight but also induce collateral damages, adding additional maintenance costs. Detecting bearing faults remains a challenge because of feeble signatures generated by bearings that are often masked by other noise in the power train system. HUMS data collected to date from 30 U.S. Army BlackHawk helicopters enables us to learn more about bearing fault behaviors in an operational environment. The lessons learned in this program will allow us to further advance bearing health assessment methodology and to achieve Condition-Based Maintenance.