Motion Amplification (MA) Technology Applications for Ground Vehicle (GV) Systems

Ground vehicles in operation produce a unique vibration signature. This signature is a key indicator of vehicle system, sub-system, and component health but is often not visible to the naked eye or detectable without specialized equipment. Vibration analysis tools can capture these signatures and unlock their value by establishing a signature baseline and detecting changes to that baseline. Changes are strong and consistent indicators of incipient failure and failure progression, and therefore useful as diagnostic reports and prognostic markers. Existing vibration analysis tools and techniques make these signatures quantifiable, but these tools require on-equipment sensors and lengthy data collection processes. Motion Amplification (MA), however is a powerful new vibration analysis technology that overcomes sensor limitations and speeds data collection and analysis by replacing sensor-based vibration analysis tools with video recordings. The recordings use each individual picture element (Pixel) in a recording image as an individual motion sensor. These point data are processed by an innovative software program that integrates all Pixels into a single quantifiable and visible vibration signature and displays the amplified recording for analysis. This paper will show how MA advances the state of the art in vibration analysis and has significant potential to improve diagnostic and prognostic outcomes in complex ground vehicle systems over speed, accuracy, and sensitivity metrics and provide actionable vehicle health intelligence at the tactical level.