ARTICLE IN PRESS

Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing 24 (2010) 15291541

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jnlabr/ymssp

Model-based diagnosis of large diesel engines based on angular

speed variations of the crankshaft$
M. Desbazeille a,,1, R.B. Randall b, F. Guillet a, M. El Badaoui a, C. Hoisnard c
a

Universite de Lyon, F-42023, Saint Etienne, France; Universite de Saint-Etienne, Jean Monnet, F-42000, Saint-Etienne, France; LASPI, F-42334, IUT de Roanne,
France
School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, The University of New South Wales Sydney, 2052, Australia
c
EDF R&D Chatou, 78401 Chatou Cedex, France
b

a r t i c l e in fo

abstract

Article history:
Received 17 July 2009
Received in revised form
14 December 2009
Accepted 17 December 2009
Available online 23 December 2009

This work aims at monitoring large diesel engines by analyzing the crankshaft angular
speed variations. It focuses on a powerful 20-cylinder diesel engine with crankshaft
natural frequencies within the operating speed range. First, the angular speed variations
are modeled at the crankshaft free end. This includes modeling both the crankshaft
dynamical behavior and the excitation torques. As the engine is very large, the rst
crankshaft torsional modes are in the low frequency range. A model with the
assumption of a exible crankshaft is required. The excitation torques depend on the
in-cylinder pressure curve. The latter is modeled with a phenomenological model.
Mechanical and combustion parameters of the model are optimized with the help of
actual data. Then, an automated diagnosis based on an articially intelligent system is
proposed. Neural networks are used for pattern recognition of the angular speed
waveforms in normal and faulty conditions. Reference patterns required in the training
phase are computed with the model, calibrated using a small number of actual
measurements. Promising results are obtained. An experimental fuel leakage fault is
successfully diagnosed, including detection and localization of the faulty cylinder, as
well as the approximation of the fault severity.
& 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords:
Large diesel engines
Flexible crankshaft
Angular speed variations
Diagnosis
Pattern recognition

1. Introduction
Large diesel engines are widely used in many industrial applications such as the marine and power industries. It is a
very important issue to ensure reliability of these engines, which are often of primary importance. Condition monitoring
help predicting and therefore avoiding undesirable failures of such equipment. It consists in monitoring a parameter whose
evolution is indicative of a developing failure.
Many malfunctions of these engines are related to the combustion process. Indeed, the latter involves a lot of subsystems such as the timing system, e.g. valves and camshaft, the injection system, e.g. injectors and injection pumps, or the
supercharging system, e.g. turbocharger. The in-cylinder gas pressure contains a lot of information about the combustion
process. However, direct measurement of the in-cylinder gas pressure is impractical and uneconomical. A very expensive

This work was supported by EDF.

 Corresponding author. Tel.: + 33 4 77 44 81 55; fax: + 33 4 77 11 81 21.

E-mail addresses: mathieu.desbazeille@univ-st-etienne.fr (M. Desbazeille), b.randall@unsw.edu.au (R.B. Randall), francois.guillet@univ-st-etienne.fr

(F. Guillet), mohamed.elbadaoui@univ-st-etienne.fr (M. El Badaoui), christian.hoisnard@edf.fr (C. Hoisnard).
1
Held a doctoral fellowship from la Region Rhone Alpes.
0888-3270/$ - see front matter & 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.ymssp.2009.12.004

ARTICLE IN PRESS
1530

M. Desbazeille et al. / Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing 24 (2010) 15291541

transducer is required for each cylinder, but these tend to have a limited lifetime. Instead, non-invasive measurements
such as crankshaft speed [110] or engine block vibrations [11,12] are often employed. The drawback of engine block
vibration-based methods is that a lot of instrumentation is required to be able to monitor all the cylinders especially in the
case of large engines.
Analysis of the crankshaft angular speed variations has drawn a lot of attention in past years [1]. Some methods directly
analyze its periodic variations in the frequency domain [2]. Analysis of the lowest harmonics can even enable the
identication of the faulty cylinder [3]. Other methods employ a dynamical model of the crankshaft to reconstruct the
indicated torque, i.e. the torque due to the gas pressure, or the in-cylinder pressure curves [46]. However, most proposed
methods are aimed at four- or six-cylinder engines with relatively rigid crankshafts. Little attention has been paid to larger
engines [7]. High-count cylinder engines involve higher inertias, overlapping combustion events and torsional vibrations of
the exible crankshaft which strongly complicate the diagnostics.
This work focuses on a powerful 20-cylinder diesel engine driving an emergency generator in a nuclear power plant.
First, the angular speed variations are modeled at the crankshaft free end. This includes modeling both the crankshaft
dynamical behavior and the excitation torques. Then, an automated diagnosis of combustion-related faults through the
analysis of the crankshaft angular speed variations is proposed. Neural networks are used for pattern recognition of the
angular speed waveforms in normal and faulty conditions. Previous works have already discussed exploiting pattern
recognition to interpret crankshaft speed uctuations in a similar way [810]. The knowledge bases of waveform patterns
were obtained directly from experimental measurements. However, it is often not feasible to obtain sufcient data from
faulty conditions for all possibilities. The originality of this work is the use of simulated examples generated with the
above-mentioned model to train the neural networks.

2. Engine characteristics and experimental setup

As this study focuses on a specic diesel engine, its main characteristics are rst presented.

2.1. Engine characteristics

The main engine characteristics are reported in Table 1. It is a turbocharged direct-injection diesel engine designed by

This 503 V-20 engine develops 4 MW at a speed of about 1500 rpm. The injection timing is not equally spaced. It is
Warstil
a.
alternately 223 and 503 in crank angle. Its large number of cylinders and high speed mean that at least two cylinders are in
expansion stroke at the same time.
Fig. 1 shows a sketch of a power generator set. Cylinders are arranged in a 503 V in two separate banks (banks A and B).
A damper (Paddle type [13]) is xed at the crankshaft free end in order to reduce the crankshaft torsional vibrations. The
damper is tuned according to a critical speed usually corresponding to the rst crankshaft torsional resonance. A ywheel
is xed on the coupling between the diesel engine and the electrical generator in order to reduce the crankshaft angular
speed variations at the coupling end.
Table 1
Engine characteristics.

Warstil
a
Diesel V 501
6  2:6  3:3
4
20
200
1500
22 and 50

Manufacturer
Type
Length  width  height m
Rated power (MW)
Cylinder number
Cylinder capacity (L)
Rotating speed (rpm)
Injection timing (deg in c.a.a)
a

Crank angle.

Coupling and flywheel

Crankshaft free end

Diesel engine

and damper
Electrical

A1

A2

A3

A4

A5

A6

A7

A8

A9

A10

B1

B2

B3

B4

B5

B6

B7

B8

B9

B10

generator

Fig. 1. Power generator set.

ARTICLE IN PRESS
M. Desbazeille et al. / Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing 24 (2010) 15291541

1531

2.2. Experimental setup

The crankshaft angular speed variations were measured at the crankshaft free end next to the damper. Measurements
were carried out at 82% of the full load condition. The speed sensor was a laser rotational vibrometer (Polytec OFV-400
[14]). This kind of sensor directly measures angular speed variations by using two laser beams projected onto the shaft
surface and the Doppler frequencies of the back-scattered beams [15].
Tests were conducted in 2005 and 2007 in normal and faulty conditions (see Table 2). In faulty condition, fuel leakages
in the injection system were introduced. The injected fuel quantities of the cylinders A6 and A4 were respectively
decreased to 80% and 50%.

3. Modeling of the crankshaft angular speed variations

3.1. Crankshaft modeling
The crankshaft is modeled with a simple system which is equivalent dynamically. As the engine is very large, the
assumption of a rigid crankshaft is no longer valid, so a model with a exible crankshaft has been developed. It takes into
consideration the relative torsional vibrations which cause twisting in the sections of the crankshaft. These torsional
vibrations are superimposed on the rigid rotational motion of the crankshaft.
This system consists of lumped inertias connected together by torsionally elastic springs (see Fig. 2). This kind of model
has been widely used in mechanical engineering including crankshaft modeling [13,16,17]. The inertias respectively stand
for the coupling and ywheel, the 10 cranks and the inner and outer parts of the damper. It is assumed that the angular
speed variations of the electrical generator are null. As a consequence, the latter can be considered as a xed node. The
equivalent inertias and stiffnesses of the system were calculated from drawings, modeling of the crankshaft with a CAD
(computer-aided design) software and nite element method. All these values are reported in Table 3.
Table 2
Engine conditions.
2005
1. Normal condition
2. Faulty fuel pumps (A6 and A4)
2007
1. Normal condition

Coupling and flywheel

j1

Damper

Cranks
j2

j2

j2

j2

j3

j3

j2

j2

j2

j2

j4

j5

Electrical generator
k1

Degree of freedom (dof): 1

k2

k3

k3

k3

k3

k4

k3

k3

k3

k3

10

Fig. 2. Crankshaft modeling.

Table 3
Inertias and stiffnesses.
Inertia (kg m2 )

Stiffness (106 N m rad

j1 140
j2 7:5
j3 8
j4 0:75
j5 23:7

k1 0:5
k2 36
k3 24
k4 15
k5 8
k6 2

1

k5

11

k6

12

13

ARTICLE IN PRESS
1532

M. Desbazeille et al. / Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing 24 (2010) 15291541

To determine the natural frequencies and mode shapes, the following system of equations was employed:
Jy t Cy_ t Kyt Tt

with,
J diagj1    j5 
2

k1 k2
6 k
6
2
6
K6
6
6
4

k2
k2
&
k5 k6
k6

7
7
7
7
7
k6 7
5
k6

yt y1 t    y13 tT
Tt 0 T1 t    T10 t 0 0T
J is the inertia matrix, C is the damping matrix and K is the torsional stiffness matrix. All matrices are 13  13. yt is the
torsional vibration amplitude vector and Tt is the excitation torque vector. All vectors are 13  1. The damping is
complex, but modeled as proportional viscous damping, i.e. C is a linear combination of J and K. There is a long tradition for
doing this, meaning that it has been found to give a good representation of crankshaft behavior [16]. The main departure
from the assumed model is probably that the major damping along the crankshaft, from friction between the pistons and
cylinders, is closer to Coulomb than viscous friction. However, it would be very close to proportional as being distributed in
the same way as the inertias and springs.
A modal analysis can be performed in order to determine the undamped natural frequencies and the associated mode
shapes of the system. The rst four modes are represented in Fig. 3 and the corresponding frequencies are reported in
Table 4 (second column). The rst mode is said to be the crankshaft rigid body mode. The second mode is the damper
mode. The next modes are the crankshaft torsional modes.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Degree of freedom

Degree of freedom

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Degree of freedom

Degree of freedom
Fig. 3. The rst four mode shapes.

ARTICLE IN PRESS
M. Desbazeille et al. / Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing 24 (2010) 15291541

1533

Table 4
Estimated and observed torsional resonance frequencies.
Mode

Estimated frequency (Hz)

Observed frequency (Hz)

1
2
3
4
5

7.2
32.6
61.7
127.9
202.6

9.5
37.3
51.8
119.5
210.5

30
2
3

Spectrum (dB)

35
1

40

4
45
5
50

55
0

50

100

150

200

250

Frequency (Hz)
Fig. 4. Spectrum of the angular speed variations during a run-up in speed.

Analysis of a run-up in speed enables detection of the critical speeds. Fig. 4 shows a spectrum of the angular speed
variations during a run-up in speed. The rst ve torsional resonance frequencies of the model seem to be visible. The
estimated and observed frequencies are compared in Table 4. These frequencies are quite close.
The crankshaft dynamical behavior can be represented by mathematical functions such as the mobility functions [18].
The latter represent the transfer functions between the torque excitations applied to the crankshaft and the crankshaft
angular velocity responses. These functions are a linear weighted combination of the modes and have the following
expressions:
Hij o jo 

n
X
r1

Aijr
o2r o2 2jer oor

Indices i and j respectively denote the response and the excitation dof. n is the number of excited modes. o is the frequency
in radians per second. or and er are respectively the natural frequency and the damping ratio associated with the mode r.
Aijr is a scalar whose magnitude depends on the location of the response dof i and the excitation dof j with respect to nodes
and anti-nodes of the mode r. The closer the response dof i or the excitation dof j are to a node the lower is its magnitude.
These functions are computed using the rst ve modes at the response dof 12 corresponding to the crankshaft free end
dof. The observed resonance frequencies are used instead of the estimated ones. The damping ratios were estimated by
using the spectrum of the run-up in speed and the half-power bandwidth method [19]. Fig. 5 shows two examples of
mobility functions. The excitation dof is either the dof 3 (the second crank) or the dof 10 (the eighth crank). As the coupling
end is close to a node, the strength of the modes, i.e. the residues, are low in the rst case. As a consequence, cylinders close
to the coupling will have less contribution to the crankshaft angular speed variations.
3.2. In-cylinder pressure curve modeling
The main excitations applied to the crankshaft are the gas torque Tg and the inertia torque Ti . The simplied expressions
of these torques are [13]
Ta Tg a Ti a
with,


sin2a
Tg a SRPa sina
2l

ARTICLE IN PRESS
1534

M. Desbazeille et al. / Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing 24 (2010) 15291541

60
H123
H1210

Magnitude (dB)

70

80

90

100

110
0

50

100

150

200

250

Frequency (Hz)
Fig. 5. Examples of mobility functions.

Ti a Wrec R2 O2



sina sin2a 3sin3a sin4a

2
4l
2l
4l
4l

a is the crankshaft angle, Pa is the in-cylinder gas pressure and O is the mean speed in radians per second. S, R and Wrec
are respectively the piston surface, the crank radius and the reciprocating mass. l is the ratio between the connecting rod
length L and the crank radius R. All these parameters are known except for the in-cylinder pressure.
The in-cylinder pressure Pa is the superposition of the compression pressure Pm a and the combustion pressure Pc a:
Pa Pm a Pc a
3.2.1. Compression contribution
The compression contribution can easily be estimated by considering a polytropic process:

g
V
Pm a Pintake intake
Va

Pintake and Vintake are respectively the pressure and the volume at the end of the intake stroke. g is the polytropic index of the
uid (fuel/air mixture). Its value is typically in the range of 1.31.4 [20]. The volume V is the volume of the cylinder
chamber depending on the crankshaft position a and on mechanical geometries:
0 s1
2
3
Cu 4
sin2 aA
2 5
@
Va

1cosa l 1 1
6
r1
2
l2
Cu is the piston swept volume and r is the compression ratio.
3.2.2. Combustion contribution
Modeling of the combustion contribution is more delicate. Phenomenological models are widely used because of their
simplicity. These models are zero dimensional models. It is assumed that the in-cylinder pressure is spatially uniform.
These models are based on predicting the rate of heat released (RoHR) with predened functions. Wiebes function is one of
the best known [21]. The single Wiebes function model has the following expression:


dQ a
1
Qtot
6:908mv 1ymv exp 6:908ymv 1
Dac
da

with
y

aasc
Dac

Qtot is the total heat released. Dac and asc are respectively the combustion duration and the start of the combustion in crank
angle. mv is a Wiebes function parameter. The total heat released depends on the injected fuel mass quantity minj and the
lower heating value of the fuel LHV:
Qtot minj LHV

ARTICLE IN PRESS
M. Desbazeille et al. / Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing 24 (2010) 15291541

1535

Superimposition of several Wiebes functions may be required in order to reproduce the RoHR closely as several stages
are usually observed during the combustion process (premixed and mixing-controlled phases for example) [22,23].
However, for simplicity reasons, only a single Wiebes function is used.
Then, the in-cylinder pressure can be computed step by step with a well-known thermodynamic relation between heat
Q, pressure P and volume V and nite differences:


g1
g 1VagVa Da
dQ a Pc a
9
Pc a Da
g1
Va
This model requires the estimation of four parameters:
1.
2.
3.
4.

the ignition delay (interval between the start of the injection and the start of the combustion),
the combustion duration,
Wiebes function shape parameter (mv ),
and the polytropic index g.

These parameters were determined by curve-tting with an actual measurement of the in-cylinder pressure provided by
the manufacturer. The pressure curve was measured at 75% of the full load condition and averaged over 30 cycles. Results
are presented in Table 5 and in Fig. 6. A quite good match is obtained.

3.3. Simulation of the angular speed variations

The crankshaft angular speed variations y_ i at a response dof i (i 12 at the free end) are dened as the convolution
between the torques TAk and TBk applied to the cranks k on both banks of the crankshaft (banks A and B) and the mobility
transfer function hij (expressed in the angle domain a Ot:

y_ i a

11
X

hij a  TAj1

j2

11
X

hij a  TBj1

10

j2

with,
TAk Tg afAk Ti afAk
Table 5
Wiebes function parameters.
Ignition delay (deg)
Combustion duration (deg)
Wiebes function shape parameter
Polytropic index

19
115
0.45
1.34

120
measurement
model

Pressure [bar]

100
80
60
40
20

360 270 180

90
0
90
Crankshaft angle []

180

Fig. 6. In-cylinder pressure curve-tting.

270

360

ARTICLE IN PRESS
1536

M. Desbazeille et al. / Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing 24 (2010) 15291541

Table 6
Optimization of the natural frequencies fr and damping ratios er .
Mode

Initial values

2
3
4
5

Optimized values

fr (Hz)

er (%)

fr (Hz)

er (%)

37.3
51.8
119.5
210.5

0.13
0.07
0.07
0.07

37.9
52.3
125.8
209.4

0.06
0.10
0.05
0.07

25
measurement
simulation

Angular speed variations (rpm)

20
15
10
5
0
5
10
15
20
25
0

90

180

270

360

450

540

630

720

Crankshaft angle ()
Fig. 7. Simulation of the angular speed variations at the crankshaft free end (continuous line) compared to the actual measurement (dashed line).

TBk Tg afBk Ti afBk

fAk and fBk are angular shifts which depend on the injection timing (not equally spaced).
The angular speed variations at the crankshaft free end were simulated and compared to the actual measurement.
Nevertheless, the model error was quite signicant. In order to obtain a better match, the natural frequencies fr and
damping ratios er were optimized by curve-tting according to the crankshaft angular response. Results are presented in
Table 6 and in Fig. 7. A very good match is obtained. Errors were initially committed on the estimation of the damping
ratios since the spectrum of the run-up in speed does not really reect the natural response of the structure.

4. An automated diagnosis based on pattern recognition

4.1. Motivations
The crankshaft angular speed responses can be decomposed into a sum of individual contributions corresponding to the
crankshaft responses to each cylinder excitation. Fig. 8 shows the contributions of different cylinders to the simulated
angular speed variations at the crankshaft free end. Each cylinder has a specic signature which depends on its location
with respect to nodes and anti-nodes of the modes. As a consequence, any faulty cylinder in combustion stroke will distort
the angular speed waveform in a specic way. The comprehension of these distortions is complex since they depend both
on the system mode shapes and on the faulty cylinder. This is the reason why an automated diagnosis based on pattern
recognition is proposed. Neural networks are used for pattern recognition of the crankshaft angular speed waveforms in
normal and faulty conditions. A separate neural network is trained for each of the following stages:
1. detection of a combustion-related fault (detection phase),
2. identication of the faulty cylinder (localization phase),
3. and determination of the fault severity (quantication phase).

ARTICLE IN PRESS
M. Desbazeille et al. / Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing 24 (2010) 15291541

20

20

rms = 3.6 rpm

A2

10

Speed (rpm)

Speed (rpm)

rms = 3.3 rpm

0
10

A4

10
0
10

20

20
0

180

360

540

720

Crankshaft angle ()

180

360

540

720

Crankshaft angle ()

20

20
rms = 4.7 rpm

rms = 5.7 rpm

A6

10

Speed (rpm)

Speed (rpm)

1537

0
10

A8

10
0
10

20

20
0

180
360
540
Crankshaft angle ()

720

180
360
540
Crankshaft angle ()

720

Fig. 8. Contributions of different cylinders to the simulated angular speed variations at the crankshaft free end. The abbreviation rms denotes the root
mean square value.

4.2. Neural networks

Articial neural networks (ANNs) have the capability to learn complex functions from observations. These have a large
variety of architectures [24] and a large variety of applications such as classication or pattern recognition [25]. The most
widely used network is the multilayer perceptron (MLP).
Multilayer perceptrons with one hidden layer and sigmoid activation functions are used for classication purposes of
the diesel engine conditions. The inputs to the networks (features) are the Fourier coefcients of the crankshaft angular
speed variations. Real and imaginary parts are both considered. In detection phase, two classes are possible (normal and
faulty conditions). The network output is a scalar equal to zero or one depending on the condition. In localization phase, 20
classes are possible (one for each cylinder). The network output is a vector composed of 20 elements. One element is equal
to one indicating the faulty cylinder and the others are equal to zero. The number of neurons in the hidden layer was
determined using a trial and error procedure. This number was set to eight.
4.3. Training data
The generation of training data is an important step in the development of articial neural networks. The training data
should be as representative as possible of the engine conditions. Training of the networks is usually realized with
experimental examples. In this work, simulated examples are used instead because it is not economically viable to
experience or experimentally simulate the number of fault conditions and locations required to train the networks.
Previous works have already shown the benets of using simulated feature vectors for bearing or gearbox diagnostics
[26,27]. Only a relatively small amount of actual data are required to calibrate and update the simulation model, and give a
measure of the amount of random variation in measurements for a given condition (healthy or faulty). These
considerations are reinforced in the case of large diesel engines with a high number of cylinders. Indeed, the experimental
tests would require at least as many engine conditions as cylinders, multiplied by the number of degrees of severity to be
distinguished for each fault.
The procedure for data generation is illustrated in Fig. 9. Data are generated at a unique operating point, i.e. constant
mean speed and constant load. The crankshaft angular speed variations are simulated both in normal and faulty conditions.
A modeling correction, corresponding to the difference observed between the model and the actual signal in normal
condition (see Fig. 7), is added to the signal. The latter is then decomposed by Fourier series. A Gaussian noise is added to
each feature. Thus, different realizations can be produced at the same condition. Standard deviations were set by analysis
of two actual measurements recorded at different dates (2005 and 2007) in normal condition. These two measurements
give an estimate of the expected variability of the crankshaft angular speed variations for each Fourier coefcient.
Deviations up to one rpm were observed between the two measurements.

ARTICLE IN PRESS
1538

M. Desbazeille et al. / Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing 24 (2010) 15291541

Faulty cylinder
Model

Fault level

Fourier series

Modeling corection

Feature vector

Gaussian noise

Fig. 9. Training data.

100
Accuracy
Correct classifications (%)

95
90
85
80
75
70
65
60
0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5
0.6
0.7
Fault level ()

0.8

0.9

Fig. 10. Total percentage of correct classications (accuracy) in detection phase.

Simulated faults are related to the combustion process. Torques applied to the crankshaft depend on the in-cylinder gas
pressure Pa. Faults are introduced by decreasing the maximum peak pressure:
Pa Pm a 1bPc a

11

b is a fault level. A fault level equal to unity means no combustion at all. The way faults are introduced is quite similar to a
fuel leakage fault.
All the features (real and imaginary parts of the Fourier coefcients) may have different sensitivities to the engine
conditions. Only some of them may carry useful information. It is a very important issue to select the best feature set. The
performance of the classication process strongly depends on this selection. Generalization ability is improved by
eliminating insensitive features. Moreover, feature selection reduces the size of the network and therefore decreases the
computing time in the training phase. From a geometrical point of view, the classication process can be seen as the
division of an observation space into distinct regions corresponding to the different engine conditions (classes). From this
consideration, a feature selection based on two geometrical criteria is adopted [28]. These two criteria give a measure of
the distance between classes. The more the features are grouped in distinct clusters, the greater the ease of the
classication process. In this application, the best set is composed of the rst (12.5 Hz) and fourth (50 Hz) orders.

4.4. Results
4.4.1. Detection phase
The detection phase aims at determining if the engine is operating in normal or in faulty condition. It requires the
choice of a fault detection threshold. The latter corresponds to the lowest fault (bmin ) that could be detected with sufcient
accuracy. This is a compromise between the rate of false alarm and the detection sensitivity.
Simulations were conducted in order to determine a fault detection threshold. Networks were trained at different fault
levels b from 10% to 100%. At a given fault level, 100 healthy examples and 100 faulty examples (ve for each cylinder)
were computed. The training examples were then divided into two sets: 75% were used for training and 25% were used for
validation. Training is stopped when the best validation performance occurs, i.e. the network becomes over trained on the
training set. Another independent set was computed in order to test the network generalization ability. Because they were
presented to the network in a random manner, the sequence of the training examples is different during each training. This
can lead to varying results of the network performance. This is the reason why training of the network was repeated
several times. The best result obtained was selected.
Fig. 10 shows the total percentage of correct classications (accuracy) according to the fault level. As expected, the
higher the fault level, the higher the percentage of correct classications. The latter remains higher than 95% as long as the

ARTICLE IN PRESS
M. Desbazeille et al. / Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing 24 (2010) 15291541

100

Cylinder A2
Cylinder A8

90
Correct classifications (%)

1539

80
70
60
50
40
30
0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

Fault level ()
Fig. 11. Percentage of examples with faulty cylinders A2 and A8 correctly classied in detection phase.

Table 7
Actual and predicted conditions with actual data in detection phase.
Actual

Predicted
Normal condition

Normal condition (2005)

Normal condition (2007)
Faulty fuel pumps

Faulty condition

|
|
|

fault level is higher than 25% and strongly decreases below 30%. A detection threshold of 25% is proposed. Fig. 11 shows the
percentage of examples with faulty cylinders A2 and A8 that were correctly classied according to the fault level. Cylinder
A2 is located next to the coupling whereas cylinder A8 is located next to the crankshaft free end. At a fault level equal to
25%, the percentage of misclassications is up to 5% for the former compared with 0% for the latter. It is obvious that
detection at low fault level is more accurate for cylinders next to the crankshaft free end. Indeed, the contributions of these
cylinders to the crankshaft angular speed variations are higher, especially for the fourth order. It means that these
cylinders strongly distort the angular speed waveform when operating in faulty condition in comparison to those located
at the opposite end.
The trained network at a fault level of 25% well classies the actual data (see Table 7). Faults were introduced by
decreasing the injected fuel quantities in cylinders A6 and A4 up to 80% and 50% respectively.

4.4.2. Localization and quantication phases

It is known that the engine is operating in faulty condition. The localization phase aims at identifying which cylinder
has a fault.
A network was trained for localization of the faulty cylinder. Faulty examples were randomly computed at different
fault levels from 25% to 100% (10 examples for each cylinder). As previously, the training examples were divided into two
sets, a training set and a validation set. The training was stopped before over-training of the training set. Another
independent set was computed to evaluate the network performances. The training was repeated several times and the
best result obtained was selected. The percentage of correct classication is higher than 98%. Simulations give very good
performances.
The actual data are correctly classied. Cylinder A6 is identied as faulty. In reality, two fuel pumps were disturbed in
that case. Fuel leakage faults were introduced in cylinder A6 and cylinder A4. However, it seems that the signature of the
former is predominant. Indeed the injected fuel quantities were decreased by 80% in cylinder A6 compared with 50% in
cylinder A4. Moreover, cylinder A6 is closer to the crankshaft free end. Contribution of this cylinder to the crankshaft
angular speed variation is higher.
Another network can be used in order to quantify the fault severity. Examples were computed with faulty cylinder A6 at
different fault levels, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%. The fault severity is then predicted to 75% which is very close to the actual

ARTICLE IN PRESS
1540

M. Desbazeille et al. / Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing 24 (2010) 15291541

Angular speed variations (rpm)

10
simulation
measurement
5

10
0

180

360
Crankshaft angle ()

540

720

Fig. 12. Measured and simulated angular speed differences between normal and faulty conditions.

disturbance. Fig. 12 shows the measured and simulated angular speed differences between normal and faulty conditions.
The signal waveforms are quite similar especially in the low frequencies.
5. Conclusion
This paper has dealt with the diagnosis of large diesel engines by analyzing the crankshaft angular speed variations
measured at a single point. It focused on a powerful 20-cylinder diesel engine. Combustion-related faults were considered.
It was shown that diagnosis through the analysis of the angular speed uctuations is conceivable even in the case of large
engines with a high number of cylinders. Due to the crankshaft exibility, torsional vibrations are superimposed on the
rigid rotational motion of the crankshaft and complicate the analysis. Cylinders have different contributions to the
crankshaft angular speed variations and do not distort these variations in the same manner when operating in faulty
condition. The extraction of relevant parameters on the engine condition without any knowledge of the system is difcult.
A model capable of simulating the crankshaft torsional response was desirable. Neural networks were used for pattern
recognition of the angular speed waveforms in normal and faulty conditions. Reference patterns were computed with the
model using a small number of measurements to calibrate the simulation model and the amount of random variation to
include in the simulations for a given condition. Promising results were obtained. An experimental fuel leakage fault was
correctly diagnosed, including detection and localization of the faulty cylinder and an indication of the severity of the fault.
It was also shown that detection of faulty cylinders next to the coupling end (where dynamic response is low) is harder in
comparison to the opposite end. More actual data, especially in faulty condition, would be required to fully conrm the
obtained results.
References
[1] J. Williams, An overview of misring cylinder engine diagnostic techniques based on crankshaft angular velocity measurements, SAE Paper No.
960039, 1996, pp. 3137.
[2] M. Geveci, A.W. Osburn, M.A. Franchek, An investigation of crankshaft oscillations for cylinder health diagnostics, Mechanical Systems and Signal
Processing 19 (2005) 11071134.
[3] D. Taraza, N.A. Henein, W. Bryzik, The frequency analysis of the crankshafts speed variation: a reliable tool for diesel engine diagnosis, Journal of
Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power 123 (2) (2001) 428432.
[4] S. Citron, J. OHiggins, L. Chen, Cylinder by cylinder engine pressure and pressure torque determination utilizing speed uctuations, SAE Paper No.
890486, 1989.
[5] H. Fehrenbach, Model-based combustion pressure computation through crankshaft angular acceleration analysis, in: 22nd International Symposium
on Automotive Technology and Automation, 1990.
[6] F. Ostman, H. Toivonen, Active torsional vibration control of reciprocating engines, Control Engineering Practice 16 (1) (2008) 7888.
[7] P. Charles, J.K. Sinha, F. Gu, L. Lidstone, A.D. Ball, Detecting the crankshaft torsional vibration of diesel engines for combustion related diagnosis,
Journal of Sound and Vibration 321 (2009) 11711185.
[8] A.K. Sood, C.B. Friedlander, A.A. Fahs, Engine fault analysis: part Istatistical methods, IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics 32 (4) (1985)
294300.
[9] T.S. Brown, W.S. Neill, Determination of engine cylinder pressures from crankshaft speed uctuations, SAE Paper No. 920463, 1992.
[10] S. Leonhardt, C. Ludwig, R. Schwarz, Real-time supervision for diesel engine injection, Control Engine Practice 3 (7) (1995) 10031010.
[11] J. Antoni, J. Danie re, F. Guillet, Effective vibration analysis of IC engines using cyclostationarity. Part Ia methodology for condition monitoring,
Journal of Sound and Vibration 257 (2002) 815837.
[12] J. Antoni, J. Danie re, F. Guillet, Effective vibration analysis of IC engines using cyclostationarity. Part IInew results on the reconstruction of the
cylinder pressures, Journal of Sound and Vibration 257 (2002) 839856.
[13] C.M. Harris, A.G. Piersol, Harriss Shock and Vibration Handbook, fth ed., McGraw-Hill, New York, 2002.
[14] Polytec GmbH, Basics of rotational vibration sensing, Waldbronn, Germany.

ARTICLE IN PRESS
M. Desbazeille et al. / Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing 24 (2010) 15291541

1541

[15] N.A. Halliwell, The laser torsional vibrometer: a step forward in rotating machinery diagnostics, Journal of Sound and Vibration 190 (3) (1996)
199418.
[16] P.R. Johnston, L.M. Shusto, Analysis of diesel engine crankshaft torsional vibrations, SAE Paper No. 870870, 1994.
[17] A.S. Mendes, P.S. Meirelles, D.E. Zampieri, Analysis of torsional vibration in internal combustion engines: modeling and experimental validation,
Proceeding of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part K: Journal of Multi-body Dynamics 222 (2) (2008) 155178.
[18] D.J. Ewins, Modal Testing: Theory Practice and Application, second ed., Research Studies Press, 2001.
[19] A.D. Nashif, D.I.G. Jones, J.P. Henderson, Vibration Damping, Wiley Interscience, New York, 1985.
[20] J.B. Heywood, Internal Combustion Engine Fundamentals, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1988.
[21] I.T. Vibe, Brennverlauf und Kreisprozess von Verbrennungsmotoren, VEB-Verlag Technik, Berlin, 1970.
[22] N. Miyamoto, T. Chikahisa, T. Murayama, R. Sawyer, Description and analysis of diesel engine rate of combustion and performance using Vibes
functions, SAE Paper No. 850107, 1985.
[23] H. Yasar, H. Soyhan, H. Walmley, B. Head, C. Sorusbay, Double-Wiebe function: an approach for single-zone HCCI engine modeling, Applied Thermal
Engineering 28 (2008) 12841290.
[24] J.M. Zurada, Introduction to Articial Neural Systems, West Publishing Company, 1992.
[25] C.G. Looney, Pattern Recognition Using Neural Networks: Theory and Algorithms for Engineers and Scientists, Oxford University Press, New York,
1997.
[26] R.B. Randall, Training neural networks for bearing diagnostics using simulated feature vectors, in: AI-MECH Symposium, Gliwice, Poland, 1416
November 2001.
[27] R.B. Randall, The application of fault simulation to machine diagnostics and prognostics, ICSV16, Krakow, Poland, 59 July 2009.
[28] J. Dybala, S. Radkowski, Geometrical method of selection of features of diagnostic signals, Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing 21 (2007)
761779.