Journal of Vibration Testing and System Dynamics
Classification of Faults with Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) Using Time-domain and Frequency-Domain Images
Journal of Vibration Testing and System Dynamics 10(4) (2026) 367--377 | DOI:10.5890/JVTSD.2026.12.005
Shaima Al Tubi, Al Zahraa Al Shmali, Ghim Al Farsi, Musaab Zarog
Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering. Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 33, Al-Khoud, Muscat, 123, Sultanate of Oman
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Abstract
Fault detection can effectively reduce maintenance costs, unplanned downtime, manual inspection's errors, and safety hazards. of non-invasive mechanical fault identification This study explores machine learning techniques for automated fault classification using vibration data. A test rig was fabricated for this purpose. Various supervised learning algorithms, including Naïve Bayes, Logistic Regression, Deep Learning, Decision Trees, Random Forest, and Support Vector Machines (SVM), were evaluated for their classification accuracy. Additionally, Deep Learning Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) were applied to classify faults based on images of time-domain and frequency-domain vibration signals. Results indicate that frequency-domain images outperform time-domain images in fault identification, achieving an average accuracy of 50% compared to 23%. It was also demonstrated that the low accuracy achieved can be enhanced by increasing the size of dataset. This research demonstrates the potential of image-based AI-driven fault detection.
Acknowledgments
This work was funded by MOHERI fund in Oman [ref. RC/RG-ENG/MIED/23/03].
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