The study of the interaction between faults of different natures is a crucial step for the development of effective systems for fault detection. The analysis of the electrical signals using the actual motor current signature analysis (MCSA) techniques may lead to different results and, as a consequence, an incorrect diagnosis of the fault due to the fact that the non-linear interactions between both faults are difficult to predict with high precision. The relationship between the electrical and mechanical components has been extensively studied in the past, but despite the progress made, the introduction of new control systems or the nonlinearities presented in the electrical machine, still makes it hard to diagnose faults. The study below attempts to show the evolution of the induction motor signatures when electrical and mechanical faults occur simultaneously. The Fourier analysis of the signatures presented in this paper indicates that the typical analysis carried out to diagnose the state of the electrical machine may be interpreted as an indicator of a different type of fault.

The study of the interaction between faults of different natures is a crucial step for the development of effective systems for fault detection. The analysis of the electrical signals using the actual motor current signature analysis (MCSA) techniques may lead to different results and, as a consequence, an incorrect diagnosis of the fault due to the fact that the non-linear interactions between both faults are difficult to predict with high precision. The relationship between the electrical and mechanical components has been extensively studied in the past, but despite the progress made, the introduction of new control systems or the nonlinearities presented in the electrical machine, still makes it hard to diagnose faults. The study below attempts to show the evolution of the induction motor signatures when electrical and mechanical faults occur simultaneously. The Fourier analysis of the signatures presented in this paper indicates that the typical analysis carried out to diagnose the state of the electrical machine may be interpreted as an indicator of a different type of fault.