Development And Implementation Of An Expert System To Diagnose Motor Vibration Problems.

Abstract

An expert system, TurboExpert, has been developed to diagnose vibration problems dealing with rotating equipment. Starting with a small inexpensive expert system shell, the program was expanded to include many characteristics required for practical use including the ability to handle uncertainty in rules or facts, to deduce multiple solutions and to modify previously entered facts as a session progresses. The program is designed for use by the inexperienced machinery engineer. It interfaces with the user via menu driven answers and graphic displays of allowable responses to computer generated questions. After completing a query session, the program lists the probable machine faults in descending order of certainty and gives advice about possible corrective actions. The system begins with an initial goal of diagnosing the cause of a problem. It operates by using deductive inference to derive new facts from known facts and rules contained in a knowledge base. The engineer is queried for information about vibration characteristics when that information is required. A prototype knowledge base dealing with motors is in day-today use in a motor repair shop. The expert system's success rate is currently over 90 percent. A knowledge base dealing with pump problems is under development.