Abstract: Vibration and tachometer measurements are used to assess the health of rotating equipment to compute and store two sided cepstrum parameters used to compare the engine performance to a class of engines for determining out-of-family performance indicating the healthy or defective nature of the engine under test. The cepstrum parameter can be viewed after static test firing of a rocket engine and analyzed for changes in the cepstrum parameter further indicating defect growth during static test firing. Engine-to-engine comparisons of vibration-related parameters can be used to provide information on abnormal gear behavior. The cepstrum is defined as the inverse discrete Fourier transform of the logarithm of two-sided autospectral density. The test method is an effective screen for determining defective rocket engine components during preflight static testing.

Abstract: Vibration and tachometer measurements are used to assess the health of rotating equipment to compute and store two sided cepstrum parameters used to compare the engine performance to a class of engines for determining out-of-family performance indicating the healthy or defective nature of the engine under test. The cepstrum parameter can be viewed after static test firing of a rocket engine and analyzed for changes in the cepstrum parameter further indicating defect growth during static test firing. Engine-to-engine comparisons of vibration-related parameters can be used to provide information on abnormal gear behavior. The cepstrum is defined as the inverse discrete Fourier transform of the logarithm of two-sided autospectral density. The test method is an effective screen for determining defective rocket engine components during preflight static testing.