A hybrid model for bearing performance degradation assessment based on support vector data description and fuzzy c-means

Bearing performance degradation assessment is more effective than fault diagnosis to realize condition-based maintenance. In this article, a hybrid model is proposed for it based on a support vector data description (SVDD) and fuzzy c-means (FCM). SVDD, which holds excellent robustness to outliers, is used to obtain the clustering centre of normal state. The subjection of tested data to normal state is defined as a degradation indicator, which is computed by a FCM algorithm with final failure data. The results of applying this hybrid model to an accelerated bearing life test show that it can effectively assess bearing performance degradation. Furthermore, it is robust to the outliers in the training set and is not influenced by the Gaussian kernel parameter.