Asset type
Transmission monitoring
SAM4 monitors gearboxes, couplings, belt drives, and chain drives from the motor control cabinet. Faults anywhere in the mechanical transmission path — from motor shaft to driven load — leave signatures in the electrical current.
At a glance
- Monitoring method
- Electrical Signature Analysis (ESA)
- Sensor location
- Motor control cabinet (MCC)
- Transmission types
- Gearboxes, couplings, belt drives, chain drives
- Industries
- Mining, pulp & paper, chemicals
- Faults detected
- 5 fault types
- Detection method
- Load signature and frequency analysis
- Typical lead time
- 2–10 weeks before failure
Why monitor transmissions
"The drivetrain is only as strong as its weakest link"
Transmission components are the most common point of mechanical failure in industrial systems. Faults in gearboxes, couplings, and belts propagate quickly and lead to expensive catastrophic failures. Belt slippage alone accounts for 5–10% energy waste.
of drivetrain failures originate in the transmission rather than the motor.
energy waste from belt slip — recoverable with early detection and maintenance.
typical gearbox replacement cost — excluding downtime and emergency labor.
What SAM4 detects on transmissions
Five fault types from one sensor location
| Fault type | What's happening | How SAM4 detects it | Typical lead time | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gear wear | Tooth wear, pitting, spalling, surface distress | Gear mesh frequency and sidebands shift as tooth contact pattern changes | 4–10 weeks | Full |
| Bearing degradation | Inner/outer race defects in gearbox bearings, rolling element wear | Characteristic bearing fault frequencies appear in the motor current spectrum | 4–12 weeks | Full |
| Misalignment | Shaft or coupling misalignment between motor and gearbox, or gearbox output | 2× running speed component in current spectrum, progressive increase over time | 2–6 weeks | Full |
| Belt slip | Worn or loose belts losing traction with pulleys | Slip frequency detection in motor current — belt speed drops below synchronous speed | Days–weeks | Full |
| Coupling faults | Worn or damaged elastomeric couplings, bolted coupling looseness | Characteristic coupling frequencies in the current signature as backlash increases | 2–8 weeks | Full |
Detection capability depends on drive topology, sampling rate, load variation, and operating conditions. See ESA detection constraints.
Installation on transmission systems
30 minutes. No transmission access required.
Open the motor control cabinet
SAM4 installs at the MCC — the same panel your electricians already access. No access to gearbox, no downtime, no process interruption.
Clip sensor onto motor supply cables
Current and voltage sensors clip directly onto the existing cabling. No wiring changes. No interruption to the transmission's operation.
Connect and commission
The SAM4 gateway connects via cellular (4G/LTE) — no dependency on your IT network. Monitoring starts immediately. First diagnostic results within 48 hours.
Where transmissions are monitored
Industries using SAM4 on transmission systems
Metals & Mining
Conveyor drives, crusher gearboxes, fan drives. High-torque applications in severe duty.
Pulp & Paper
Paper machine drives, pump gearboxes, fan drive systems. Energy-intensive operations with complex drivetrain.
Chemicals
Agitator gearboxes, reactor drives, process pump transmissions. Equipment in demanding chemical environments.
See SAM4 monitoring transmissions
A 30-minute demo shows SAM4 running on transmission systems like yours — with real fault data, real diagnostics, and real early warning.