At present, rotating machinery is widely used in all walks of life and has become the key equipment in many production processes. It is of great significance to strengthen the condition monitoring of rotating machinery, timely diagnose and eliminate faults to ensure the safe and efficient operation of rotating machinery and improve the economic benefits of enterprises. When the state of a rotating machine deteriorates, the thermal energy that is much more than its normal operation will be generated due to the increase in the friction between the components or other factors. Therefore, using the infrared thermal camera to collect the infrared thermal images of rotating machinery and judge the health status of rotating machinery by observing the temperature distribution in the thermal images is often more rapid and effective than other technologies. Nevertheless, after decades of development, the research achievements of infrared thermography (IRT) and its application in various industrial fields are numerous and complex, and there is a lack of systematic sorting and summary of the achievements in this field. Accordingly, this paper summarizes the development and application of IRT as a non-contact and non-invasive tool for equipment condition monitoring and fault diagnosis, and introduces the basic theory of IRT, image processing technology and fault diagnosis methods of rotating machinery in detail. Finally, the review is summarized and some future potential topics are proposed, which will make the subject easier for beginners and non-experts to understand.
Keywords: fault diagnosis; infrared thermal image; infrared thermography; rotating machinery.