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The article provides a discussion on a methodology intended for testing of power transmission systems featuring an innovative highly torsionally flexible metal clutch patented by the co-authors of this paper. What this methodology takes into account is the amplitude and frequency analyses discussed in the article, as well as a sensing system based on diverse piezoelectric and magnetic phenomena, the Doppler effect, etc. Both contact and non-contact (laser measurement) methods were used during the tests. The purpose of the tests conducted at the stand, originally designed by the authors in accordance with the methodology proposed, was to evidence that using the innovative and patented, highly torsionally flexible metal clutch makes it possible to reduce the vibrations of multi-stage toothed gears, consequently reducing the forces affecting the gear bearings and those acting at the tooth space, which is to enable the service life of individual components of the power transmission systems intended for mining scraper conveyors to be significantly extended. Based on the studies and analyses performed by the authors, one can observe and conclude that the methodology proposed in the paper makes it possible to use an example of a relatively complex power transmission system in order to examine the relationships between the processes at work, i.e., the decline of the linear vibrations of the gear housing (which is undoubtedly positive in power transmission systems) at the expense of increasing torsional vibrations of the innovative clutch, the latter not to be considered unfavourable to users in the case analysed.

The paper presents how an important aspect of introducing new machines, especially in the mining industry, is testing a prototype under laboratory conditions. For this purpose, advanced methods of analyzing the vibrations of a drive system equipped with an innovative prototype of a flexible torsion clutch are presented. The main goal is to present a comprehensive method for analyzing vibration signals in various dimensions of the signal analysis. As a result of this approach, it can be seen how much important information about the tested clutch can be obtained by using various analysis methods in terms of time–frequency distributions or order analysis. To emphasize the differences in the functioning of the tested clutch and the possibility of monitoring these differences on the basis of the observation of residual processes, such as vibrations, the results for the flexible and locked clutch are compared.

This article provides a discussion of the results of studies on the original system condition monitoring of a three-stage transmission with a bevel–cylindrical–planetary configuration installed in an experimental scraper conveyor. Due to the high vibroactivity of gear transmissions operating under the impact of a scraper conveyor’s chain drive, these unwanted effects of machine operating vibrations were assumed to be applied. For purposes of the study, vibrations were measured on the driving transmission housing in an idling scraper conveyor. The main purpose of the study was to establish the frequencies characteristic of the gear transmission, and to determine whether it was possible to run vibroacoustic diagnostics of the same transmission under conditions with a considerable impact of the conveyor chain. An additional cognitively significant research goal was the analysis of the dependence of the diagnostic utility of the signal depending on the sensor mounting point. Five different locations of three-axis sensors oriented to the next stages and various types of gears were determined, as well as places characterized by high spatial accessibility, which are often selected as places for measuring the vibration of gears. Using MATLAB software, a program was written that was calibrated and adapted to the specifics of the measuring equipment based on the collected test results. As a result, it was possible to obtain a multidimensional data interpretation of vibration signals of system condition monitoring of a three-stage gear transmission operating under difficult conditions. The results were based on signals registered on the real three-stage gear transmission operating under the impact of a scraper conveyor’s chain drive.