Conventional rotating machine vibration monitoring techniques are based on the assumption that changes in the measured structural response are caused by deterioration in the condition of the rotating machine. However, due to changing rotational speed, the measured signal may be non-stationary and difficult to interpret. For this reason, the order tracking technique was introduced. One of main advantages of order tracking over traditional vibration monitoring techniques, lies in its ability to clearly identify non-stationary vibration data, and to a large extent exclude the influences from varying rotational speed. Several order tracking techniques have been developed and researched during the past 20 years. Among these techniques, Fourier Transform Based Order Tracking (FT-OT), Angle Domain Sampling Based Order Tracking (AD-OT) and Vold-Kalman Filter Order Tracking (VKF-OT) are the three most popular techniques and have been commercialised in software. While the VKF-OT is comparatively new, and both its theory and application are different from the other two techniques, the unique advantages of this technique has led to increased research attention in this field. This growing interest in research on the application of the VKF-OT technique on real machines, and its comparative advantages with respect to other order tracking techniques, inspired the present research. With this work, a comprehensive literature of electrical machine condition monitoring was surveyed, which gives a broad perspective of electrical machine monitoring methods ranging through electrical techniques, vibration techniques, temperature techniques and chemical techniques. To simply the process of applying VKF-OT in initial investigations, simulated single-degree-of freedom and two-degree-of freedom rotor models were established, and the application of the VKF-OT technique on these simulated models was explored. Because most of the current research draws significantly on an understanding of the VKF-OT theory, it was also necessary to review and summarize the current status of VKF-OT theory from previous work, as well as explore the procedures for selection of its filter bandwidth when dealing with real data. An experimental set-up for monitoring an electrical alternator was constructed. Real experimental data were subsequently used to compare the advantages and disadvantages of the three popular order tracking techniques. The unique time domain advantage of VKF-OT was implemented, using crest factor and kurtosis values as indictors of the fault condition of the machine. This gave encouraging results. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering / unrestricted