Abstract:The fault character of moving parts of rotating machinery most time is speed related. The method of order spectrum analysis is more efficient than usual frequency analysis.Two general methods for realizing order tracking are discussed, and a new order tracking method based on time-frequency analysis is proposed. The time frequency order tracking method only depends on software for order tracking, which is a strong supplement to traditional methods, and specially satisfied the require of virtual instruments, so there is a good prospect for its using.