Vibration analysis
Vibration analysis is the main technique to monitor and diagnose [...]
Vibration analysis is the main technique for monitoring and diagnosing rotating machinery and implementing a predictive maintenance plan.
Vibration analysis has been effectively applied for more than 30 years to the monitoring and diagnosis of mechanical faults in rotating machines. Initially, analog equipment was used for broadband vibration measurement, which made it impossible to reliably diagnose faults in bearings and gears.
Later, tunable filters were added to the analog electronics, which greatly increased the diagnostic capacity, but without being able to process the information in a massive way. Since 1984, digital equipment with real-time FFT and storage capacity (analyzer-collectors) and PC software processing began to be used.
Nowadays nobody doubts the capacity of vibration analysis in rotating machines, which even allows the diagnosis of some problems in electrical machines.
The information that comprehensive vibration analysis can provide in the form of monitoring parameters and diagnostic graphs includes:
Supervision Parameters:
- Measurement of global or total vibration in broadband.
- Vibration measurement in a narrow frequency band.
- Measurement of specific vibration parameters for bearing and gear failure detection (demodulation, envelope, Spike Energy, PeakVue,...).
- Waveform Parameters: Symmetry (Kurtosis) and Ridge (Skewness).
- Vibratory phase in harmonics : 1x, 2x, 3x, ... RPM.
- Measurement of synchronous vibration in peaks: 1x, 2x, 3x, ... RPM.
- Sub-synchronous vibration measurement.
- Measurement of non-synchronous vibration.
Diagnostic Charts:
- Wave Shape
- Frequency Spectrum.
- Pico-phase diagrams: Bode, Nyquist, Polar,...
- X-Y orbits of 90º cross channels
Detectable faults
Vibration analysis applied to rotating machinery can accurately diagnose problems of:
- Imbalance
- Misalignment
- Clearances
- Roces
- Bent shafts
- Eccentric pulleys
- Bearings
- Gears
- Electrical faults
- ...
Critical machinery that can be monitored
Critical machinery susceptible to monitoring in industrial plants is as follows:
- Steam and gas turbines
- Centrifugal pumps
- Fans
- Electric motors
- Rotary, screw and reciprocating compressors
- Stirrers, mixers...
- Mills and rotary kilns
- Centrifugal Gearboxes
- Cooling towers
- Diesel engines and generators for generator sets ...
More about machinery monitoring.
Find more information about machine monitoring by industry sector or by monitored machine.
Vibration sensor selection: Fill out this questionnaire to help us select the most suitable sensors for your application.
Selection of vibrometers, collectors and vibration analyzers: Through this form we will help you to select the most suitable vibrometer, collector or vibration analyzer for your needs.
Links of interest:
- Vibration Analyst Certification Courses I, II and III
- Vibration analyzer collectors for predictive maintenance
- Vibration transmitters
- Predictive maintenance (PdM) or condition-based maintenance (CBM)
Contact one of our specialist predictive maintenance engineers for advice on how to apply vibration analysis predictive maintenance: info@preditec.com
