Vibration Analysis
Vibration analysis (or vibration monitoring) is a powerful diagnostic tool for identifying, monitoring and preventing mechanical failures in rotating and reciprocating machinery. It’s an essential component of predictive maintenance programs, allowing technicians to detect developing problems in equipment before they lead to costly unplanned downtime or catastrophic failures.
Vibration analysis—a component of condition monitoring systems—utilizes vibration sensors to measure frequencies in an asset and detect abnormalities that may indicate a problem. At its core, vibration analysis is the study of the oscillatory motions of machines and their components around an established equilibrium point. These oscillations can result from a number of issues, including imbalances, misalignments, looseness, bent shafts and bearing defects, among others.
By measuring and analyzing machine vibrations, technicians can better assess the health and performance of equipment, enabling them to pinpoint issues and implement corrective actions. And since rotating and reciprocating components (e.g., motors, compressors, pumps, etc.) tend to vibrate more intensely and more loudly as they age, analyzing changes in vibration can help maintenance managers monitor machine conditions in real-time and proactively identify asset wear and damage.
Unbalance
A rotating machine is imbalanced when the rotor center of gravity or center of mass does not coincide with its center of rotation or geometric center.
Rotational unbalance is one of the leading causes of damage in rotating machines – like rotors for electric motors, fans, turbines, pumps, and more.
Rotational unbalance causes high vibration levels, overheating, and premature wear and tear on machine bearings. Over time, unbalance can shorten the lifecycle of your assets. Left unaddressed, it will also lead to more frequent breakdowns and to increased maintenance costs.
Fortunately, rotational unbalance (also known as rotational imbalance) is not hard to resolve. The right balancing tools can correct balance issues in your rotating machinery before the problem becomes serious. Our vibration specialists will help you identifying rotational unbalance in your machines and solve the problem by balancing the machine.
Misalignment
If the coupling and shaft in your rotating machinery is not aligned correctly, it may reduce the longevity of your machines. What’s more, misalignment may be responsible for up to 50% of all costs relating to rotating machinery failures. Why? Because of excessive vibration and temperature increases that cause the risk of premature bearing, coupling and shaft failure.
The method of diagnosing misalignment is vibration analysis, which our company provides you with this service.
If you want to identify misalignment in your rotary machines and use the most accurate methods based on laser measurement to fix this defect, contact our company. We will send our experts to your plant in a short time.
Bent Shaft
A rotor is considered bent when it loses its symmetry with respect to its rotating axis. The bent can have its origin in thermal growth or radial and axial overload. A bent shaft can occur due to manufacturing defects, shipping damage, or uneven wear over time. Our specialists will help you to identify this problem in your rotary machines.
Looseness
Mechanical looseness occurs when rotating components have been fitted incorrectly. Rotating looseness occurs in rotating machinery such as pumps, fans, and motors. It is caused by excessive play or movement in the rotating components, such as shafts, couplings, and bearings. Rotating looseness can be challenging to diagnose because it often occurs only when the machine is running.
Generally, there are three types of looseness, type A, B & C. Each type of looseness has his own vibration characteristics. We help our customers to identify any kind of looseness and solve it before major damages in rotary machines or foundations.
Bearing Faults
The defect in rolling elements may lead to serious catastrophic consequences resulting in costly downtime. For this purpose, the vibration analysis technique which is a reliable and accurately detecting defect in the bearing elements is used. The vibration data captured and used for determination and validation is composed from four different defects.
Vibration analysis is a widely used method for diagnosing bearing faults in machinery. It operates on the principle that a healthy machine exhibits a certain characteristic vibration pattern, and any deviation from this pattern can indicate potential issues, such as bearing faults.
In order to pinpoint the particular component where the issue is, how to measure frequency analysis is normally employed. This advanced analysis method usually gives a much earlier indication of the development of a fault and secondly the source of the fault. Having this information early is vital, as it allows one to evaluate when a critical failure is imminent and plan accordingly for maintenance/downtime.
Gear Faults
Gears are critical element in a variety of industrial applications such as machine tool and gearboxes. An unexpected failure of the gear may cause significant economic losses. Vibration analysis has been used as a predictive maintenance procedure and as a support for machinery maintenance decisions.
By measuring and analysing the machine’s vibration, it is possible to determine both the nature and severity of the defect, and hence predict the machine’s failure. The vibration signal of a gearbox carries the signature of the fault in the gears, and early fault detection of the gearbox is possible by analysing the vibration signal using different signal processing techniques. This will help you to prevent catastrophic and costly failures.
Our vibration specialists with their extensive experience are ready to help you to keep your gearboxes in healthy condition and reduce maintenance costs and downtime.