Introduction to Condition Monitoring &

Vibration Analysis
Today's Requirement
 Low Maintenance Costs
 Greater Machine Availability
 Lesser Manpower Usage
 Lesser Energy Consumption

Background
 Imagine that the bearing or the blades of a steam turbine
have been running for years in a power plant, and remain
unattended and its condition not monitored. Without any
monitoring system in place, it is tough to predict the
reliability of the equipment, and predicting the potential
failure mode of the same becomes almost impossible.


 Poor maintenance practices and no monitoring can be

detrimental and lead to catastrophic failure and cause
significant damage to life and property.
Maintenance Philosophies
 Reactive Maintenance

Allow machinery to run to failure.
 Repair or replace damaged equipment when obvious problems
occur.
 Preventive Maintenance

Schedule maintenance activities at predetermined time intervals.
 Repair or replace damaged equipment before obvious problems
occur.
 Predictive Maintenance

Schedule maintenance activities when mechanical or operational
conditions warrant.
 Repair or replace damaged equipment before obvious problems occur.
 Reliability Centered Maintenance

Utilizes predictive/preventive maintenance techniques with root cause
failure analysis to detect and pinpoint the precise problems, combined with
advanced installation and repair techniques, including potential equipment
redesign or modification to avoid or eliminate problems from occurring.

Case Study Comparison
 A survey concluded that for a specific plant in consideration,
the maintenance costs varied significantly if Maintenance
Philosophies changed.

Philosophy Reactive Preventive Predictive Reliability Centered

Cost 18 $/hp/year 13 $/hp/year 9 $/hp/year 6 $/hp/year

Condition Monitoring
 Vibration Analysis
 Thermographic Analysis
 Oil Analysis
 Wear Debris Analysis
 Thickness Monitoring
 Current & Load Analysis

Condition Monitoring, Why?
 The use of condition monitoring allows maintenance to be
scheduled, or other actions to be taken to avoid the
consequences of failure, before the failure occurs.
Vibration Analysis
Why Monitor & Analyze Vibrations?
 Avoids Wastage of Energy
 Avoids Premature Failure of Machine Components
 Reduces Maintenance Costs
 Lesser Maintenance Man-hours



Worst Case

Destruction of a Steam Turbine Driven Generator

Vibration?
 Vibration is the physical movement or
oscillation of a mechanical part about a
reference position.
Terminology
 Amplitude
◦ Magnitude of Vibration.
 Frequency
◦ How many time does a machine vibrate in a specific unit of time.
 Phase
◦ How is a machine vibrating with reference to a specific point.
Vibration Vs. Time
Amplitude
Heavy Spot
+

0 Time

360 degrees
-
Rotation
1 revolution
3600 rpm = 3600 cycles per minute
60 Hz = 60 cycles per second
Order = One times turning speed
 Amplitude
+

0 Time

-
1 Revolution
1000 rpm
4 blades = vibration occurs 4 times per revolution
4 x 1000 rpm = vibration occurs at 4000 cycles per minute
= 4000 cpm
 Amplitude
+

12 tooth
gear 0 Time

-
1 revolution
1000 rpm
12 teeth are meshing every revolution of the gear
12 x 1000 rpm = vibration occurs at 12,000 cycles per minute
= 12,000 cpm
+

0 Time

0 Time

+
0 Time
-
Complex Time Waveform
Time Waveform contains all the different frequencies mixed together



+

0 Tim e

-
Complex Time Waveform
Time Waveform contains all the different frequencies mixed together



 From Time to Frequency Waveform
Amplitude

Frequency
Time
Amplitude

Amplitude
n cy
Time que
Fre
Amplitude

Time
0 Tim e

- 1x
Frequency

0 Time

- 4x Frequency

+ Time
0
- 12x Frequency
Few Common Vibration Causing
Problems
 Unbalance
 Misalignment
 Looseness
 Bearing Faults
 Gear Faults


For Motors;


 Stator Eccentricity
 Eccentric Rotors
 Rotor Problems
 Thermal Bow



Predefined Spectrum Bands
1xRPM - BALANCE
1.8
2xRPM - ALIGNMENT
1.5
1.2 3-5xRPM - LOOSENESS

0.9
ANTI-FRICTION BEARINGS & GEARMESH
0.6
5-25xRPM 25-65xRPM
0.3

20000
5000 10000 15000

Frequency Hz
Unbalance-Potential Causes
Unbalance-Potential Causes
TG 4 Alternator Unbalance vs.
Balanced
TG 4 Alternator Unbalance vs.
Balanced
Misalignment-Potential Causes
Offset , or Parallel – t he
shaft s are parallel t o
each ot her, but are not
co-planar, or in t he sam e
plane. This can be bot h
vert ical and horizont al.
Angular – t he shaft s are not in
t he sam e plane, which causes a
difference in m easurem ent
bet ween m easurem ent s m ade
180 degrees opposit e on t he
coupling faces.
Misalignment & Looseness
Bearing Faults–Potential Causes
Funct ion of t he Geom et ry of t he Bearing

Out er
Race
(BPFO)

Inner
Race
(BPFI)

Ball
Spin
(BSF)
Cage
(FTF)
Gear Faults–Potential Causes
 Localised surface damage
 Wear or inadequate lubrication
 Tooth root cracks, missing tooth
 Pitch error
 Eccentricity

Motor Problems
 Motor Problems appear on the spectrums
usually as line frequency or multiples of
line frequency.
 Line Frequency is 3000CPM in our case.
Few Useful Resources
 http://www.reliabilityweb.com/fa/vibration.htm
 http://www.vibrationschool.com/
 http://www.plantservices.com/articles/2006/154.html
 http://www.howtodothings.com/education/how-to-understand-the-basics
 http://www.cdnova.com/Portals/0/Basics%20of%20Vibration%20Analysis
