Efficient Plant June 2021 - 25

vibration analysis
Use Vibration to
Get Predictive
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NIP IT IN THE BUD
Feeling vibration is a warning that machinery needs attention. Unexpected machine
failures cause a domino effect that slows or halts production. To avoid this stress
and inconvenience, vibration analysis can identify small problems early, allowing
time to plan for repairs. For example, a customer heard high-pitched noises from
a blower assembly. When vibration analysis was performed on the DC motor and
bearings, a faulty SCR was discovered within the motor. If ignored, it could have
caused significant damage and led to a full-blown shutdown.
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Vibration generated by a blower fan resulted from a large
crack. To minimize the possibility of failure while waiting for a
replacement, the fan was balanced to decrease the vibration,
thus mitigating crack progression.
VIBRATION ANALYSIS is a powerful diagnostic tool
that measures vibration waves in machinery, yielding
clues to your machinery's condition such as misalignment,
imbalance, and/or bad bearings. Vibration analysis will
reveal excessive wear and tear on mechanical components.
In industrial settings, it can detect machinery abnormalities
such as motors, bearings, compressors, and gearboxes.
Use these tips from Tony Planamento and Kelly Noonan
of Advanced Mechanical Enterprises, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
(amesolutions.com), to identify problems before they grow
into disasters.
DON'T GO DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE
Vibration data can put a finger on the root cause of mechanical breakdowns,
preventing time-wasting searching and testing and allowing repairs to be implemented
faster. For example, a customer was experiencing high bearing -temperature
alarms and abnormal axial displacement in one of their assets. A vibration analysis
showed excessive friction in the bearings. Upon visual inspection, one bearing was
rubbing on the casing, and the other bearing's grease was contaminated.
KEEP GOING AND GOING AND GOING
Vibration analysis increases machinery uptime, reducing mechanical repairs and
maximizing production. For example, we received a call from a customer whose
glass-tempering line was underperforming compared to another similar line.
Vibration analysis indicated a high 1X vibration in a blower fan. When the housing
was opened, a large crack was discovered. To minimize the possibility of failure
while waiting for a replacement, the fan was balanced to decrease the vibration, thus
mitigating progression of the crack.
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I ALWAYS FEEL LIKE SOMEBODY'S WATCHING ME
Because vibration analysis provides hard data about machinery condition, operators
always know their equipment's health status. After collecting vibration data and
establishing a baseline, future data can be compared against that baseline to determine
how machinery vibrations have changed. In the case of a water-management
district, vibration analysis is performed on an annual basis, prior to their intense
rainy season. The resulting data allows them to monitor performance trends and
catch potential issues before a pump fails at a time when all assets must deliver
optimum performance. Trending data also allows better inventory management.
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For more information about vibration-analysis solutions, visit
amesolutions.com.
JUNE 2021
HONEY, I SHRUNK THE BILL
Overcoming mechanical issues requires increased demand for energy. Vibration
analysis detects these issues and alerts the maintenance team to make repairs
that return machinery back to peak operational performance. Also, since vibration
analysis can increase a facility's overall efficiency, less energy will be consumed,
reducing environmental impact and the electric bill. EP
EFFICIENTPLANTMAG.COM | 25
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Efficient Plant June 2021

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