Vibration and Machine Monitoring

Printable vibration severity chart for judging overall machine vibration levels.

A 12-step reverse dial indicator alignment procedure: sag check, machine prep, soft foot, horizontal and vertical moves.

A low-cost way to do spectrum analysis: powering an accelerometer with a constant current diode and reading it on an oscilloscope.

How ISO 10816-3 groups industrial machines by power and shaft height and by support flexibility, with the velocity severity guideline chart.

ISO 2372 (10816) guidance for judging vibration severity in machines running 600 to 12,000 RPM, with the severity chart.

Wiring diagram for the CMCP1100, courtesy of STI Vibration Monitoring. Electrical powering requirements: most internally amplified vibration sensors require a constant current DC power source…

How accelerometers work, current/voltage vs. charge mode, mounting methods and frequency range, sensitivity, calibration, instrument wire, grounding and conduit. STI field application note.

Mounting methods, mounting accessories, installation tools, adhesives, preferred mounting locations, cabling, signal interference and sensor wiring for accelerometers. STI field application note.

How acceleration envelope measurements detect bearing defects, lubrication problems and severe lower-order faults like unbalance. STI field application note.

Reverse dial indicator shaft alignment: pre-alignment checks, bar sag, taking and verifying readings, graphing moves, acceptance tolerance and moving the machine.

Heavy spot vs. high spot, fixed and rotating protractor methods, trial and trim weights, balance response coefficients and correction weight formulas.

How velocity pickups work and how to install them: signal conventions, construction, number of sensors, mounting, sensitivity, frequency response, calibration, wiring and grounding. STI field application note.

Turbine valve position measurement with LVDTs and rotary potentiometers: theory, operating range, installation, measurement convention, wiring and calibration. STI field application note.

Measuring steam turbine shell or case expansion with DC LVDTs: theory of operation, range, installation, measurement convention, wiring and calibration. STI field application note.

A guide to specifying or retro-fitting a Turbine Supervisory Instrumentation system, parameter by parameter. STI field application note.

Turbine Supervisory Instrumentation (TSI) for steam and gas turbine generator sets: the parameters measured, CMCP500 series transmitters, A/D converters and Wonderware integration. STI field application note.

Transient vibration analysis during startup and shutdown using Bodé, polar (Nyquist) and cascade (waterfall) plots. STI field application note.

Thrust position monitoring with eddy current transducers: single vs dual voting, linear range, internal and external mounting, measurement conventions, target, wiring, calibration and gapping. STI field application note.

How stiffness, damping and mass determine a machine's response to excitation, and what happens to amplitude and phase below, at and above resonance. STI field application note.

Monitoring reciprocating compressors: frame vibration, rod drop, rod run-out, crosshead vibration, main bearing vibration and valve temperature. STI field application note.

How to build an efficient predictive maintenance data collector route, with a worked pump, compressor and fan room example. STI field application note.

Testing piping systems for vibration amplitude, frequency, nodal points and mode shape, and how to correct excessive pipe vibration. STI field application note.

Who uses a vibration monitoring system and how: operations, maintenance and the vibration specialist. STI field application note.

Breakdown, preventive and predictive maintenance compared: what each costs and what each delivers. STI field application note.