Rotating Machinery Testing
Rotating machinery tends to spend long periods of time in steady-state operation. The vibration signatures recorded by a continuous monitoring system can capture problems such as imbalance due to blade erosion or loading and misalignment due to thermal cycling.
But such measurements may not reflect some of the more subtle degradation a machine may experience with age and wear. However, every time we stop or start a processing train we have an opportunity to learn a lot more about its mechanical health. Measuring 3D vibration Waterfalls (amplitude versus frequency versus time or RPM) during a shutdown or run-up provide a wealth of information. Using a tachometer signal to Order-Normalize such measurements simplifies understanding the relationship of fixed-frequency resonances and rotation-related forcing functions.
Brief instabilities such as shaft whirl and whip encountered during transient operation indicate the need to inspect bearings and adjust lubricant pressures. Other Spider and CoCo diagnostic displays such as orbit diagrams give a clear picture of shaft and bearing problems including dry rub, oil whirl and various misalignments.
Rotating Machinery Testing Applications
Rotating Machinery Capabilities
Commissioning and Shutdown Waterfalls
Order Tracks (Amplitude of an Order versus RPM)
Order-Normalized Spectra
Orbit Diagrams
Reanalysis of Recorded Data
One & Two-Plane Balancing
