To the savvy maintenance professional, industrial machinery almost "talks" to enumerate its condition. The key to success is in comprehension what the motor is saying. To detect problems, the pro "listens" in many ways: With eyes and ears, to see and hear conditions that may indicate problems and...
• With thermometers and thermal imagers, to detect overheating, poor electrical connections or failing bearings
• With digital multimeters and power analyzers, to diagnose electrical problems
• Using techniques like lubricant analysis, to gauge motor condition over time
And now new vibration testing tools furnish the maintenance pro with a significant new way not just to listen, but to find mechanical problems and fixes: these new troubleshooting tools are engineered to detect and rate motor vibration immediately and recommend any needed repairs.
A new kind of troubleshooting tool
Many industrial maintenance teams today work under severe restrictions on money and time. They may not have the resources to train for and implement the typical long-term vibration diagnosis program. Further, many professionals may think there are only two options for vibration testing; high-end vibration analyzers that are expensive and difficult to use, and low-end vibration pens, which aren't particularly accurate.
Fortunately, a new breed of vibration-testing tool fills the middle of the category, combining the diagnostic quality of a trained vibration analyzer with the speed and convenience of lower-end testers, at a cheap price. This type of tool is designed to be not merely a vibration detector, but a complete diagnostic and problem-solving solution, and targeted specifically for maintenance professionals who need to troubleshoot mechanical problems and swiftly understand the root cause of equipment condition.
These tools are designed and programmed to diagnose the most tasteless mechanical problems of unbalance, looseness, misalignment and bearing failures in a wide range of mechanical equipment, along with motors, fans, blowers, belts and chain drives, gearboxes, couplings, pumps, compressors, terminated coupled machines and spindles.
Not just data, but actionable results
When these new testers detect a fault, they recognize the problem, its location and severity on a multi-level scale to help the maintenance pro prioritize maintenance tasks. They may also recommend repairs.
Mechanical diagnosis can begin with the user placing the device's accelerometer on the motor under test. The accelerometer may have a magnetic mount or can be installed using adhesive. As the motor under test operates, the accelerometer detects its vibration along three planes of movement (vertical, horizontal and axial) and transmits that facts to the tester. Using a set of advanced algorithms, the tester then provides a plain-text diagnosis of the motor with a recommended solution.
No training? No problem
Mechanical equipment is typically evaluated by comparing its condition over time to an established baseline condition. Vibration analyzers used in condition-based monitoring programs rely upon these baseline conditions to rate motor condition and assessment remaining operating life. Theory operators must have significant training and sense before they can decree the meaning and importance of the vibration spectra they detect.
But what about the maintenance pro who isn't trained in vibration analysis? How do you tell the difference in the middle of approved vibration, and the kind of vibration that demands immediate concentration to assistance or replace troubled equipment?
Fortunately, extensive sense with mechanical vibration, what it means and how to fix it is built into the advanced algorithms of today's testers. Now the maintenance pro can swiftly and reliably decree the cause of the motor vibration, learn the severity and location of the qoute and receive recommendations for repair. It's all done with the intelligence built into the tester, without the extensive training, monitoring and recording required for typical vibration monitoring programs.
These testers deliver plain language recommendations about what to do next. For equipment maintenance teams hard pressed and on the go, these accurate directions are what they need to take action now, say mechanical equipment in top shape, and keep facilities productive. One example of this type of tool is the handheld Fluke 810 Vibration Tester (For more facts on the Fluke 810, visit http://www.fluke.com/machinehealth).
Vibration Testing TechnologyCalcio Serie A Blog News AC Milan Goals Thierry Daniel Henry Skills