LUDECA FEATURE 0106.

qxp 2/6/06 3:13 PM Page 57

CONDITION MONITORING TECHNOLOGIES

Detecting
Lubrication Problems
Using Shock Pulse
Advancements in

technologies now make
it easier to detect
improper lubrication.
James Lundy, CMRP
Ludeca, Inc.
P
roper lubrication is essential to ensure the longevity of rotating equipment,
yet lubrication-related problems are a source of many maintenance fail-
ures. A 1995 TAPPI study indicated that 34.4% of all bearing failures are
due to inadequate lubrication (Fig. 1). This situation, combined with con-
tamination, accounted for 54% of total bearing failures.
In the past, applying condition-monitoring techniques to address lubrication-
related problems has been particularly challenging. Until recently, no technology had
emerged to really take the lead in detecting improper lubrication. However, with
ultrasonic measurements now able to successfully detect energy above 20 kHz, it has
become easier to determine shock pulseand shock pulse is an ideal parameter to
use in pinpointing conditions such as under-lubrication.

Shock pulse
Shock pulse is a measurement of energy in the ultrasonic range commonly referred
to as stress waves. The shock pulse method is designed to use the mounted reso-
nant frequency of the accelerometer to amplify the high frequency, low amplitude
events. There are two types of energy that are measurable in this range.
One is the low amplitude, broadband energy created when the roller element
passes over the normal irregularities in the surface of the bearing race due to the
machining process. This energy will be referred to as the carpet value.
The other type of energy measurable in this range consists of the higher-ampli-
tude shock pulses created when the roller element contacts a defect in the race sur-
face, with up to 1,000 times the intensity of the carpet value. This is referred to as
the max value (Fig. 2).
Shock pulse measurements are amplified by the mounted resonance of the trans-
ducer. A band pass filter is applied to the signal to distinguish the shock pulse energy
from other machine vibrations. This remaining energy is then converted to analog
pulses, as shown in Fig. 3, and separated into carpet and max values.

Understanding stress waves

Stress waves that result from metal-to-metal contact are short duration bursts of
energy that travel at the speed of sound. The wavelength of these events is depen-
dent on mass and velocity of the impacting object.
The frequency content within each burst of energy will have a center frequency
with a period of two times the contact time between the impacting objects. Increase
in the mass of the impacting object will result in an increase in the contact time.

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2006 LUBRICATION & FLUID POWER 57

LUDECA FEATURE 0106.qxp 2/6/06 3:13 PM Page 58

Lubrication Related Failures: 54%

Inadequate Lubrication (34%) Contamination (19.6%)

Other (18.6%)
Storage & Handling Errors (2.8%)
Installation Errors (17.7%) Overload (6.9%)

Fig. 1. Breakdown of failure causes as reported at a 1995 TAPPI Engineering Conference

Carpet Level = Bearing Noise Signal Peaks Above Carpet Noise

dBN dBN
60 60

Poor Poor
40 40

Reduced Reduced
20 20
Good Good
0 0
Time Time
Signal strength shown in logarithmic decibels (dB)
for clarity: 60dB represents a chnge of 1000x.

Fig. 2.

58 LUBRICATION & FLUID POWER JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2006

LUDECA FEATURE 0106.qxp 2/6/06 3:13 PM Page 59

Increase in the speed of the impacting object distinguish these peaks from the carpet and
and the contact time decreases. For example a background energy.
ball bearing with a two-inch roller element It is important to note that due to the
would create a lower frequency than a bearing nature of the stress waves being measured by
with a one-inch element (Fig. 4). the shock pulse method, great care must be
taken to ensure a good transmissibility to the
Detecting stress waves with accelerometer. This requires that the surface
shock pulse be machined down to bare metal, the contact Shock pulse is an
To measure the ultrasonic stress waves created area between the two surfaces be very clean
by lubrication deficiencies, we must use a vibra- and as close to the bearing load zone as pos-
ideal parameter to
tion analyzer with shock pulse capabilities. We
must also use an accelerometer designed for use
sible. It is also important to note that the
mounting technique is critical in ensuring
use in detecting
with shock pulse measurements. If designed repeatability of the readings. Stud mounting conditions such as
properly, the same accelerometer can be used is the ideal installation technique, however,
for normal vibration measurements, as well as other cam-locking devices will provide proper under-lubrication.
for shock pulse measurements. contact, are easily removable and can be used
The idea behind shock pulse is to take advan- for multiple machine data collection.
tage of the natural frequency or resonance of
the piezo element in the accelerometer to Lubrication deficiencies
amplify the low amplitude stress waves created Lubrication of roller element bearings can be
by the impacts resulting from the breakdown in described as one of five lubrication conditions:
the hydrodynamic film of inad- Dry contact 0.00
equate or damaged lubrication. This 36 kHz res- micron (possible 0.01
onance is within the frequency range wherein micron oxide)
the broadband friction noise that is created by Boundary Lubri-
a deficiency in the lubrication film occurs. Its cation 0.01 micron
what makes the shock pulse method so good Mixed Lubrica-
for detecting lubrication deficiencies. (Sensor tion 0.01 micron
resonance frequencies may vary depending on Elastohydrody-
the transducer manufacturer.) namic Lubrication 1
The frictional energy and roller element micron A.
impact energy measured by such a specially Hydrodynamic
constructed sensor is passed through a band Lubrication 20 micron
pass filter to distinguish it from interference (Elastohydrodynamic
created by other machinery vibrations. This lubrication will gen-
energy is then converted to analog pulses, erate a low shock
which can be processed. The process creates pulse)
two shock pulse readings: a carpet value (dBc) A lack of the
and a max value (dBn). proper quantity of
The carpet value represents the frictional lubrication will ini-
B.
noise that exists between two metal surfaces tiate a series of stress
where no bearing damage is present. This waves that propagate
value will increase as lubrication begins to away from the point
break down and you approach boundary of initiation at the
lubrication. As boundary lubrication occurs, speed of sound. These stress waves are a result Fig. 3A. Unfiltered shck
more metal particulate is mixed with the lubri- of metal-to-metal contact and friction due to pulse and vibration.
cating media, contributing to an increase in a breakdown in the elastohydrodynamic film
the carpet value. Thus, it is an excellent indi- that exists with proper lubrication. Fig.3B. Conversion to
cator of lubrication condition. The resulting stress waves can be measured analog shock pulse.
The max value is representative of periodic in the 10 to 40 KHz range, with a center fre-
high-amplitude bursts of stress waves that are quency of around 30 kHz. This is a range that
above the carpet value. These are typically is typically higher in frequency than the typi-
attributed to the impacts created by metal-to- cal sonic range, yet lower than the widely used
metal contact, due to bearing damage. By 40 kHz setting for ultrasound measurements.
applying peak hold signal processing we can Sonic range is between 20 Hz and 20 kHz, and

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2006 LUBRICATION & FLUID POWER 59

LUDECA FEATURE 0106.qxp 2/6/06 3:13 PM Page 60

Fig. A Fig. B.

Undeflected Plate Undeflected Plate

= C, thus F = C
F

F = Predominant stress wave frequency excited by impact

C = Speed of sound in the component which is impacted
= Wavelength of stress wave generated by impact

Excites Lower Excites Higher

Frequency Frequency

Deflected Plate Deflected Plate

Fig. 4. Excitation of a falls mostly within the hearing capability of
stress wave within a the human ear, which ranges from 30 Hz to
flat plate due to impact 18 kHz. The ultrasonic range is from 20 kHz to
by a larger (Fig. A) 100 kHz. Energy measured in this range must
and a smaller (Fig. B) be heterodyned in order to be heard. These
spherical object stress waves are typically broadband in nature
and are low amplitude events. This differs
from metal-to-metal impact stress waves,
which tend to be much higher in amplitude
and much more specific in their frequency.
Trending shock pulse
In order to determine when a bearing requires
additional lubrication, one must trend the
shock pulse reading regularly.
First, we establish a good, known baseline
reading. From this initial baseline we compare
the subsequent readings to determine the opti-
mum time for lubrication. A 10 to 20 db
increase over baseline indicates the need for
additional lubrication. When the additional
lubrication is applied, the shock pulse values can
be re-measured to ensure that the bearing has
been sufficiently lubricated. The values should
decrease as the lubrication enters the bearing. It
may take up to several minutes for these read-
ings to stabilize. Continue applying lubricant in
small amounts, allowing the shock pulse reading
to stabilize after each application, until the read-
ings slightly increase. This slight increase is an

60 LUBRICATION & FLUID POWER JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2006

LUDECA FEATURE 0106.qxp 2/6/06 3:13 PM Page 61

indication that enough lubrication has

been applied and any additional lubri-
cation would be excessive.
This procedure will allow you to
apply the right amount of lubrication.
With trending and good documenta-
tion the proper lubrication intervals
can be determined and adjusted
accordingly.

Points of interest
It is important to note that while the
shock pulse technique relies on mea-
suring the energy created by a defi-
ciency in lubrication, careful trending
can help to detect these deficiencies at
the very earliest stages. This will allow
you the opportunity to correct prob-
lems early and reduce their deleterious
effects. This in turn will result in a
reduction in spare parts and mainte-
nance labor cost, reduced downtime,
and lower energy consumption.

The collection, storage and

trending of shock pulse values
will reduce lubrication-related
failures, thereby reducing
downtime and lowering
maintenance costs.
It also is important to note that
when using shock pulse measurements
on variable speed equipment, consid-
eration must be given to the increase in
energy that accompanies an increase in
speed. An excellent analyzer will com-
pensate for this when the proper infor-
mation is entered, but many analyzers
are not capable of this correction.
During the research for this article,
two surprising observations were made.
The first is that while bearing tempera-
ture is a good indicator of over-lubri-
cation, it shows little or no response to
under-lubrication until near failure.
The other is that while under-lubrica-
tion can be reliably measured with the
shock pulse approach, there is no con-
sistent indication for over lubrication.
Providing the Technology
The shock pulse measurement and trending capability is
a standard feature of the PRUFTECHNIK AGs VIBSCAN-
NER and VIBXPERT condition monitoring vibration
analyzers and supporting software. These products are
available through Ludeca, Inc., of Miami, FL.
Ludeca, Inc. also offers bearing heaters, shims and
laser pulley and roll alignment tools. The companys
29,000-sq ft. Miami headquarters, houses a NUPIC
approved calibration laboratory with NIST certified cali-
bration equipment, ESD protected repair department,
training facilities, warehouse and office space.
According to Ludeca, the company prides itself fore-
most on its customer-service policy, which includes
technical support and 24-hour turnaround time on
almost all repairs. Loaner components and systems are
available upon request if repairs cannot be performed in
a short time frame. The company also goes to great
lengths to ensure immediate availability of virtually all
parts and systems.
For more information, visit www.ludeca.com

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2006 LUBRICATION & FLUID POWER 61

LUDECA FEATURE 0106.qxp 2/6/06 3:13 PM Page 62

Conclusion
The monitoring of shock pulse
energy emitted from roller element
bearings is an excellent method to
detect, trend and determine the
proper correction for lubrication
deficiencies. The bearings may
thereby be provided with the right
amount of lubrication at the proper
time or intervals.
The collection, storage and trending
of shock pulse values will reduce lubri-
cation-related failures thereby reduc-
ing downtime and lowering mainte-
nance costs. You will experience an
increase in equipment reliability and
higher production yields. And all this,
after all, is the raison dtre for condi-
tion monitoring.

References
1. Bloch, Heinz P., Use Shock Pulse Meth-
ods to Monitor Bearings, HYDROCARBON
PROCESSING, December, 2000,
Circle 212 or visit www.MT-freeinfo.com
2. Robinson, James C., Van Voorhis, Brent,
Piety, Kenneth R. and King, Willie, Machin-
ery Surveillance Employing Sonic/Ultra-
sonic Sensors, application paper by Com-
putational Systems, Inc., May, 2003.

3. Robinson, James C. and Berry, James

TECHNOLOGY E., Description of PeakVue and Illustrations
of its Wide Array of Applications in Fault

2006
Detection and Problem Severity Assess-
ment, Reliability Conference 2001, October
22-25, 2001.

James Lundy is an application engineer

for Ludeca in Miami, FL. He has over 10
years experience in maintenance and
reliability, specializing in vibration
April 17-20, 2006 analysis. Lundy is a level 3 Certified
Donald E. Stephens Convention Vibration Analyst and a Certified Main-
Center tenance and Reliability Professional
Rosemont (Chicago), IL (CMRP). He also is the sitting Reliability
Engineering Standards committee
FOR INFORMATION ON FOR INFORMATION ON
chair for the Standards Committee

EXHIBITING ATTENDING of the Society of Maintenance and

Reliability Professionals (SMRP).
Telephone: (305) 591-8935; e-mail:
CONTACT GO TO james.lundy@ludeca.com
TOM MADDING www.MARTSconference.com
847 382 8100 ext. 108 For more information
circle 2 or visit www.LFPfreeinfo.com

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2006 Circle 208 or visit www.MT-freeinfo.com 62