VIBRATION MEASURING INSTRUMENTS

OVERVIEW

Choosing Your Instrumentation

What do you want to achieve? What is your present and future. Budget for equipment & Training? Person power? Knowledge level? Number of machines to be monitored? Type of machines to be monitored? Environment?

INSTRUMENT TYPES
Overall Level Meters Quick Check Analysers FFT Data Collector/Analysers Full Feature Analysers Real Time Spectrum Analysers Instrument Quality Tape Recorders Dedicated Balancing instruments

Real Time Rate

The Highest rate at which data can be captured and displayed without leaving any gaps in the analysis.

ON-Line or Permanent Monitors

Due to cable lengths and possible signal contamination, SNR considerations remain more important in current permanent / online monitoring than they are in a contemporary data collector context

Vibration Transducers Overview and Selection

Transducer Types
Seismic:- Bearing relative to space. Velocity Pickups Accelerometers Piezoelectric velocity pickups Relative:- Shaft relative to bearing. Non-contact Eddy Current Displacement Probes Absolute:- Shaft relative to space. Shaft Contact Displacement Probes (including Shaft Sticks and Shaft Riders)

Seismic Transducer

VELOCITY

Velocity Pickups
ADVANTAGES

Self- Generating No On-board Electronics Strong signal

Note :- There are two types of velocity pickups the above advantages do not apply to piezoelectric velocity transducers.

SESMIC TRANSDUCERS
ACCELEROMETER

AMP

AMP

Accelerometers - advantages
No moving parts, no wear. Rugged. Very large dynamic range. Wide frequency range. Compact, often low weight. High stability. Can be mounted in any orientation.

Accelerometer Types
The three most common are :-

Compression Type Inverted Compression Type Shear Type

Compression type accelerometer

Acoustic Shield

Seismic Mass

Preload Stud

Piezoelectric Material Electric connector

Base

Mounting Stud Receptacle

ICP Amplifier

Compression Type Accelerometers

Advantages Relatively low cost Disadvantages Sensitive to base strain Sensitive to Thermal transients Can cause over-saturation and transducer settling problems Widely used

Inverted compression type

ICP Circuit

Piezoelectric Material

Seismic Mass
Preload Sleeve

Mounting stud receptacle

Shear Type Accelerometer

Acoustic Shield Piezoelectric Material

Seismic Mass Electric connector Post

Base

Mounting Stud Receptacle

ICP Circuit

Advantages - Shear Type

Lower sensitivity to base strain Large dynamic range Much less sensitive to temperature transients Stabilizes quickly when taking measurements at low frequencies. Disadvantage: Generally higher cost due to added components

Mounting Methods

BEST

GOOD

POOR

VERY GOOD

Mounting Methods
Mounting Maximum Acceptable Frequency (cpm) 975 000 540 000 450 000 360 000 48 000 Rating

Stud Adhesive Magnet Quick Connect Hand-held

Best Very good Good Quite good Poor

Piezoelectric Velocity Pickup

Connector Mass

INTEGRATOR

Piezoelectric Disks

Base

Non-contact Eddy Current Probe (Relative)

Non-contact Pickups
MAGNETIC FIELD

NON-CONTACT PICKUP

SHAFT

PICKUP COIL

OSCILLATOR

DETECTOR

AMPLIFIER

DISPLACEMENT SIGNAL - TO ANALYSER OR MONITOR

DC GAP METER

SIGNAL SENSOR

Non-contact Eddy Current Displacement Probes

USED FOR: Relative Shaft Vibration. Radial & axial shaft position. Differential expansion between case and rotor. Especially effective on machinery with high mass rigid casings and relatively low mass rotors supported in journal type bearings.

N.C.P. Problems & precautions

Only Measures Displacement - Sensitive Only to low frequency defects. Subject to Mechanical and Electrical Run-out . Units must be pre calibrated for specific shaft materials.

Shaft Contact Displacement Probes (Absolute)

Shaft Sticks Hardwood, fish-tail, fixed to accelerometer or velocity pickup Measures vibration amplitude & phase Shaft Riders

Shaft Rider
PICKUP MOUNTING STUD

SHAFT RIDER ASSEMBLY

MACHINE HOUSING

NON-METALLIC TIP

SHAFT SURFACE

Direct Contact : Absolute Measurements

Shaft Riders (permanently installed) Shaft Sticks or Fishtails
safety issue VERY useful below coupling of vertical pumps