CHAPTER 1

1. INTRODUCTION
Machinery shows very often manifests itself in vibration or a change in vibration
pattern. Vibration analysis is therefore, a powerful diagnosis tool, and trouble shooting of
major process machinery would be unthinkable without modern vibration analysis.
It is natural for machines to vibrate. Even machines in the best of operation
condition will have some vibration because of minor defects as a result of manufacturing
tolerances. Therefore each machine will have a level of vibration which may be regarded
as normal or inherent.
When machinery vibration increases or becomes excessive, some mechanical
trouble is usually the reason. Machinery vibration levels just do not increases or become
excessive for no reason at all. Something causes it unbalance, looseness etc.
Each mechanical defect generates vibration in its own unique way. This makes it
possible to positively identify a mechanical problem by simply measuring and studying
its vibration characteristics.
The success of a process industry often depends on the continued, safe and
productive operation of rotating machinery. An effective maintenance program is vital to
this kind of success. The quality of the companys maintenance program determines how
long the machines will run, how safe they are for the people working around them. The
benefits of a good maintenance program are:
1.

Prolonged machinery life.

2.

Minimizes unscheduled down time.

3.

Eliminates unnecessary overhaul.

4.

Eliminates standby equipment.

5.

Provides more efficient operations.

6.

Increases machinery safety.

7.

Improves quality performance.

8.

Improves customer satisfaction.

1.1 CONDITION MONITORING

The main function of condition monitoring is to provide the knowledge of machine
condition and of its rate of change which is essential to the operation of this method. The
knowledge may be obtained by selecting suitable parameters such as vibration for
measuring and reading its value at intervals. With condition monitoring, repairs are
carried out only when the condition of machine has deteriorated to a predetermined level.
Thus repairs or replacement of parts take place only when it has definitely been proved
that a fault exists and if it left unrepaired would result in unsatisfactory operation or
breakdown with possible damage to other machine parts and disruption of production.
The following list includes the main condition monitoring techniques applied in the
industries
Vibration condition monitoring and diagnostics
Lubricant analysis
Infrared thermography
Ultrasound emission

1.2 VIBRATION ANALYSIS

The most commonly used condition monitoring method for rotating machines is
vibration analysis. Vibration Analysis is a two step process involving the ACQUISITION

and INTERPRETATION of machinery vibration data. Its purpose is to determine the

mechanical condition of a machine and specific mechanical or operational defects.
The Data Acquisition procedure is a means of systematic measuring and recording
of the vibration characteristics needed to analyze a problem.
The Data Interpretation involves comparing the recorded data with the details of
the machine, like its speed or speeds, its foundations, the construction details etc. then the
characteristic of vibration typical of various defects are compared with the characteristics
that have been measured. By this, one can pinpoint the trouble and take corrective
measures.

1.3 VIBRATION
Vibration is simply the back and forth movement of an object from its position of
rest. It is like an oscillatory motion. Vibrations in machines above certain limits are
harmful to their functioning.
The most common causes of vibration are:
Unbalance of motor.
Looseness
Misalignment
Bend shaft
Eccentrical
Bad belt drive and drive chains
Electromagnetic forces
Hydraulic forces