Centrifugal pumps have a specific design point at which they operate most efficiently. This sweet spot is known as the BEP (Best Operating Point) which provides the design engineer with the required flow and pressure while also providing the best efficiency. If the pump has been specified incorrectly or is placed into a system which […]
Guest Tip by Bob Dunn from I&E Central, Inc. In some environments, reflected sounds can make it difficult to locate a leak. If you are in a confined area (a smaller room, or beneath/inside a machine), the leak can seem to be almost anywhere. A good solution is to adjust the sensitivity downward. Ultrasonic sounds will […]
There are many different reasons to consider and implement an online vibration system. Some of the key reasons are: The equipment is critical to production. The equipment has a long repair time. The parts for the equipment have a long lead time. The equipment is not easy to access. The equipment is in a remote […]
Reposted from People and Processes, written by Jeff Shiver CMRP, CPMM, CRL Do you find yourself wondering why your employees haven’t taken the initiative and approached you for additional training? Well, they must not want the extra training, right? Wrong! Sometimes, employees do want training, but they just don’t ask. Here’s why: 1. THEY HAVE FEAR OF […]
Guest Post by Ricky Smith, CRL, CMRP, CMRT Pipe stress is caused by misalignment of the mating surfaces of two pipe flanges creating abnormal internal stress of pump bearings, seals, motor bearings, couplings, and can possibly change the displacement of a pump. General Rules which must be followed by maintenance personnel and contractors: (if you truly want to stop a long term pump problem) Pipe flanges attached to pumps must be aligned where the gap does not exceed the thickness of two gaskets or tolerance established by your company’s engineering standards. Pipe flange bolts must drop in without assistance. Cable pullers, come-a-longs, or long bars should not be used […]
This blog post concerns rolling element bearings and not journal bearings. When a rolling element bearing begins to deteriorate the damage usually manifests itself in one of the races (either inner or outer) followed by the rolling element, and finally the cage. When the races begin to have defects these tend to excite the natural […]
Question: When is it OK to over-lubricate your bearing? Answer: NEVER!!!!, (almost) the exception is when high vibration exists. If you attended the SDT/LUDECA Acoustic Lubrication Workshops then you now understand grease as a lubricating mechanism. You understand that the Churning Phase of the lubrication task is inevitable, and long-term, detrimental to the health of […]
Reposted from People and Processes, written by Jeff Shiver CMRP, CPMM, CRL The CMRT exam is the leading credentialing program by the Society for Maintenance & Reliability Professionals (SMRP) for the knowledge, skills and abilities of maintenance and reliability technicians. The CMRT exam tests competency and knowledge of specific tasks within 4 domains: Maintenance Practices, Preventative […]
Guest Post by Bob Dunn from I&E Central, Inc. I had the opportunity use the Easy-Laser XT440 to assist a customer aligning a machine that had perpetually given them problems, with bearings always running hot. They had recently aligned the machine with dial indicators, but when we checked, it was off by .007, and this on […]
In most cases, when equipment is in failure mode, it begins to make sounds that are not commonly heard during normal operation conditions. Once this sound is heard a defect (at least one) is already present in the equipment. Using our vibration tools can assist in detecting the defect before that sound is heard with […]
There are 3 techniques that can facilitate your work in the field: the shielding technique, the covering technique and reflection management. 1. Shielding technique This technique greatly reduces the influence of interfering leaks. It consists in using a piece of cardboard or foam(*)… to create a barrier between the “parasitic” leak noise and the location […]
As Published by Solutions Magazine March/April 2018 issue by Ana Maria Delgado, CRL and Shon Isenhour, CMRP CAMA CCMP, Founding Partner at Eruditio LLC During the many root cause analysis (RCA) investigations we facilitate and coach, we notice some themes that continue to manifest themselves in the findings. Often, they are grouped under the heading […]
Guest post by John Lambert at Benchmark PDM Recently I have been seeing the P to F interval curve popping up a lot on my LinkedIn feed and in articles that I have read. It was a concept that I was first introduced to when I was implementing Reliability Centered Maintenance into the Engineering and Maintenance […]
1. A Change in the Quantity of Grease Consumed Maintenance departments track their grease consumption to monitor and control costs. A change in consumption is a sure sign that your lubrication program is on the right track. Most organizations are guilty of over-lubricating. Expect lower grease consumption as your program matures. Bad procedures lead to […]
In the 35+ years of experience that LUDECA has in shaft alignment, we have been asked this question many times. How long does it take to do an alignment? People in charge of scheduling have a tough task when allotting time for technicians to do an alignment with precision. In many cases they may just […]
Just what does it take to be successful at balancing? Let’s start with some basics. First you need to have an understanding of the balancing process, next nomenclature: is it unbalance, imbalance, out of balance, or what? Use a consistent description and stick with it. Next, think about what the source of unbalance could be: […]
Plant Engineering, celebrating its 30th anniversary of the Product of the Year award program, announced the results for the 2017 entrants. SDT’s innovative LUBExpert, an ultrasound solution designed to help grease bearings right, was awarded the GOLD medal! The award is remarkable considering the excellent company of peers in the running for Silver and Bronze. […]
A proven method to assess gearbox condition is to collect a DYNAMIC ultrasound signal. If possible, you want to capture at least 3-5 revolutions of the gearbox. From there, analysis is straightforward. Use Ultranalysis (UAS2) software to view the signal in the time waveform and spectrum displays. Use the software’s many analysis tools to determine […]
Reposted from Easy-Laser® The latest addition to Generation XT, Easy-Laser® XT660, gives you access to four different measurement methods for shaft alignment. Each with its own advantages. Read more to find out how to use them best! The four measurement methods are 9-12-3, EasyTurn™, Multipoint and Continuous sweep. Here we describe them individually, so that […]
We at LUDECA proudly share the excitement with our partners at Easy-Laser® for winning the Red Dot Design Award 2018 with their XT11 display unit. The distinctive Red Dot is established internationally as one of the most sought-after quality marks for good design. Here are some of the things they considered in their evaluation: • […]