How many times have you replaced a motor and made sure you put the same shims back to ensure the new motor goes back in the same place as the old one? But doing so may end up bringing the issues that caused the old motor to fail to the new one. There is a […]
In Are Harmonics Real? Part 1, I noted that a sine wave, perhaps created by a mass on a spring bouncing up and down, results in a single peak in the spectrum. If the spring gets more rigid as it gets compressed, the mass will move less in one direction than the other. We can […]
The following lubrication issues can lead to pump fires. Here’s how to prevent them. Lack of lubrication, over-lubrication, wrong lubricant and lubricant contamination A lack of lubrication, an incorrect lubricant type, lubricant contamination and over-lubrication can all lead to increased friction and therefore heat. Insufficient lubrication results in increased friction between moving parts, especially bearings, […]
When performing a Dynamic Balance procedure a few things should be considered: 1. Inspect the structure/mounts and ensure there are no cracks or loose bolts. 2. If driven via a belt drive make sure that the belt is in good condition and properly tensioned. • Remember that the second harmonic of a belt frequency can […]
Lubrication is one of the primary tools of machine maintenance, it is used to mitigate the effects of friction. Friction is the resistance created when two surfaces slide or rub together. Any piece of equipment, machine, tool, or other mechanism with rotating or moving parts experiences friction. Friction causes heat and wear and must be […]
Are harmonics real or just an artifact or result of processing the waveform through the FFT? This is a question that comes up a lot among vibration analysts, or anyone working with signals and signal processing. What Are Harmonics? A sine wave has a single amplitude and frequency. Let’s say our sine wave has a […]
From the first two installments in this series, What’s Dirt got to do with it? – Part 1: What is Contamination? and What’s Dirt got to do with it? – Part 2: How can we identify & prevent contamination?, we found out more about what contaminants are, how to identify them and how to prevent them […]
Companies throughout America and the world use the Easy-Laser alignment systems as well as other laser systems for precision alignment. Ludeca has made it “easy and reliable” to perform precision alignment with a simple 5-Step Shaft Alignment Procedure that is easy to follow and accessible on Ludeca’s website in the Knowledge Center. Being a […]
Recently, while visiting a customer’s facility to provide onsite training for the vibration analysis tool they had purchased, we spent time building the database hierarchy (areas, machines and trending templates) before we started collecting data. The first room we entered had two large belt-driven overhung fans and even without collecting any data it was obvious […]
Chain drives are widely used in industrial settings throughout the world. Knowing the advantages and disadvantages of chain drives and how to properly maintain them can help you to keep them running as intended. Chain drives consist of a series of chain links which mesh with toothed sprockets. Chain Sprockets are locked on the shafts […]
In the first part of this series, What’s Dirt got to do with it? – Part 1: What is Contamination?, we got into the specifics of contamination and how it can be classified. For this part of the series, we will focus on being able to identify and prevent contamination. Ideally, lubricants can become contaminated […]
Across the world, bearings are destroyed in rotating equipment every day. As maintenance professionals, we have all been made aware of poor lubrication, misalignment, unbalance, and other mechanical anomalies that lead to bearing failures. However, over the last few decades there has been an upswing in bearing failures caused by electrical issues. This upswing happened […]
When a new technician enters their field of employment, the normal procedure for training is to send them out with older techs that have been doing the job for a while. This is a good old fashioned OJT (On The Job Training). The goal is to have the new tech up to speed quickly, and […]
In mechanical design, one of the core principles I learned is that “everything is a spring.” This concept underscores that all materials under stress behave like springs, which has profound implications for machinery installation and maintenance. Machines and the bases they sit on may seem to be perfectly rigid, but when the alignment tolerances required […]
There is a very simple, but crucial step in the machine installation process that oftentimes gets missed. When this step is missed, it leads to a world of problems, from excessive vibration to premature failure of bearings, seals, and especially couplings. Let me establish the problem first, then I will explain how it negatively impacts […]
Dirt is all around us and while it may be critical for the plants to grow, it is not as warmly received in our machines. However, when we begin thinking about contamination, this is not just limited to dirt particles. Contaminants are anything that enters a system which should not be there or is considered […]
We previously discussed, Common Bearing Failure Causes: Part 1 Contamination. In this blog, we discuss bearing failures caused by faulty installation. Another common bearing failure is faulty installation. Bearings must be removed and reinstalled occasionally due to failure, or they must be removed to disassemble a piece of equipment for repair or maintenance. Bearings are […]
Unbalance is one of the most common causes of excessive vibration in rotating equipment. Components such as bearings, couplings, seals, and motors are brought to premature failure every day due to excessive vibration. Balancing is usually the first thing that comes to mind when these increases are noticed. But what causes a machine to become […]
There are different ways to understand machinery vibration analysis that people often confuse. Is vibration the cause of the problem, the result of the problem, or both? If you confuse these, you might make some big mistakes when analyzing data! So, let’s clarify… Vibration as the Cause When things vibrate a lot or “too much,” […]
Precision Maintenance is a proactive approach to maintenance that focuses on ensuring equipment and machinery are installed, maintained, and operated with the highest level of accuracy and precision. The goal of precision maintenance is to optimize the performance of assets by reducing wear and tear, eliminating sources of inefficiency and vibration, and extending the lifespan […]