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At times, shaft alignment can become extremely frustrating almost as if it is possessed with a mind of its own. One set of readings may indicate that you make adjustments one way, the next set of readings then indicates something completely different. Quite simply, and almost without fail, if there are repeatability issues then something […]

Misalignment: High amplitude peaks will appear at 1×, 2×, and sometimes 3× the running speed. Look for a 180° (± 30°) phase change across the coupling in the axial direction (for angular misalignment) or radial direction (for parallel (offset) misalignment). Bearing misalignment (cocked bearing) will cause a twisting motion in the axial direction. Look for […]

In the last few decades, we have heard many companies perform “PMs” (Preventive Maintenance tasks) on their assets or buy tools to help perform “PdM” (Predictive Maintenance), often hoping to solve all their problems without a real strategy in place. This can be a costly mistake as it risks inducing functional failures in your assets […]

Because of my many years of experience in the field of installation and maintenance of rotating equipment, I can say that installation is a fundamental thing. But why is this phase so important? Well, because the installation has a direct impact on the machinery, and will determine operating conditions, performance, and life cycle cost. Basically, […]

Frequency can be defined as how often an event occurs per unit of time.  A vibration spectrum is displayed as a horizontal and vertical plot (X and Y).  The horizontal (X) axis is the frequency axis and shows a representation of how often an event occurs.  Typically, the vibration analyst may use multiple units of […]

Traditional induction heaters only offer one temperature probe, to monitor the temperature of the inner diameter (ID) of the bearing being heated, assuming that both the inner diameter (ID) and outer diameter (OD) will heat evenly. However, the ID heats faster than the OD, potentially causing stresses between the ID, OD, and the rolling elements. […]

All rotating equipment shall be designed and constructed so that its first critical speed is at least 125 percent of the maximum design speed for the equipment (i.e. rotating equipment shall operate at speeds less than 80 percent of their true critical speed). Unless otherwise required, equipment shall be balanced according to the recommendations given […]

Functional failures in plant equipment are unavoidable. However, the way a company handles its asset failures can have an impact on the bottom line of the annual maintenance budget. For instance, this can mean that the maintenance department reacts to fix an issue after it occurs, or has Proactive Maintenance technology and processes (PMs) in […]

Addressing the storage & handling challenge (Part 3) In our previous articles, we covered understanding contamination and the role of storage and handling. For the last part of this series, we will talk about addressing the challenge of storage and handling of lubricants. Factors that affect lubricant degradation Storage and handling are one of the […]

What is the difference between Brinelling and False Brinelling? What causes Brinelling and False Brinelling? Brinelling Brinelling is named after the Brinell scale of hardness.  In the Brinell hardness test, a small ball is pressed into the surface of a material using a specific amount of force. The size of the indentation that occurs in […]

MYTH: “You should always do your shimming first and then make your horizontal moves.” TRUTH: This is generally true for the final alignment after soft foot has been corrected, but is not universally true for all alignments. In fact, for the initial rough alignment, you should correct the plane with the largest misalignment first, even if this […]

Wireless vibration sensors have their place in a good reliability program and can benefit the maintenance team’s ability to monitor machine health reliably. When choosing a wireless vibration sensor, the battery life is a key parameter in its selection. Designers and manufacturers should perform battery capacity models to be confident in the performance and battery […]

We previously discussed in this series, Implementing Lubricant Storage & Handling procedures: Part 1 Understanding Contamination. In this follow-up blog, we will discuss the role of storage and handling. As seen in the first article in this series, contamination is a huge factor that influences the degradation of a lubricant. The most common forms of […]

  Vibration Route Frequency How often do you collect vibration data on your equipment?  Is it monthly, quarterly, or even yearly?  Most of the time management will allow data collection frequencies based upon the importance they assign to vibration analysis or available resources at the time.  Management may ask that vibration data be collected every […]

There has been a lot of improvement because of the laser shaft alignment and laser geometric alignment systems. They help you to identify the failures in your machinery and eliminate them easily. That’s why it is always critical to make necessary alignment activities to keep your equipment working stably and consistently with accuracy, less effort, and less training. […]

Rotating equipment alignment may seem like a small detail, but it’s actually the foundation of a smooth-running operation. It all starts with ensuring that the feet of the equipment are flat and coplanar and that the baseplate they’re mounted to is also level and coplanar. Standards like ANSI/ASA Alignment S2.75-2017 have set strict guidelines for […]

Often, when one thinks about lubricants and lubrication the main focus is on the actual lubricant and ensuring that it performs its intended functions. Typically, the storage and handling aspects don’t receive as much attention as they should. Oddly enough, these aspects heavily influence the performance of the lubricant and almost 50% of lubricant degradation […]

Sometimes, during installation, for one reason or another, the two machines just don’t sit right on the baseplates. From baseplate design issues or machine housing quality problems to poor installation practices, one machine ends up being significantly lower than the other. Let’s say, in this case, it is the movable machine (an engine being aligned […]

All electric motors can develop electrical and mechanical problems over time in operation. One common failure mode is caused by the motor’s stator being eccentric. Stator eccentricity problems will produce an elevated peak at the two times the electrical line frequency (2×LF) which in the United States is 120 Hz (7200 CPM.) The root of […]

FACT: 14%-20% of equipment failures are a result of improper storage and handling practices in the MRO warehouse. A few simple practices could help to prevent damage to electric motors: Maintain constant temperature and humidity below 60%. Store in a clean environment to prevent ingress contamination, like pests and insects. Store motors for up to […]