To the seasoned maintenance professional, industrial machinery almost “talks” to reveal its condition. The key to success is in understanding what the machine is saying. To detect problems, the professional “listens” in many ways: With eyes and ears, to see and listen for conditions that may indicate problems and…

• With thermometers and thermographic cameras, to detect overheating, bad electrical connections or defective bearings.

• With digital multimeters and energy analyzers, to diagnose electrical problems

• Use techniques such as oil analysis to measure the condition of the machine over time.

And now, new vibration test tools give the maintenance professional a valuable new way to not only listen, but also find mechanical problems and solutions: these new troubleshooting tools are designed to detect and assess vibration of the machine immediately and recommend any necessary repairs.

A new kind of troubleshooting tool

Many industrial maintenance teams today work under severe money and time constraints. They may not have the resources to train and implement the typical long-term vibration analysis program. Also, many professionals may think that there are only two options for vibration testing; high-end vibration analyzers that are expensive and difficult to use, and low-end vibration pens, which are not particularly accurate.

Fortunately, a new generation of vibration test tools sits at the center of the category, combining the diagnostic capability of a trained vibration analyzer with the speed and convenience of low-end testers, at a reasonable price. This type of tool is designed to be not just a vibration detector, but a complete diagnostic and troubleshooting solution, and is specifically targeted at maintenance professionals who need to troubleshoot mechanical issues and quickly understand the root cause of engine condition. equipment.

These tools are designed and programmed to diagnose the most common mechanical problems of imbalance, backlash, misalignment, and bearing failures in a wide variety of mechanical equipment, including motors, fans, blowers, belt and chain drives, gearboxes, couplings, pumps, compressors, close coupled machines and spindles.

Not just data, but actionable results

When these new testers detect a failure, they identify the problem, its location, and severity on a multi-level scale to help the maintenance professional prioritize maintenance tasks. They can also recommend repairs.

Mechanical diagnostics can begin when the user places the device’s accelerometer on the machine under test. The accelerometer can have a magnetic mount or it can be installed with adhesive. As the machine under test operates, the accelerometer detects its vibration along three planes of motion (vertical, horizontal, and axial) and transmits that information to the tester. Using a set of advanced algorithms, the tester provides a plain text diagnosis of the machine with a recommended solution.

Is not raining? No problem

Mechanical equipment is typically evaluated by comparing its condition over time to an established baseline condition. Vibration analyzers used in condition-based monitoring programs are based on these reference conditions to assess the condition of the machine and estimate the remaining useful life. System operators must have considerable training and experience before they can determine the meaning and significance of the vibration spectra they detect.

But what about the maintenance professional who is not trained in vibration analysis? How do you differentiate between acceptable vibration and the type of vibration that requires immediate attention to repair or replace problem equipment?

Fortunately, the advanced algorithms of today’s testers incorporate extensive experience with mechanical vibration, what it means, and how to fix it. Now the maintenance professional can quickly and reliably determine the cause of machine vibration, learn the severity and location of the problem, and receive repair recommendations. It’s all done with the intelligence built into the tester, without the extensive training, monitoring, and logging required for typical vibration monitoring programs.

These evaluators provide plain language recommendations on what to do next. For hard-pressed and on-the-go equipment maintenance teams, these precise instructions are what you need to take action now, keep mechanical equipment in tip-top shape, and keep facilities productive. An example of this type of tool is the handheld Fluke 810 Vibration Tester (For more information on the Fluke 810, visit http://www.fluke.com/machinehealth.)