Overview of Vibration Analysis
Sep. 21, 2017
by Inspectioneering
Excessive equipment vibration is a common issue experienced in industrial processes and facilities. Excessive vibration is most often caused by misalignment of equipment or components, unbalanced rotating equipment, or loose components (e.g. bolts). If not addressed, prolonged vibration can result in damage to equipment and may even cause system failure. Fixed, rotating, and structural assets are all susceptible to problems caused excessive vibration.
In its simplest form, vibration is a repetitive motion of a structure and can occur in numerous forms. Various types of vibration (e.g. free vibration, forced vibration, flow-induced vibration, random vibration, etc.) can be measured for analysis. The purpose of these Vibration Analysis is to determine how equipment will respond to an applied load or external force. Vibration analysis can also be used to determine the root cause of failure.