Rotating

Machinery
MODULE 10 Master
10.6 Dynamic tests

Author: Rubén Ramírez

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Rotating Machinery Master
 10.6.- Dynamic tests

AIM

Chapter oriented to introduce the dynamic test fundamentals like tools of

advanced diagnostic.

SCOPE

Specific instrumentation for dynamic tests. Modal analysis. Coherence

function, flexibility, mobility, inertance. Operation Defection Shapes. Start-
up and Start-down: Experimental critical speeds detection. Bode diagram
and Nyquist.

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Rotating Machinery Master
 Introduction
Some machinery diagnostics require dynamic tests to be confirmed. Generally resonance
problems must be confirmed with these complementary tests:
 Impact tests.
 Variable Speed Tests or Frequency Sweep.

The Natural Frequencies along with the

corresponding Mode Shape could be determined
performing:

Impact Tests: Analyzing the response of the

transducers located at chosen structure locations.

Variable Speed Tests or Frequency Sweep: Analyzing

the transducer signals amplitude and phase.

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Rotating Machinery Master
 Specific instrumentation for
dynamic tests (I)
Instrumentation to carry out dynamic tests is the following:
 Accelerometers
 Modal hammer
 Analyzer
 PC - Software

Software

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Rotating Machinery Master
 Specific instrumentation for
dynamic tests (III)
Accelerometers
These sensors are used to measure the
frequency response of the system. Both
triaxial and uniaxial models can be used for
modal tests. Triaxial accelerometers allow
to obtain the response in three directions
simultaneously.
Modal impacts hammer
Its an instrumented impact hammer
features a rugged, force sensor integrated
into the hammer’s striking surface. The
hammers are used to excite the structure
and tuned to ensure the structural
characteristics of the hammer do not affect
measurement results.

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AREVA NP
Rotating Machinery Master
 Specific instrumentation for
dynamic tests (IV)
Analyzer / Acquisition system Acquisition software
Equipment designed to measure several Software designed for signals processing
channels simultaneously. Dynamic signals with analysis tools. Such as FRF, animated
are acquired from accelerometers and images, graphics of analysis.
modal hammer.

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AREVA NP
Rotating Machinery Master
 Modal analysis (I)
Any dynamic response of a machine can be obtained as a combination of its modes, a
knowledge of the mode shapes, modal frequencies and modal damping ratios constitute a
complete dynamic description of the machine. This will require getting the FRF. The
experimental modal analysis procedure is described bellow:

The FRF were calculated for locations with the machine placed on the foundation. Vibration
was measured in each location in three spatial directions while the force was introduced in
one location in X & Y direction.

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Rotating Machinery Master
 Modal analysis (II)
Bellow can be observed FRF´s in direction X and direction Y for the same machine.
In the same way, mode shape X bending (9,9 Hz) and mode shape Y bending (14,0 Hz).
X response in blue
Y response in red

X bending (9,9 Hz)

Y bending (14,0 Hz)

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AREVA NP
Rotating Machinery Master
 Functions
The various forms of frequency response function based on the type of response variable are
also defined from a mechanical engineering viewpoint. They are somewhat intuitive and do
not necessarily correspond to electrical analogies.

X 1
Dynamic Flexibility 
F0 k  m   2

X
Mobility
F0

X X
Inertance   2 
F0 F0

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Rotating Machinery Master
 Operation Defection Shapes (I)
Operational deflection shapes (ODS) can be measured directly by relatively simple means.
They provide very useful information for understanding and evaluating the absolute dynamic
behavior of a machine, component or an entire structure.
ODS can be defined as any forced motion of two or more points on a structure. Specifying
the motion of two or more points defines a shape. Stated differently, a shape is the motion
of one point relative to all others. Motion is a vector quantity, which means that it has
location and direction associated with it. This is also called a Degree Of Freedom, or DOF.

All vibration is a combination of both forced and resonant vibration. Forced vibration can be
due to:
• Internally generated forces.
• Unbalances.
• External loads.
• Ambient excitation.
An operating deflection shape contains the overall vibration for two or more DOFs on a
machine or structure. That is, the ODS contains both forced and resonant vibration
components.

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Rotating Machinery Master
 Operation Defection Shapes (II)
In this method, the forced dynamic deflection shape is measured under operating of the
system. For the measurement, an accelerometer is mounted at some point on the machine
as a reference, and another moving accelerometer is placed at several other points, and in
different directions, if necessary. Then the magnitudes and the phase differences between
the moving and the reference accelerometers at all points under steady-state operation of
the system are measured.

Spectrum Accelerometer_REF

Spectrum Accelerometer_MOV

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 Operation Defection Shapes (III)
ODS Example 1: Bellow can be observed a practical case of a test in a centrifugal pump.
ODS test contains electric motor, pump and foundation.

Centrifugal pump Discretized model

Deflection shape

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 Operation Defection Shapes (IV)
ODS Example 2: Bellow can be observed a practical case of a test in a electric motor.
ODS test contains electric motor and the foundation.

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Rotating Machinery Master
 Experimental critical speeds detection (I)
Critical speed is the theoretical angular velocity that excites the natural frequency of a
rotating object. As the speed of rotation approaches the object's natural frequency, the
object begins to resonate, which dramatically increases system vibration. The resulting
resonance occurs regardless of orientation. When the rotational speed is equal to the
numerical value of the natural vibration, then that speed is referred to as critical speed.
Therefore critical speed is the speed which a resonance phenomenon is produced.
All rotating shafts will deflect during rotation. The unbalanced mass of the rotating object
causes deflection that will create resonant vibration at these speeds, the critical speeds. The
magnitude of deflection depends upon the following:
(a) stiffness of the shaft and its support
(b) total mass of shaft and attached parts
(c) unbalance of the mass with respect to the axis of rotation
(d) the amount of damping in the system
In general, it is necessary to calculate or to determine experimentally the critical speed of a
rotating shaft, in order to avoid issues with vibration.

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 Experimental critical speeds detection (II)
Methods to determine critical speeds:
 Analytic calculation, Finite Element Method can be used to obtain critical speed in design
step.
 Modal Analysis: Impact test can be used to know the natural frequencies of a machine
and its critical speeds.
 Another experimental method is a variable speed test. As a result, the rotor responds
with lateral vibrations with frequency, synchronous to rotational speed. Its possible to
measure the vibration amplitude synchronously to speed rotation during starts-ups and
shutdowns of the machines. High levels vibration to certain speeds will indicate the
presence of critical speeds.

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Rotating Machinery Master
 Bode diagram
The term Bode diagram is referred to a plot of phase angle between harmonic input and
output signals versus frequency. Many in rotating machinery vibration have adopted this
term to describe steady-state vibration response amplitude and phase angle versus rotational
speed.

Change of phase at 2.400 RPM

Amplitude 28 µm 0-p at 2.400 RPM

Amplitude (µm 0-p)

Speed

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 Nyquist diagram
Nyquist or Polar diagram: The same information plotted in Bode diagram is replotted in polar
form. The polar plot of steady-state vibration is a compact and visually revealing way to
present vibration measurements as a function of rotational speed, as a function of time, or as
a function of some other parameter in which vibration changes are to be analyzed.

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AREVA NP
Rotating Machinery Master