Machinery Vibration Analysis Basics

By Abdulrahman Alkhowaiter

Turbomachinery High 1X RPM Vibration Causes

1. False Vibration signal from probe: probe track error, instrument fault
2. Unbalance of Rotor: Poor shop balance, shaft sag, fouling….
3. Bent shaft with high runout at bearing or coupling hub
4. Looseness of a rotor component, including coupling hub
5. Looseness of machine to foundation (bolting….)
6. Looseness of bearing housing bolting to casing
7. Looseness of radial bearing inside housing or tilt pad pivot looseness.
8. resonance in Vertical or horizontal support Footing
9. Resonance of bearing housing
10. Resonant operation of rotor at or near a lateral critical speed
11. Misalignment of bearing housings to shaft centerline
12. Misalignment at coupling, all types
13. Incorrectly machined coupling hub : face runout, register, or Bore
14. Gear Coupling : spacer looseness, Lockup or unbalance
15. High vibration transmitted from adjacent coupled machine.
16. Radial Bearing Damaged or excessive clearance to shaft, low damping force
 Machinery Vibration Analysis Basics
By Abdulrahman Alkhowaiter

Reciprocating Compressor High Vibration Sources

1. Looseness of compressor to baseplate, such as nut tension or damaged anchor bolt,
Grouting
2. Looseness of external fasteners such as cylinder head to distance piece
3. Looseness of internal fasteners such as piston rod to crosshead, piston nut,
connecting rod bolts, or coupling bolts.
4. Bent piston rod, high runout.
5. Damaged-worn crosshead bearing or crankshaft bearings
6. poor lubrication of cylinder with rubbing of piston
7. Broken piston rings or damaged rider bands
8. Incorrect Cylinder head to frame alignment, or piston to head clearance
9. Flywheel looseness, Coupling looseness or misalignment
10. Overloaded compressor above design pressure ratio
11. Piping & compressor vibration due to pipe strain, lack of support, gas pulsation due
to faulty check valves or incorrect pulsation bottle sizing.
12. Liquid slugging or Foreign Object contact on piston
13. Valve or Unloader malfunction causing pulsation
14. Vibration due to variable speed operation at Torsional resonance
15. Motor Driver wrong rotation direction

In general the Frame & Cylinder Head vibration should not exceed 0.25
in/s RMS Alarm Level
Machinery Vibration Analysis Basics
By Abdulrahman Alkhowaiter
 Machinery Vibration Analysis Basics
By Abdulrahman Alkhowaiter

How to approach high vibration problems

1. First step is to make physical checks to confirm if real or false vibration
2. Confirm that vibration limits of Alarm/shutdown are reasonable
3. Is vibration intermittent or constant? If intermittent, what does it vary with? Time,
load, Speed, Ambient temperature…….?
4. Obtain historical vibration data from past years of operation, including trend Graph
data. Is this new or an existing vibration?
5. Obtain past reliability data including past component failures
6. Obtain recent maintenance data such as disassembly, overhaul…
7. Use comparative analysis: Do sister machines have same problem?
8. Visit machine in field with vibration technician, perform survey
9. Analyze process data for recent changes, or deviation from design
10. Using the above vibration source lists, inspect each possible cause to confirm or
disprove as root cause of vibration.
11. Start by inspecting external potential vibration sources, to minimize effort
12. Note that multiple root causes can be occurring, such as unbalance and looseness at
same time.
13. If problem is historical since installation, suspect design error or installation error.
Machinery Vibration Analysis Basics
By Abdulrahman Alkhowaiter

The Online Analysis process for predictive maintenance

 Loose Impellers,
Rotor operating at or Rotor Unbalance
balance piston,
near critical speed. due to shaft bow,
thrust collar.
See phase change. deposits, bent shaft,
Coupling assembly foreign object. Bearing loose in housing,
unbalance, or damaged, or excess
Misalignment. clearance to shaft.

Bearing housing bolting

Coupling hub
looseness, high face
runout, bad register fit
to spacer, bad keys.
Centrifugal Compressor loose, or housing misaligned
Rubbing at Vibration Causes: to shaft centerline.
stationary labyrinth. By Abdulrahman
Alkhowaiter Resonance in support flex
footing, loose bolt, soft
footing, heavy pipe strain.
 Bowed shaft due to Rubbed packing or
Unbalance due to poor slow rolling
loss of blade or labyrinth gland
warmup-warmdown sleeve, possibly
foreign object entry
bent shaft.

Damaged radial bearing

or worn out clearances.
Also, bearing loose in
housing, no crush.

Loose bearing
housing to
Loose Turbine casing fasteners.
Wheel, insufficient
shrink fit.
Piping Strain due to Loose coupling hub
inlet or exhaust or misalignment.
pipe offset or gap.