Vibrations

March
2012
Volume 29, Number 1
ISSN
8268

1066-

Vibrations
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4 | Vibrations

back

MARCH
2012

david a. corelli
Vibration Institute
President

l
e
t
t
e
r
f
r
o
m
t
h
e
P
r
e
s
i
d
e
n
t

Successful Predictive
Maintenance Programs
Require a Skilled
Analyst
When I started in the vibration analysis business in 1974, most people were still
using swept sine analyzers for obtaining frequency data. This was also about the
time that the first digital Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) analyzers, like the HP 5450
and 5451, were beginning to penetrate the market. The HP 5451A Fourier Analyzer
that I used at the Air Force Avionics Laboratory at Wright Patterson Air Force Base
had optional, external anti-aliasing filters and consisted of a full rack of equipment,
certainly not portable. Analysis of remote data meant collecting data using a tape
recorder, identifying data for playback using either a sound track or a time-code
signal such as IRIG, and then sitting at the system playing back data segments one
at a time for analysis. Thus, widespread data collection and analysis of industrial
machinery were not practical, if even possible.
In the early to mid-1980s, with the advent of the personal computer (PC) and verylarge-scale integration (VLSI) technology, the birth of portable data collectors and
predictive maintenance (PM) as we know them today emerged. VLSI technology
provided both the processing speed and downsizing of electronics required to
manufacture truly portable data collection devices that made it practical for largescale monitoring of industrial machinery. Additionally, PCs provided the power to
set up machine databases, store large amounts of data, and analyze the data at our
desks. Thus, wide-scale condition monitoring as we know it today was born.
It the 1980s and 90s, several companies manufactured powerful, portable data
collectors for collecting route-based data on industrial machinery. Most of these
units had off-route or analysis capabilities so that additional readings could be taken
and analyzed in the field or stored and downloaded to the PC for further analysis.
The interest from Industry in these new systems was high and competition for
sales was fierce. I know this from personal experience: I sold these systems during
that time. Sales took off because of the potential to reduce unexpected failures,
downtime and lost revenue. But, while some companies had success with the new
technology, many programs floundered or never got off the ground. Why was such
great technology failing in many cases? A key ingredient was missing.
Over the years, technology and industry have done an incredible job of giving us
powerful tools to collect and analyze vibration data. Unfortunately, what production

managers want and need is information, not merely data.

They basically want to know two things. First, can they
continue to run their machines successfully until the next
scheduled outage? Second, what needs to be fixed when the
outage occurs so they can line up the parts and people necessary
to perform the maintenance in a cost-effective, efficient
manner?
The universal question: How do you take vibration data and
turn it into useful information? The answer: That requires a
skilled vibration analyst. The trained vibration analyst
traditionally has been and, in many cases, still is, the missing
ingredient in many monitoring programs. Analysts must be
trained for this task since it is the only way to make a

5 | Vibrations

predictive maintenance program successful, short of hiring a

competent vibration consultant.
The stated mission of the Vibration Institute is to disseminate
practical information on evaluating machinery behavior and
condition in essence, to help people and companies achieve
the missing ingredient in condition monitoring programs. The
Vibration Institute does this through training, certification and the
other products and services the organization provides. Our charter
during the 3 years of my term is to improve on this mission.
During my tenure, we will focus on making the Vibration
Institute more accessible and helpful to its membership and the
entire vibration community. We will strive to appeal to a larger

MARCH
2012

professional base through effective use of state-of-the art

electronic media including a new website that was launched in
January. We will work to update and improve training,
educational materials and our ANSI accredited vibration
certification program. We will also work to improve peer-topeer networking of our members and the vibration community,
allowing easy access to the experience of other professionals.

contents

On our new website, you will soon

find a searchable database of current
and past technical papers available for
download free of charge to members
in the fall of 2012. We hope you are
pleasantly surprised
by this issue of the revamped Vibrations which is available as
a PDF on our website.
We are in the process of upgrading our training materials
with more up-to-date content and state-of-the-art graphics, and
that includes our correspondence courses. We will be
encouraging all of our chapters to create links from their
websites to ours so you can easily find out what is going on in
your area.
You will see some surveys coming to your in-box throughout
2012. We want to hear what you want and need from the
Vibration Institute. We want to tailor services and the annual
training conference to provide the information you seek. Help
us put together a bigger and better training conference in 2013
by taking the time to provide us with feedback. And dont
forget to sign up for the 2012 Training Conference in
Williamsburg, VA on June 19-22.
The Vibration Institute can help your professional
development and performance as a vibration analyst. If you are
already a member, I hope you will become more involved; if
you are not, please consider joining to enjoy the benefits of
membership. Set a goal to become certified during the next
year or, if you are already certified, take it up a level to the
next category. If youre thinking, Ill get started tomorrow, it
might never happen. Begin today developing into the missing
ingredient for your successful predictive maintenance program.

letter from the President

March 2012
Successful Predictive
Maintenance Programs
Require a Skilled
Analyst By Dave
Corelli
feature article
Rotordynamics of
Pumps Part I: SingleStage Overhung
Pumps
By
Malcolm Leader, P.E.

feature article

MARCH
2012

14

case histories

22

Bearing Clearance
Issue in Blower
By Greg Henson

newly certified
Individuals 2011-2012

23

certification corner
Vibration Institute
Vibration Analyst
Certification Renewal
Requirements
Explained By Brian
Biby
and Nancy Denton, P.E.

16

Coupling Related
Vibration in MG Set
By Scott Tilley

20

Resonance: Cutting It
Down to Size
By Ashok Bhogle

Malcolm leader, P.e. Owner

of Applied Machinery
Dynamics Company
Durango, CO

Vibrations | 6

Rotordynamics of
Pumps
Part I: Single-Stage
Overhung Pumps
By Malcolm Leader, P.E.

he rotordynamics of pumps covers a wide range of

machinery types. Pumps are designed to move liquids
from point to point and come in hundreds of different
varieties and configurations. This paper will primarily focus
on centrifugal pumps, which make up 80 percent of the pumps
in service today. Part I covers single-stage overhung pumps.
Part II will cover between-the-bearing pumps.

IntROductIOn
For the purposes of this paper, a pump is defined as a device
that transports liquid from one location to another. The earliest
methods of transporting liquids simply involved scooping up
a small volume of liquid in a container and dumping it out
somewhere else. Today, continuous liquid transport is done
by taking suction from a region of lower pressure, increasing
the pressure in the liquid through the addition of mechanical
energy, and discharging the liquid, usually through a piping
system to the desired location. There are many methods of
adding the energy to the liquid to raise its pressure. There are
positive displacement types like screw pumps or reciprocating
pumps and various other specialty pumps. This paper will
discuss centrifugal pumps in single-stage configurations.
The rotordynamics of pumps is similar to other rotating
machinery in many ways. They consist of rotors supported
by bearings. References [1-8] are provided that contain a
significant amount of basic information on rotordynamics

in general. The two primary factors that differentiate the

rotordynamics of pumps from other types of machinery are
the handling of an incompressible fluid and liquid seals. A
seal is any device that restricts liquid flow from an area of
high pressure to an area of lower pressure. In pumps, the
primary seal that protects leakage to outside the pump
casing are mechanical face seals. While vital to safe pump
operation, mechanical face seals have very little effect on
pump rotordynamics. In some mechanical seals there may be
some lateral forces generated (e.g., weight) but compared to
impeller eye seals and bushings, these can largely be ignored.
Centrifugal pumps rarely encounter traditional rotor critical
speeds unless they are operated in a dry condition. This is
because of the liquid annular seals that are used to prevent
significant leakage from high pressure regions to lower
pressure regions. This pressure differential causes axial flow
across the seal. When the rotor deflects, one side of the seal
has a greater clearance than the opposite side. The side with
the smaller clearance develops a higher local pressure. This
creates a restoring force, a stiffness, commonly called the
Lomakin effect.
The strength of the Lomakin effect depends on the seal
diameter, length, and clearance and the pressure differential
across the seal. Other contributing factors are the liquid
density, viscosity and inlet swirl ratio. In pumps with

many seals, the pump rotordynamics are often much more

significantly affected by the seals than by the normal bearings.
The bearings themselves can be affected by hydraulic loads,
particularly when the pump is operated at an off-design point.
Pumps are also susceptible to structural concerns. Weak or
misplaced supports can significantly affect the dynamics of
a pump system. Vane-pass pulsations in pumps can also
affect the rotordynamics. These higher-order pulsations can
cause resonance of the pump rotor and/or the pump structural
elements.
figure 1. cutaway View of Simple Single-Stage
centrifugal Pump

7 | Vibrations

MARCH
2012

SMall SIngle-Stage OVeRhung PuMPS

Figure 1 illustrates a simple single-stage centrifugal pump.

Liquid enters axially into the impeller which is spinning
counterclockwise here from this view. The higher pressure
liquid exits radially. Figure 2 shows the housing towards the
rear that contains the mechanical seal and bearings supporting
the shaft connected to the impeller. Note the location of the
impeller eye wear ring.

Single-stage overhung pumps (SSOH) are ubiquitous. A

typical chemical plant or refinery might have more than a
thousand such pumps. These can range from small to very
large. For the sake of limiting the discussion, a typical
100 hp motor-driven single-stage pump with rolling element
bearings and a speed of 3,580 rpm was selected. The rotating
element weighs 73 pounds, including the half-coupling as
shown in Figure 3, which is a finite element model of the
figure 3. example Single-Stage Overhung Pump Rotor

figure 2. drive end View of a Small Pump

Impeller
Eye Wear
Ring

pump rotor.
This generic pump rotor example is completely fictitious but
illustrates the dynamics of such machines. The shaft and
the impeller has both an inlet-eye wear ring seal and a hub
ring seal on the back side. Generally, only high-performance
pumps have a hub seal like this. Bearings are located at the
springs in the finite element model. Because of the overhung
load of the impeller, the coupling end bearing is loaded up
62 pounds and the bearing closest to the impeller is loaded
down 135 pounds. One common misconception is that rolling
element bearings are extremely stiff. The equation [9] for the
direct stiffness of an angular-contact deep groove ball bearing
is:
32,500(DFZ2cos5)1/3

D=
F=
Z=
=

Where:
Ball Diameter (inches)
Radial Force (pounds)
Number of Balls
Contact Angle (degrees)

For the bearings assumed for this example, the coupling end
bearing stiffness is 480,000 lb/in and the coupling end bearing
has a calculated stiffness of 630,000 lb/in. The damping in
rolling element bearings is not zero, but it is very small, on the
same order as structural damping, which is generally assumed
to be 1-2 percent of critical damping.
The actual bearing loads can be affected by hydraulic loads
from the impeller/fluid interaction. The hydraulic load
depends on both the pump design and how it is operated.

MARCH
2012

Pump impellers operate inside a volute, which can be a single

cutwater or a double volute or a diffuser. The pump is designed
to have low hydraulic reaction force at the best efficiency

Vibrations | 8

point (BEP). When operated at any flow or pressure condition

away from the BEP, side loads are generated on the impeller
that, in turn, load the bearings. Depending on the hydraulic
load and the direction of the load, this can add to or subtract
from the gravity load on the bearings. The Hydraulic Institute
publishes a methodology for calculating the impeller loads.
Since this is a very complex subject, for the purposes of this
example we are going to ignore the hydraulic load effect.

figure 5. Second critical Speed Mode Shape of

SSOh Pump

figure 4. first critical Speed Mode Shape of SSOh

Pump

Modeling a small SSOH pump without the eye-seal effects and

without a casing substructure will not give realistic results.
When the unbalance response is calculated, the result will
be similar to Figure 6. This gives the impression the critical
speed is lurking just above operating speed when in fact it is
not. If just a flexible pedestal is added, the predicted critical
speed could drop down to operating speed, which does not
happen in practice unless the pump is run dry. Thus the need
to understand seals.
The first critical speed of an overhung rotor will be pivotal,
as illustrated in Figure 4. The maximum radial motion is at
the impeller eye with a nodal point between the two bearings.
Because there is large amplitude at the wear ring, any stiffness
and damping effect generated by this seal will have an effect
on this resonance. Note that, in this relatively rigid body
mode, there is very little bending in the shaft at resonance. On
most single-stage overhung pumps, the first critical speed is
above operating speed. This does not mean that this resonance
cannot affect the vibration of the pump.
Figure 5 shows the mode shape of the second critical speed.
Here the impeller has almost no motion. This means that
stiffness and damping from the eye-seal would have minimal
effect on this mode. This critical speed is usually many times
the operating speed of the pump. However, if this resonance
were to coincide with a system frequency like vane-pass
frequency, it could cause high vibration at that frequency.
This phenomenon has been observed in pumps in the field,
especially when they are operated off-BEP, which tends to
magnify the vane-pass pulsations. If the internal construction
in a pump is not optimized, vane-pass frequency can be
magnified.

figure 6. Predicted unbalance Response of SSOh

Pump without Pedestal and Seal effects

SealS and the lOMaKIn effect

Liquid annular seals are designed to restrain liquid flow
from the discharge area of the pump to the suction area (eye
seals) and the area behind the impeller (hub seals). These
seals are almost always plain flat rings, as this is a simple
and efficient design. Lomakin [10] explained that these seals
work because of the pressure drop across the seal creates an
apparent stiffness and damping restraining force. This occurs
when the rotating part of the seal moves eccentrically in the
annulus. On the side with the greater radial clearance, the
pressure will be reduced and an apparent restoring force will
be generated on the side with the smaller clearance.
Some damping is also generated by this type of seal. The
pressure drop across the seal from one end to the other is the
same at the narrow gap as at the large gap. Thus, a higher
flow velocity occurs in the higher gap than in the lower gap.
Bernoullis equation tells us that this gives higher pressure
applied at the smaller gap than at the larger gap. The net force

from these two pressures causes a centering direction force.

The restoring forces are proportional to the displacement,

9 | Vibrations

velocity and acceleration. In this respect, the seals resemble fluidfilm bearings. However, the governing equations for an annular

MARCH
2012

seal are quite different from the normal turbulent Reynolds

equations used in a bearing analysis. Quite a few researchers
have refined the work of Lomakin, most notably Black and
Jenssen [11], who applied bulk flow analysis, and later by
Childs [12], who applied Hirs lubrication equation, which
includes the influence of fluid inertia terms and inlet swirl.
The mathematics involved in these analyses is fairly
complex. The details are readily available from many Internet
sources.
Per Lomakin, if the impeller perturbations are small, the radial
stiffness (KR) of a seal can be estimated if the pressure drop
(P), radial clearance (C), length (L) and diameter (D)

are known. The more refined methods give better results

and should be used. Thus the longer the seal, the bigger the
diameter of the seal, the larger the P and the smaller the
clearance, the stiffer it will be.

Taking an example eye-seal for the pump in Figures 7 and

8, assume a diameter of 12 inches, an axial length of 1 inch,
hot water with a density of 8.821 X 10-5 lb/in3 and a viscosity
of 3.307 X 10-8 Reyns, an inlet swirl ratio of 0.5 and a radial
clearance of 0.01 inches. The pressure drop across the seal is
assumed to be a function of speed squared. Assuming the fullspeed BEP pressure drop is 200 psi, and using the method of
Black and Jenssen, Figure 7 is the calculated stiffness and
Figure 8 is the calculated damping. Using Childs method, the
direct stiffness is 30 to 40 percent higher and the cross-coupled
stiffness and direct damping are about 8 percent higher.

SSOh PuMP wIth Seal and PedeStal

effectS
When the seal and pedestal effects are included, the model
changes to look like Figure 9. Here the numbered black boxes
represent the pedestal mass, stiffness and damping. One
percent of critical damping (CC) was used where CC = 2(KM)
figure 9. complete Model with flexible Pedestals and
Seals

KR = 0.2(PDL/C)
In practice, the stiffness and damping generated by a liquid
annular seal are a function of the geometry (length, diameter),
fluid viscosity and density, and pressure drop. The inlet-swirl
ratio is usually assumed to be 0.5 unless swirl brakes are
used. Reducing the inlet swirl through the seal will reduce
the cross-coupling generated and increase stability, although
pump instabilities are relatively rare compared to machines
handling compressible fluids like compressors.
figure 7. typical Seal direct Stiffness
This model will show that the critical speed is eliminated,
as shown in Figure 10. However, this is for synchronous
unbalance as the forcing function. This curve is really valid
only up to the operating speed of the pump (3,580 rpm).
figure 10. Predicted unbalance Response of SSOh
Pump with Seal and Pedestal effects

figure 8. typical Seal direct damping

MARCH
2012

Vibrations |
10

ReSPOnSe tO Vane-PaSS fRequency

To consider the effect of vane-pass frequency on the example
pump rotordynamics, a 5X tracking force was applied at the
impeller location and the speed was varied from 2,000 to 4,000
rpm meaning that the forcing function varied from 10,000 to
20,000 cpm. Since any system like this does have some
resonances, any natural frequency in this frequency range will be
excited, as Figure 11 shows. It doesnt take too much
imagination to realize that, with the right pedestal stiffness
characteristics, vane-pass could easily tuneup a structural
resonance. Indeed, this author has seen this phenomenon more
than a few times.
figure 11. SSOh Pump Vibration due to 5X Vane-Pass
frequency excitation
MKT10214

caSe Study

Bearing
Clearance Issue in
Blower
by greg henson
Elanco/Eli Lilly

ecently the utility section of a manufacturing plant site

chose to upgrade the vibration supervisory systems on
some large blowers installed in 1976. The project was
very straightforward: replace the existing proximity probes
and replace the old supervisory system with a new modern
system that allows live data to be taken directly from the panel.
This would create a reliable system, with no power board or
miscellaneous board failures to worry about causing false trips
on the blowers. Seems simple, right?

installed. When qualifying the system on start-up, alarms

went

Figure 1 is a picture of the blower units. The blower units

provide a high-volume, low-pressure air supply for the sites
fermentation operation. The machines installed in 1976 are
single-stage blowers with a 24,000 ACFM rating. The inlet
pressure is ambient air and the discharge pressure is 27.2 psia.
The blowers are driven with a 1750 hp, 4160V, 1800 rpm
motor with a gearbox that increases the speed of the blower
to 11000 rpm.
The sites vibration monitoring system was old enough that, if
a component failed, replacement parts might not be available,
and the manufacturer no longer had trained or qualified people
to work on the systems. A new system was purchased and

14 |

Vibrations

MARCH
2012

figure 1. Photo of blower Showing Motor and

gearbox

off on several of the units. The probes were placed in the same
location as the previous probes. So why were the readings
so much higher than before? Were the signature patterns
different? What was causing the change?

mils (peak-peak)

The blower uses a pressure-feed oil system. The blower

impeller is attached directly to the output shaft of the gearbox.
The bearings in the gear case are tilting pad bearings. The
machine also has set points that do not allow for start up until
certain parameters are met, one of these being oil temperature.
In an effort to complete the project, the machine was started as
soon as the parameter was met.
Figure 2 illustrates a vibration spectrum that shows the
result of this start up. The peak at approximately 50 percent
of operating speed was suspected to be a subsynchronous
resonance, possibly caused by the low oil temperature. Even
before the project, this machine had suspect indications of
bearing wear. It was in probable need of inspection soon.
frequency

Spectrum

of

The bearings were inspected and replaced, and at the time of

replacement, the bearing nearest the blower was found to have
more than a 0.010-inch clearance. This is at least 0.004 inches
more than recommended. After bearing replacement, the machine
has not experienced any of the previous issues.

mils (peak-peak)

figure 2.
Vibration

Frequency (cpm)

Frequency (cpm)

With the signature pattern indicating possible subsynchronous

resonance due to excessive clearance, it was decided to warm
the oil 5-10 degrees above the initial start up temperature
and try to restart the machine. Figure 3 shows the vibration
spectrum for that start up. The subsynchronous peak and other
associated amplitudes were reduced or gone.
figure 3. frequency Spectrum of Vibration
after Increasing Oil temperature

MARCH
2012

Vibrations | 15

16 |

Vibrations

MARCH
2012

caSe Study

Coupling Related
Vibration in MG
Set
by Scott M. tilley
Burford Electric Service

y company, Burford Electric Service, was asked to

troubleshoot a vibration problem in a customers
DC generator driven by an AC motor, commonly
referred to as an MG set. The generator provides DC power
to a carriage drive at a hardwood sawmill that, in turn, runs
logs back and forth across a band saw. The AC motor is rated
at 350 hp and 880 rpm and is coupled to the generator with
a rigid-style coupling. The motor rotor is supported on both
ends with rolling element bearings, and the generator rotor is
supported on the outboard end with a rolling element bearing.
The drive end of the generator shaft has no bearing support. It
is supported by the coupling and the inboard motor bearing.
Figure 1 shows the MG set in question. The 350 hp AC motor
is located on the left-hand side of the picture, and the DC
generator on the right-hand side.
The customer had noticed a lot of vibration in the unit during a
coast down after the power was shut off. The MG set is located
on the second floor of the mill, and the customer informed
us that the whole floor vibrated during the coast down. The
customer requested that we check the vibration during a coast
down. Since we arrived on-site early, it was decided to acquire

vibration readings on the MG set while it was still

running under normal conditions.

figure 1. Photo of the Mg Set

Table1 lists the overall vibrations levels acquired from the unit
while it was operating. These data clearly indicated that the MG
set not only had high vibration when it was coasting down but
also had high vibration while it was running. Overall vibration
levels exceeded 1.2 ips peak velocity at the outboard horizontal
measurement point on the AC motor. Over 90 percent of the
vibratory energy was occurring at 1x turning speed, which was
recorded at 892 rpm using a strobe light.

Elevated vibration was seen throughout the motor and the

generator, with the highest readings recorded in the horizontal
direction
table 1. Mg
amplitudes

Set

Overall

Measurement Point
MotorOutboardHorizontal
MotorOutboardVertical
MotorOutboardAxial
MotorInboardHorizontal
MotorInboardVertical
MotorInboardAxial
GeneratorOutboardHorizontal
GeneratorOutboard Vertical
GeneratorOutboardAxial

Vibration

Vibration Amplitude
In/sec peak
1.28
1.06
0.27
0.87
0.89
0.22
0.56
0.56
0.15

Table 1 shows the overall vibration levels were much higher

than recommended for reliable operation. This supported an
initial diagnosis that damage or excessive material build-up in
the rotor body might be causing imbalance and amplifying the
vibration. To investigate the validity of this diagnosis, crosschannel phase readings were obtained at different locations on
the motor and generator. The phase readings began telling an
interesting story.
The phase across the coupling in the radial direction was
between 160 and 170 degrees. The radial vibration was outof-phase, prompting a closer investigation of the coupling. By
means of a strobe light, the display of coupling rotation was
slowed down without completely freezing the shaft. Allowing
the display of the shaft to continue turning while viewing it
with a strobe light can help reveal excessive amounts of runout or eccentricity. As the rotation of the shaft was slowed
down with the strobe light, it was obvious the generator shaft
and coupling were not running true with the motor shaft and
coupling.
The unit was shut down. A dial indicator placed on the
couplings to measure the amount of radial run-out revealed a

large amount of coupling run-out (0.075 inch) on the generator as

well as run-out on the motor coupling (0.007 inch).
Figure 2 is a picture of the coupling. It is a rigid-style coupling that
bolts up tight. Apparently, over time, wear on the inside of the
coupling had allowed the generator coupling and shaft to move,
resulting in the excessive vibration amplitudes.
Based on this study, we recommended that the coupling be
repaired or replaced. We advised that the coupling could probably
be reset into its proper position, which would likely lower the
vibration amplitudes. The customer agreed to reset the coupling
and asked us to perform the work. To reset the generator coupling
and shaft, we measured the coupling run- out on the generator and
put the high point at top dead center. The next step was to loosen
all of the coupling bolts until

figure 2. Photo of the Mg Set Rigid

coupling

And, in fact, the overall vibration amplitudes were much

lower.
Table 2 compares vibration levels before and after the work.
The highest vibration amplitudes dropped from over 1.2 ips
to less than 0.1 ips after the excessive run-out was removed.
The overall vibration amplitudes were much lower at all
data locations once the excessive coupling/shaft run-out was
removed from the generator.
table 2. Mg Set Vibration amplitudes before and after
corrections
Vibration Amplitude
In/sec peak
Measurement Point
BEFORE
AFTER
Motor Outboard Horizontal
1.28
0.08
Motor Outboard Vertical
1.06
0.09
Motor Outboard Axial
0.27
0.06
Motor Inboard Horizontal
0.87
0.07
Motor Inboard Vertical
0.89
0.05
Motor Inboard Axial
0.22
0.05
Generator Inboard Horizontal
0.56
0.07
Generator Inboard Vertical
0.56
0.05
Generator Inboard Axial
0.15
0.05

they were completely backed off the lockwasher,

revealing that all the bolts were already slightly loose,
which may have contributed to the onset of the
vibration problem. Once all the coupling bolts were
completely loosened, the generator coupling and shaft
dropped into its proper position and the coupling bolts
were retightened. With the coupling bolts tight, the radial
run-out was remeasured with a dial indicator. The motor
and generator couplings run-outs were both recorded at
0.002 inch. We were confident this adjustment would
lower the vibration amplitudes toward acceptable levels.
After the work was completed, the MG set was restarted.

Figures 3 and 4 show the frequency spectra and time

waveforms of data acquired from the outboard horizontal
location on the motor before and after the work. Note that the
vibration scale in Figure 3 is different from the one in Figure
4.

figure 3. ac Motor Vibration before

corrections upper Plot: frequency
Spectrum lower Plot: time waveform

PK Velocity in In/Sec

01

Recertification Requirements

SMT - MG SET
-MOH MOTOR OUTBOARD BRG HORZ

1.6

Route Spectrum
07-Oct-11 09:03:15
OVERALL= 1.28 V-DG
PK = 1.27
LOAD = 100.0
RPM = 892. (14.87 Hz)

1.2
0.8
0.4
0

Acceleration in G-s

20000

40000
Frequency in CPM

60000

0.6

80000
Route Waveform
07-Oct-11 09:03:15
RMS = .2355
PK(+/-) = .4796/.4239
CRESTF= 2.04

0.4
0.2
0.0
-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
0

Freq: 892.24
0.3

0.6

0.9
Time in Seconds

1.2

1.5

PK Velocity in In/Sec

0.10

Renewal. You may provide evidence of continuing

education experience, training and/or technical
activity. Points for renewal can be earned for
vibration-related
activities
including
work
experience, professional development,
attending
industry, association or
chapter meetings, and vibration-related presentations
and published articles.
Re-examination. You may take the certification exam
at the level you are currently certified. This requires
scheduling an examination and securing a proctor per
established Vibration Institute protocol.

Ordr: 1.000
Spec: 1.259

figure 4. ac Motor Vibration after

corrections upper Plot: frequency
Spectrum lower Plot: time
waveform
01

Certification as a Vibration Analyst is valid for five

years from the date of current certification level. After
five years, and in compliance with ISO 18436: Part
I, certified Vibration Analysts are required to recertify.
Re-certification at the current level of certification can
be achieved in one of two ways:

SMT - MG SET
-MOH MOTOR OUTBOARD BRG HORZ
0.08

0.06

0.04

Route Spectrum
28-Oct-11 11:01:35
OVERALL= .0865 V-DG
PK = .0862
LOAD = 100.0
RPM = 899. (14.99 Hz)

0.02
0

Acceleration in G-s

20000

40000
Frequency in CPM

60000

80000

0.18
0.12

Route Waveform
28-Oct-11 11:01:35

0.06

RMS = .0399
PK(+/-) = .1223/.1102
CRESTF= 3.06

0.00
-0.06
-0.12
-0.18
0

0.3

0.6

0.9
Time in Seconds

1.2

1.5

Freq: 898.43
Ordr: .999
Spec: .06559

Vibration Analysts are certified on the basis of ability

to function at a specified level. The motivation for recertification is to ensure that the Vibration Analyst
maintains the capability to function at the level
certified.
Points toward recertification can be earned in various
ways. The Vibration Institute Certification Committee
has approved renewal requirements as follows:
Category I: 24 points (beginning January 2011)
Category II: 28 points (beginning January 2011)
Category III: 32 points (beginning January 2013)
Category IV: 36 points (beginning January 2014)

This case history demonstrates that, along with analysis of

the vibration signature, utilizing some fairly simple diagnostic

tools such as phase angle, a strobe light and a dial

indicator will help find and correct many vibration
problems.

caSe Study

Resonance:
Cutting It Down
to
Size
by ashok bhogle
Predictive Maintenance Engineer

igh vibrations due to resonance in variable speed

machines are not uncommon in industry. Simple
solutions are available to correct these issues. A
resonance problem in
the motor support of variable speed pumps was identified by the
Condition Monitoring Team at the Minara Resources Limited
Murrin Murrin site in Western Australia, whose primary business
is to produce nickel, cobalt and ammonium sulphate from nickel
laterite ore. The six first-stage pumps in the Ore Leach Plant
were all displaying similar vibration characteristics.

Figure 3 is a frequency spectrum of vibration at the most

sensitive speed. It is dominated by response at the rotation
speed of the pump and motor.

Figure 1 illustrates one of the pumps. The pumps are pulleydriven with a variable speed motor, with a pulley ratio of 1:1.
The motors are supported by four threaded rods extending from
a fabricated steel base. (Note that the picture of the pump was
taken at the conclusion of this study, after modifications had
been made. The threaded fasteners supporting the motor were
longer before modification.)
Figure 2 shows a survey of vibration levels versus speed that
indicates the motors were probably resonant between speed
ranges of 1024 rpm and 1278 rpm, with vibrations reaching 63
mm/sec (2.48 ips rms).

20 |

Vibrations

MARCH
2012

figure 1. Photo of first Stage Pump

Motor Lowered by 175 mm

belts changed from
SPC3150 to SPC 2800

The conclusion was that the length of the threaded fasteners

caused the stiffness of the structure supporting the motor to be
low. The natural frequency (fn) of the motor support equals:
figure 2. Motor Vibration versus Pump Speed
(before Modification)

motor was lowered. Since the type of belt was not modified, the
load factors for the belt did not change.

note: Vertical axis: Vibration (mm/sec)

horizontal axis: Pump Speed (rpm)

Follow-up vibration surveys confirmed that the equipment was no

longer resonant at operating speeds. Figure 5 shows a survey of
vibration levels versus speed after modification. Vibration
reduction from levels of 63 mm/sec (2.48 ips) to 5 mm/sec (0.20
ips) was a success for the Condition Monitoring Team. The solution
was implemented for the rest of the pumps of the same design with
resonance issues.

figure 3. frequency Spectrum of Motor Vibration

before Modification

The two options considered for correcting the resonance

problem concentrated on increasing the natural frequency by
increasing the stiffness of the motor support. These options
were:
1. Stiffening the motor support by welding cross braces
between the base to which the motor is attached and the
fabricated steel base that supports the threaded fasteners.
2. Lowering the motor by 175 mm (6.89 inches) and change
the belts. A sketch of this option is included in Figure 4.
The second option was selected for the trial since it did not
require major mechanical work. It required only modification
of the guard and replacement with a shorter belt when the

MARCH
2012

Vibrations | 21

figure 4. Sketch of Modification to Motor Support

figure 5. Motor Vibration versus Pump Speed (after
Modification)
note: Vertical axis: Vibration (mm/sec)
horizontal axis: Pump Speed (rpm)

Motor
Lowered by
175 mm,
belts
changed
from
SPC3150 to
SPC2800

III.

22 |

Vibrations

MARCH
2012

Newly Certified Individuals

2011-2012
newly ceRtIfIed IndIVIdualS
December 1, 2011 February 29, 2012
categORy I eXaM
Juan Carlos Albavera Hernandez, Juan
Manuel Almeida Lugo, Jose De
Jesus
Avina Cueto,
J. Jesus Ayala
Medina,
Noel Belmonte Gonzalez, Sergio
GPE Bio Felix, Ismael Damian
Calderillo, Sergio Gabriel Calvillo
Rodriguez,
Camerana Keith
De LaCamara
Fuente, Loria,
Ing.
David
Campos
Villagomez,
Delfino
Carmona Ramirez, Jose Manual
Augusto Carreto Fernandez, Ricardo
Everado Carrillo Napolez, Alejandro
Cerda Lopez, Eric Cervantes Cruz,
Angel Enrique Chavez Valdes, Erick
Paul Contreras Rivera, Ivan Cortes
Pelaez, Jorge Jesus Damian Loyola,
Ricardo Delgado Arellano, Jose
Luis Dominguez Mendez, Naveen
Avil Oswald Dsouza, Hector Duran
Novelo, Ricardo Elias Espino
Osuna, Keith
Falcao,
Rafael
Guadalupe Flores Revoreda, Eloy
Alejandro
Flores Ruiz, Eloy
Alberto Garcia Villanueva, Juan
Carlos Gutierrez Bautista, Jorge
Antonion Herrera Cahuich, Eugene
Lai, Roberto Christian Lara Roldan,
Ing. Alejandro Lopez Ramirez,
Hemanath Manohar, Jesus Alberto
Mariscal Garcia, Victor Hugo Mata
Ibarra, Armando Mendoza Nava,
Jorge Armando Michel Diaz, Juan
Manuel Monroy Violante, Jose
Oscar Moreno Cortes, Juan Pablo
Naarro Orozco, Antonio Esteban
Neria Merino, Juan Manuel Olvera
Olvera, Juan Osorio Ontanon,
Alfredo Ortiz Oviedo, Ruben Pecero
Sobrevilla, Jazz Keith Peters,
Hector Efrain Prado Sanchez,
Alfredo Rivera Feregrino, Jesus
Enrique Rodriguez Campos, Carlos
Roberto Rodriguez Cardenas, Javier

Cueva, Abraham Vidal Peralta,

Christian Henry Villadonga Guzman,
Pedro ZapataJose Arturo Zea Monhera,
Menchaca,
Jose Arturo
categORy II eXaM
Dan Addington, Michael Akinfemi
Akinuli, Nasser Hamed Al-Hinai,
Amr
Hassan
Ali,
Yousuf
Mohammed
Al-Jabri,
Nasser
Sulaiman
NasserMonsour
Alkhanjari,
Sabahi, Bader
SalimTariq
AlSalmi,
Chinniah Amburose, Doug Ayers,
Ghouse Shahinshah Basha, Gautam
Nikhilchandra
Bhattacharya,
Andrew Boggs, David Bray, Neil
Brooks, Andres Caceres Lara, Justo
Canales Ferre, Brian Cary, Carolina
Izquierdo Castilla, Henry Cruz
Huiman, Justin Davis, Steve Deases,
Serief Atef El Beshlawy, Osama
Elbshir Elnahrawy, Beau Fulford,
Barry Gallant, Juan Jose Gambos,
Suryakant Vithal Gawde, Charles
Lee
Henderson II, Mohamed
Hussein Abdel Rahman Hussein,
Kuddush Syed Ibrahim, Jobin P.
Jacob, Dinesh Bhawarlal Jain,
Balasubramanian
Krishnakumar,
Sujit Kshatri, Pathakota Sudheer
Kumar Reddy, Luis Torres Lagos,
Arshad Mansoor, Hecner Merino,
Youssef Ibrahim Mikhail, M. Meeran
Mohideen, Abel Ortega Mollar,
Muhamad
Saiin
Mustofa,
Thangavelu
Muthukumaran,
Abdulrahman
Noordeen
Shamsudeen, Christopher Olsen,
Joseu Rosemberg Coutino Ozuna,
Alex Rogelio Pachas Sulca, Pratap
Ramrao Patil, Richard Earl Pratt,
Alex
Quispe
Quispe,
Sudhar
Rajagopalan,
Palanisamy
Ravi,
Imanel
Kostany
Rebello,
Purushotham Reddy, Wilmers Cruz
Rodriguez, Rafael Rozo, Mohamed
Salahudeen K.H., Ghilmar Jhonatan

Small, Mark V. Stokley, Scott

Stranford, Edwin Eugene Todd Jr.,
Jose Torres
Mejia,
Subramanian K.
Vaidyanathan,
Vijayakrishnan Venugopal, Mukesh
D.
Vyas, Manojkumar B. Wagh,
Tiffany
Ann Ward, Dan West, Prasada
Rao
Yaramatti, K.S. Mohamed Yasar
Ali,
K.S. Mohamed

categORy III eXaM

Amr Hassan Abayazeed,
Mitchell
Anderson, Bernard Boueri, R.
Dennis Conroy, Shawn Covington,
Shawn Michael
Feuser,
Ahmed
Sayed
Mohamed Ismail, Roshan Joseph,
Jeff Kenney, Steve Kouma,
Sudalaimuthu Muthusamy, Brian
Pae, Dakshina Murthy Ram Sekar,
Guna Sager Malla, Ramesh Seshan,
Muthusamy Vaikundam,

categORy I balancIng
eXaM
Fredy Sansom

Certification Corner

Vibration Institute Vibration

Analyst Certification
Renewal
Requirements Explained
by brian biby
ArcelorMittal
by nancy denton,
P.e.
Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Technology
Purdue
University
abStRact
The renewal process within the Vibration Institutes Vibration
Analyst certification program is in place to offer a path to
recertification of certificants who are competent and current in
their knowledge at a specific level without the burden of taking
another examination. There have been recent changes to
the Vibration Institutes Vibration Analyst certification
renewal form and underlying policy. These changes are
designed for continued compliance with the intent of the
renewal process, to be more equitable to certificants, and to
continue to satisfy the needs of industry and other stakeholders.
This article explains the motivation behind the changes to the
renewal process and how they will affect certificants.

bacKgROund
The Vibration Institute is accredited by ANSI to operate in
accordance with ISO/IEC 17024 [1] as a third-party
certification body for Vibration Analyst classification. The
certification scheme used is based on ISO 18436 [2, 3],
which states that certificates issued may be valid for no
more than five years. The Vibration Institute vibration analyst
scheme complies with Parts 1 and 2 of the ISO 18436
standard; Part 2 is specific to Vibration Analyst classification,
while Part 1 contains additional language regarding the
requirements for certification bodies that deal with the ISO
18436 Condition monitoring and diagnostics of machines
family of standards. These standards come with requirements
for clear audit processes, separation of certification and training

programs, definition of the relevant body of knowledge and

specific certification exam criteria.
In compliance with these standards, the Vibration Institute has
long offered a methodology to renew vibration analysts
certificates without requiring the certificant to recertify by

examination, providing certain criteria are met. The

criteria are primarily continued work in the field
without significant interruption, ongoing ethical behavior
and verifiable evidence that the certificant has engaged in
activities that serve as evidence the certificant continues to
comply with the current certification requirements. Some
of this evidence is obtained through proactive
surveillance activities; some evidence is documented and
declared by the certificant on the renewal application. To
date, no specific training or examination in specific
Body of Knowledge (BOK) subjects is required for
renewal.
The purpose of any personnel certification scheme is to
provide value to industry and stakeholders by certification
of individuals to their various classifications based upon a
standardized body of knowledge, job description, and task
summary for each. Certification to such an established
standard or other set of criteria offers confidence that
certified individuals can adequately perform all the job
functions safely and correctly, and require no further
training to do so. Certification must serve both the
industry and the stakeholders; therefore, a certification body
must be responsive to industry, stakeholders and the
standards.
move to more advanced categories. Although certification
category may have little effect on vibration-related experience
points, category does have a marked effect on the amount of
participation in technical activities a vibration analyst must
exhibit to demonstrate continued compliance with certification
requirements. The revised point requirements of 24, 28, 32
and 36 based on certification category are being rolled out in
progressive stages and are being advertised. The category I
and II reductions are already in effect; the Category III and IV
increases will be effective at the beginning of 2013 and 2014,
respectively.
figure 1. Vibration analyst Scheme committee
Roles and Responsibilities

Vibration analyst (Va) certification Scheme

committee Roles and Responsibilities
The VA Scheme Committee is a group of
approximately 25 Category III and IV certificants
who are Vibration
Institute members. This
committee is responsible for the development,
ongoing review, and maintenance of the certification
scheme. They meet regularly to:
Develop,
review
and
analyst
certification exam questions

revise

vibration

Propose certification policies and procedures to

the
board of directors
Ensure compliance
standards

with

applicable

MOtIVatIOn fOR change

Feedback received by the Vibration Institute and its vibration
analyst scheme committee revealed a potential disparity in
renewal point requirements between the different classification
categories of vibration analysts. The same 30-point requirement
was being applied to all four classification categories. This was
a simple implementation, but based on the experience, training
and depth of knowledge a certificant in each category must
possess, clearly too much was being asked of entry-level
certificants and too little of more advanced certificants. In
addition, confusion about the interpretation of some of the
point-eligible activity listings on the renewal process form
needed to be addressed.

Renewal POlIcy change

In response to industry and stakeholder needs, the Vibration
Institute vibration analyst scheme committees diverse,
international and seasoned subject matter experts collaborated to
resolve this disparity. (Figure 1 offers more information about
the Vibration Analyst Certification Scheme Committee). The
solution is a tiered renewal-point requirement based on
certificant category, where increasing point values apply as
certificants
Address any ethics and/or misconduct
issues related to exam takers, certificants
and proctors/ invigilators
Questions about certification and the renewal
process should be submitted Karen Bresson,
Vibration
Institute
executive
director.
Exam
applications and renewal forms are available online
at www.vi-institute.org or call (630) 654-2254.

ReVISed
fORM

Renewal

A review of the renewal application form layout, instructions

and related details was part of the VA Certification Scheme
Commities effort to improve the renewal process. Again, the
focus of the review is to better serve industry and the certificant
while maintaining the integrity of the certification scheme.
Table 1 compares key elements of the legacy and current
renewal
forms.
The
current
renewal
form,
VI_Form_CF024_R3_2011- 07-10 [4], is now available as a
fillable PDF document on the Vibration Institute website.
One challenge of the legacy form was its layout. The format
of four half-pages has been modified to four full-size pages
to accommodate both typed and handwritten entry. Another
challenge was the lack of point limits and requirements in each
section. The form has been modified to make it clear to the
certificant how many points are required and how many points
may be earned from each experience and technical activity
section. The current renewal form should be quite adaptable

to online application if the Vibration Institute chooses to

accommodate online submission.

The Documented Training technical activity now

contains more descriptive language about the
types of training eligible, points earned, frequency
and value of points earned for similar activities,
and a cap of 16 points earned from Documented
Training activities.

The term vibration-related appears in both Experience and

Technical Activities sections of the form. The legacy forms
use of this term without explanation created confusion. On the
revised form, it is well-defined for better understanding and
usability by the certificant. Vibration-related includes all
the subjects and topics of the Body of Knowledge and job task
analysis. As reminders, some often overlooked BOK-related
items such as alignment, mechanical work electrical work, and a
host of companion PdM technologies are listed. Each grouping
has its own point cap reflecting the job task analysis and the
breadth of the Body of Knowledge. The Institute interpretation
of vibration-related has not been altered, but now the
certificant has a much better understanding of its relationship
to the Body of Knowledge, companion technologies, specific
maintenance and repair corrective activities and particular point
limits attributable to these non-core activities.
The distribution of experience points earned was slightly
increased to better reflect the value of ongoing vibration-related
work experience. Investment of 10 percent of a work year into
vibration-related activities is now recognized with 1 point,
while an investment of 60 percent of a work year is needed to
earn 4 points. A maximum of 20 points may be earned from
work experience during the five-year certification period.
The three sections related to Technical Activities are more
comprehensible and better spelled-out to the certificant:

which better reflect the participation in technical activities a

vibration analyst must exhibit at each classification category
to demonstrate continued compliance with certification
requirements. The interpretation and evaluation of items on

The Meeting and Conference Attendance technical

activity now contains more descriptive language
about the eligible activities, points earned,
frequency and value of points earned for similar
activities, annual point caps on the subcategories of
meetings and conference attendance, and a cap of 16
points earned from Meeting and Conference
Attendance activities.
The Presentations and Publications technical
activity now contains more descriptive language
about eligible activities, points earned, frequency
and value of points earned for similar activities, and
a cap of 16 points earned from Presentations and
Publications activities.
The update to the renewal application form and its point system
has effectively addressed the concerns raised by industry
and certificants about the potential disparity and difficulty of
renewal for a certificant who in fact had adequate experience
and technical activities but was taxed to support his/her efforts
appropriately on the form.
The only significant change to the certification renewal policy
is the implementation of tiered increasing point requirements,
the renewal application by the Vibration Institute remains
essentially the same. What has changed is the ability of the
certificant to better understand the criteria and be more aware
of the eligible activities and their limits.

table 1. Renewal Of Vibration analyst certification Policy/form comparison

Legacy Renewal Policy/Form

2011 Revised Renewal Policy/Form

Form Layout
Four pages, 5.5 x 8.5 size, application
format. Paper fill-in format only; difficult
electronic use.

Four pages, letter size, application format.

Paper and electronic fill-in format.
Easily adaptable for online submission.

Form Summary and Attestation

Unclear, easy-to-miss subcategory
items. Single, non-dated, certificant
signoff.

Clear and concise; easy to understand layout.

Certificant verification initials and date each
page.

Vibration-Related Experience
25% of work/year to earn 1
point/year. 50% of work/year to earn
2 points/year.
>50% of work/year to earn 4 points/year.
20 points maximum over 5 years.
Significant interruptions not noted on form.

10% (220 hours) work/year to earn 1 point/year.

20% (440 hours) work/year to earn 2 points/year.
40% (880 hours) work/year to earn 3 points/year.
60% (1,320 hours) work/per year to earn 4 points/year.
20 points maximum over 5 years.
Disqualification for significant interruption
noted.

Technical Activity - Documented Training

Points earned stated, but not for which activities.

Underlying limit of similar, repeated activities only valid once
per 5 year period.
Very limited space for documenting activities.
No cap on points earned by documented training.

Points earned stated clearly per activity.

Clear limits on repeated activities, with some relief for
multiple activities.
Ample space for documenting activities.
Cap of 16 points by documented training.

Technical Activity - Meeting and Conference Attendance

Unclearly defined point-earning activities.
Silent on point limits of similar, repeated activities per
time interval.
Vibration-related committee work status unclear.
Very limited space for documenting activities.
No cap on points earned in each subcategory; No cap
on points earned per year; No cap on combined
points for meeting and conference attendance.

Clearly defined point-earning activities.

Clear direction on points earned from repeated activities
per time interval.
Vibration-related committee work included in scope.
Ample space for documenting activities.
Per-year caps on points earned in each subcategory; Cap
of 16 points combined for meetings and conference
attendance.

Technical Activity - Presentations and Publications

Points earned per original presentation and original article
are clearly stated.
Technical publication clearly defined.
Silent on points limit of similar, repeated activities and on
when points are not earned for each.
Very limited freeform space for documenting activity.
No cap on points earned by presentations and publications.

Points earned per original presentation or original article

are clearly stated.
Technical publications are clearly defined.
Clear stated point limits for similar, repeated activities and
clearly stated that no points earned are earned from
repeated activities.
Ample space for documenting activities.
Cap of 16 points earned from presentations and publications.

Informative Text and Information

Few instructional reminders to aid for
completion. Clear appeals and complaints
information.
Silent on definition of vibration-related activities.
Silent on companion PdM activities; no point caps.
Silent on corrective activities; no point caps.

Instructional reminders to aid in form completion.

Clear appeals and complaints information.
Clear instruction on local definition of vibrationrelated activities.
Clear inclusion of companion PdM activities and cap on
applicable points earned due to these technologies.
Clear inclusion of certain equipment corrective activities
and cap on points earned due to those activities.

Certificants will likely find it easier to qualify for renewal using

the revised form and tiered point system. However, this should
not be seen as lowering standards or sacrificing of the
integrity of the certification scheme. On the contrary,
responding to the needs of all stakeholders by modifying the
required points and better educating certificants about the
renewal process produces a more robust and equitable method to
assess and verify continued compliance with current
certification requirements.

The Vibration Institute remains responsive to the needs of

industry and certificants alike and will continue to improve and
adapt its policies and practices to better serve stakeholders,
comply with applicable standards such as ANSI/ISO/IEC 17024
and ISO 18436, reinforce the integrity of its certification
schemes, and remain relevant to all parties. As times change, both
standards and stakeholder needs change. The Vibration Institute
will respond to these changes, ensuring the Vibration Institute
remains a premier accredited certification body.