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Posts by James Otremba
Gearboxes – Know your Machines
Gearboxes are used in numerous applications, including machine tools, industrial equipment, conveyor belt drives, and just about any power transmission application with rotary motion that requires a change in torque and/or speed. Output speed and torque are always going to be in contrast to each other – if you use a gearbox to increase the…
Read MoreClosing the Loop in Reliability
The Journey of Reliability A machine is identified by the vibration analyst and recommendations are made for repair, the planner orders the parts, management gets together and determines when the repairs are made, and the maintenance team carries out the plan to replace the defective component. Success! We averted disaster once again! … And the…
Read MoreBasics of Centrifugal Pumps – Know Your Machines
Centrifugal pumps are common in industry. They are used to move various liquids from one place to another. This work is performed using a rotating pump wheel, or “impeller”, with a number of “vanes” on it. The wheel acts against the pump housing internals, which are either a volute or diffuser style, and produce the…
Read MoreResonance in Equipment Reliability
Resonance, critical speed, and natural frequency are all very similar terms and refer to the same phenomenon. An increase in equipment vibration, not relating directly to a specific component, is oftentimes caused by one of the many component natural frequencies that are present on every system or object that exists in the known universe. It…
Read MoreGood Vibration Data vs Bad Vibration Data
It is important in vibration analysis to know whether the vibration data you are looking at is actually “good data”. Below is a review of the causes and symptoms of junk data, as well as some tips to improve data quality overall in the future. Reasons for Bad Data A poor electrical connection is…
Read MoreThe Basics of Fans – Know Your Machines
Fans are a very common component in industry, they are used to move air from one place to another. Fans are used in dust collection, supplying air to boilers, provide ventilation to factories, are used in the manufacturing process and more. Even your HVAC system at home has a fan/blower in it to move the…
Read MoreUtilizing Phase to Confirm Machine Faults
It’s on all of the vibration fault charts, it’s taught in vibration classes, and it’s used for balancing – but how often is phase actually used by vibration analysts to confirm faults? Using phase analysis to prove faults detected during an inspection can really help to verify issues on your machines. Phase, particularly cross-channel phase…
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