All successful reliability programs have one thing in common – strong communication between all plant resources. Although this concept does not have any direct relevance to maintenance, it is an important topic to reflect on. Keeping a constant line of communication with operations, maintenance teams, management, and everybody else at your facility will provide feedback…
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There are times when it is useful to take 2 simultaneous measurements and compare the phase (or position of the shaft) from one position relative to the other. This is most commonly used with displacement probes on journal bearings and is a powerful diagnostic tool on this type of equipment, as well as provides you…
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Acoem’s Bearing Defender sensor is a true wireless 3-channel accelerometer. It can be used with a tablet or smartphone to detect common vibration problems quickly and easily on a machine-with no training or certification required. It can be used standalone (with a smartphone or other device for the display), or in conjunction with Acoem’s more…
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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…
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I recently heard the term “silver tsunami” at a conference in Florida. It has been around since the 1980s. It refers to the current and pending retirements of Baby Boomers (Gen X is not far behind), and the void it will create in the workplace. Not as much a void of people but a void…
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Condition monitoring is by no means a new concept in industry. In fact, it is so widely regarded as a best practice, that it becomes commonplace in more industries each year. With this increase in awareness, we have seen an influx of options over the years. Simple overall meters, portable analyzers, wired continuous systems, and…
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Recently I conducted training at a location that had quite a large population of centrifugal pumps, the majority of which were overhung pumps. As you can see from the diagram below, the overhung pump casing bolts to the volute by a ring of bolts in a circular flange. Issues with Bolt Bound and…
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Analyzing vibration data can be a difficult job. Using VFD (Variable Frequency Drive) motors can make it even more difficult. Pattern recognition is a huge part of this process. However, diagnosing between electrical and mechanical vibration patterns can be challenging. Is it a Mechanical or Electrical Problem? First, a straightforward way to distinguish between…
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During a recent balancing class, I was requested to help the customer balance a couple of fans. Typically, our services team does this, but I agreed to help. When we got to this rooftop penthouse, I noticed a few things: The fan wheel, housing, and shaft were coated in a fairly thick coat of rust…
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A customer called me recently with concerns about a pump alignment job he completed about six months earlier. He had checked the alignment again and found that the alignment values changed. He was concerned that he had done something wrong. I explained to him that he was performing the alignment correctly, however, the machine could…
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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…
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V-belts are cheap, right? That’s what most people in industry think, but a dumpster full of worn-out belts represents a good amount of money. Not only that, but the time required to change belts, along with any downtime, can be significant. Make Belt Drives Efficient Belt drives need four things to make them efficient: Proper…
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An often-overlooked precision maintenance tool is the V-belt tension gauge. Many maintenance technicians believe they can just go by “feeling” for what proper belt tension should be. In our Reliable Precision Maintenance (RPM) course, we often let mechanics tension the belts to what they “feel” is correct. Then we check the tension with a V-belt…
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Over the years when training “new” vibration analysts, I stress for them to keep it simple. Many analysts believe that you must review time waveform data to analyze all machinery problems. This is not true. However, some problems are impossible to diagnose without it. Common Machinery Problems in Industry A majority of plant machinery…
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There sure are a lot of acronyms around and it seems like new ones come out every day. Not sure about you, but I have a hard time keeping track of them. There are times when I attempt a conversation with someone, and they are spewing out so many acronyms it is hard to decipher…
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If you’re working to maintain machines, Acoem USA wants to help.
We’re committed to providing tools, training, and services that will transform your approach to maintenance and reliability.
