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VIBRATION & BALANCING
VIBRATION : Vibration is defined as the response of a system to an
internal or external stimulus causing it to oscillate. Components in a
vibrating system have three properties and they are Mass, Elasticity and
damping. The property of mass causes an object to resist acceleration and
also enables an object to store energy in the form of velocity (kinetic). The
property of elasticity enables an object to store energy in the form of
deflection i.e. you must spend energy to deflect a spring. The property of
damping enables an object to dissipate energy.
The above three properties define the resonant frequency or natural
frequency of a system which is very important for knowing the
phenomena of vibrations.
VIBRATION DISPLACEMENT :- The total distance traveled by the
vibrating system from peak to peak is the peak to peak vibration
displacement and generally expressed in mils where 1 mils is equal to one
- thousandth (1/1000) of an inch. It is also measured in microns. One
micron is equal to 1/1000 of a millimeter.
VIBRATION FREQUENCY :- Vibrations are in general in form of a
sinusoidal wave. Thus the vibration frequency is the number of complete
sine waves per minute/second C.P.M./CPS which is denoted by H z (hertz)
and its unit is in general CPS (Cycles per second).
PERIOD :- The total time require to complete one cycle is called the
period of the Vibration wave.
So frequency = 1 / period or
[CPM=Hertz 60]
VIBRATION VELOCITY :- Vibrating objects moves at some velocity. It is
the rate of change of displacement of the object. In a sinusoidal wave, at
the top of the curve the velocity of the object becomes zero and it is
maximum at the Centre line of the curve. As velocity of the motion is
continuosly changing throughout the Cycle so peak velocity is measured
to know the severity of the vibration. It is measured in inches per second
peak or millimeters per second peak.
VIBRATION ACCELERATION: Vibration acceleration is the rate of change of
velocity of the vibrating object. The acceleration in the vibrating objects

also change continuosly and it is inversely proportional to velocity. As the

velocity increases acceleration decreases and thus the vibration
acceleration is greater at the highest peak where velocity is zero and
minimum at the center line where velocity is maximum It is expressed as
gs peak where g = acceleration due to gravity.
CAUSE OF VIBRATION :- Some common factors which causes vibration
in a system are listed below.
Unbalance of rotating parts
Mis-alignment
Bend Shafts
Worn out rotary parts (gears, couplings etc.) or eccentricity
Failure of bearings or bad bearings
Excessive clearances in the bearings
Mechanical looseness
Rubbing
Resonance due to system
Oil whirl
Bad vane flow pattern
Piping tension.
CRITICAL SPEED :- Critical speed (RPM) of the machine is the speed at
which the vibration coincides with the natural frequency of the machine.
There may be more than one critical speed for rotary components.
Vibration Monitoring:
Vibrations are measured in form of displacement, velocity or acceleration
of the vibrating part. Analysis of vibration needs measurement of its
frequency also. These days lot of modern monitoring equipments are
available in the market which may gives direct diagnosis of the problem.
Measurement of displacement and frequency can indicate the vibration
severity. Vibration velocity takes into account both displacement and
frequency and so vibration velocity is a direct measure of vibration
severity.
If the vibration frequency is below 600 CPM then vibration
displacement may be the best indicator of vibration severity. At low RPM
machine failure may occur due to stress (displacement) rather than
fatigue (velocity). Vibration occurring in the range of 600 to 60,000 CPM

frequency range is the medium range and in this range vibrations

measured using vibration velocity for vibration severity gives good results.
Acceleration is closely related to force and large forces can occur at
very high frequencies even the displacement and velocity may be small in
such cases. At higher frequency failure will most likely occur due to
excessive force. Thus for high frequency cases (more them 60,000 CPM)
acceleration measurement may be the best indicator of vibration severity.
VIBRATION PHASE :- Phase is defined as the position of a vibrating part
at a given instance with reference to a fixed point or another vibrating
part. On a rotating part the phase is defined in angle.
PHASE MEASUREMENT :- Phase measurement is very essential part in
vibration analysis to diagnose the specific machinery problems. In general
the phase is measure in angles w.r.t. a fix point on the rotary part.
Generally vibrations are directly related to running RPM of the machine.
The same amount vibration displacement or frequency or velocity may be
good for low RPM machine but severe for high RPM machine. Generally
OEM specifies the normal / max. vibration limits for specific machines.
For instance 2 mils peak to peak of vibration at 3600 RPM machine are
much more destructive than at 300 RPM machine.
BALANCING AND DETERMINATION OF BALANCING QUALITY
LIMITS :Unbalance occurs in a rotating machine when the center line of the mass
and the Geometric center line do not coincide with each other (e.g. Fan
blade assembly of an FD or ID fan, Impeller of Centrifugal Pumps or
Compressor, Blade rotor assembly of a Turbine or Crankshaft of a
Compressor)..
Unbalance amount is expressed as U= m r
where m = Unbalance Mass and
r = Distance of unbalance mass to shaft / Rotor centreline.
The unbalance force generating the vibration is expressed as
F = m r w2
Where
F = force (N),
m = Unbalance Mass
r = Radius (m) and

w = speed (rad/sec)
or F (kg) = 0.01 m (g) r (cm) (RPM/1000)2
From the equation it is clear that more the radius or RPM of the rotating
part for a same unbalance mass, more will be the vibration force. The
unbalance response depends on dynamic stiffness of the shaft, type of
bearings, quality of foundation etc. Combining all these factors will results
in the unbalance force and resulting vibrations.
There are various international vibration standards for rotating machine,
which are internationally accepted throughout the industry. The standards
define the accepting vibration levels, balancing quality, acceptance,
vibration monitoring and analysis, vibration severity. API has made wide
range of standards, which are used for testing and acceptance of the new
and rebuilt machinery in shop floor.
For reference some ISO and API standards are given below.
1.
ISO-7919 Series
Mechanical Vibration of non-reciprocating
machines - measurement of rotating shafts and evaluation criteria.
2.
ISO-10816 Sencu
Machanical vibration - Evaluation of
machine vibration by
measurement on non - rotating parts.
3.
ISO-10816 Sem (Part6)Mechanical vibration of Reciprocating
machine above 100 Kw.
4.
ISO/TC108/SC2
Guidelines for selecting vibration
evaluations methods by
measurement on the rotating shaft/nonrotating parts - to select appropriate vibration standards for a specific
machinery classification.
5.
ISO-13373-1:2001 Condition monitoring and diagnostic of
machines - General
procedures provides general guidelines for the
measurement of machinery vibration for conditon monitoring.
6.
ISO-1940-1, 2
-Mechanical vibration - Balance qualtiy
requirement of rigid rotors balance tolerence and balance errors.