Technical Articles

Structural Vibration Testing: Ensuring Building and Equipment Safety

: :

Why Structural Vibration Monitoring Matters Modern construction and industrial operations often occur in close proximity to sensitive structures—offices, residential buildings, historic landmarks, or high-precision manufacturing facilities. Even when work is executed safely, the ground vibrations produced by excavation, piling, compaction, or blasting can propagate through soil and affect neighboring assets. Uncontrolled or unmonitored vibration may lead to cracking, settlement, misalignment, or equipment malfunction. For this reason, structural vibration testing and ground vibration monitoring are increasingly required by municipal and state…

How Dynamic Balancing Reduces Unplanned Downtime

: :

Introduction – The Hidden Cost of Vibration In every industrial facility, uptime is money. When production stops unexpectedly, losses compound fast—missed deliveries, idle labor, wasted material, and sometimes even contractual penalties. One of the most common yet underestimated causes of unplanned downtime is rotor imbalance in rotating machinery. An imbalanced rotor doesn’t just cause annoying noise or mild vibration. It increases bearing loads, accelerates wear, and slowly erodes reliability. Left unchecked, it can lead to catastrophic failure of motors, fans,…

What Is Infrared Thermography and How Does It Work?

: :

In modern industry, safety and reliability depend on early detection of hidden problems. Machines, electrical systems, and building structures all generate heat, and abnormal temperature patterns often signal faults long before failure occurs. One of the most effective methods for uncovering these early signs is infrared thermography. Infrared thermography is widely used in predictive maintenance, energy audits, and safety inspections. It allows professionals to “see” heat invisible to the human eye and take proactive steps to prevent downtime and accidents.…

Dynamic Balancing vs. Vibration Analysis: Complementary Approaches

: :

Introduction – Two Sides of the Same Reliability Coin In industrial environments, rotating machinery is the backbone of production. From fans and spindles to turbines and compressors, every rotating component depends on precise balance and consistent vibration control to perform efficiently. Two of the most valuable tools for maintaining that performance are vibration analysis and dynamic balancing. Although they often get mentioned together, these two methods serve different—but deeply complementary—purposes. One identifies the root cause of vibration issues, while the…

What Is Ground Vibration Testing and Why It’s Important

: :

In the world of aerospace, automotive, and industrial engineering, structural integrity is everything. Machines, vehicles, and aircraft must endure complex vibrations during operation, forces that can lead to fatigue, failure, or catastrophic accidents if not properly understood. One of the most effective methods for analyzing and controlling these vibrations is ground vibration testing (GVT). Ground vibration testing is not just a validation step, it is a fundamental engineering practice used to ensure safety, reliability, and compliance with industry standards. What…

Proper Care for Your Electric Motor Spares

: :

Electric motor failures happen. That’s why, in an effort to minimize downtime, it’s common practice for manufacturing companies to store spare motors that can be easily swapped out for a failed motor. However, having stored equipment is only beneficial if it’s kept “operation-ready” – and this requires proper management and regular service to ensure reliability. Here are five things to consider to better ensure your capital investment is protected: Where will motors be stored? Ideally, electric motors should be stored…

How to Get the Most Life Out of Your Rotating Machines? Think ABCs

: :

Maintaining rotating equipment can at times feel overwhelming and the issues complex. Yet too often, certain key elements don’t receive the necessary attention required to adequately pre-empt serious future problems: alignment, balancing, and conditions. These “ABCs” of machine maintenance are simple yet essential tools to use that will help get the maximum life expectancy from your rotating equipment when employed regularly. Alignment Proper shaft alignment increases the operating lifespan of rotating machinery. Since the machinery components that are most likely…

Three Common Ways Vibration Analysis is Applied Incorrectly

: :

Vibration Analysis is a powerful tool for early fault detection as well as an excellent starting point for implementing a Predictive Maintenance program. Unfortunately, it is frequently the most misapplied technology of all the condition monitoring tools. In our 30+ years of experience in Vibration Analysis, here are three of the most common ways that we have seen this valuable technology misapplied: Improper accelerometer mounting Mounting an accelerometer correctly is key to obtaining reliable data. Too often, when placing the…

What’s the Best Location for a Vibration Sensor? Depends on the Data You’re Wanting to See

: :

The majority of vibration sensors used today are single-axis sensors, meaning roughly 95% of what the sensor picks up or detects will be perpendicular to the mounting surface. Certain defects present more prominently in the horizontal plane, while others show up more clearly in the vertical plane. Since sensor placement is critical to obtaining accurate data, it helps tremendously to have an understanding as to what types of defects show up better in which of the three directions that data…

Torsional Issues? Why You Need Strain Gages

: :

Torsional issues are often the cause of mechanical failures in rotating equipment. However, if you are measuring motor current to provide a good analysis of torsional characteristics, you are likely missing critical data. “How so?” you ask? Motor current can provide a reasonable estimate of the torque at steady-state conditions, though not in complex drivetrains with multiple driven shafts. However, it cannot measure the actual driveshaft torque during transient or more significant torsional dynamic events. Directly measuring…