Mechanical Resonance - Resonant Vibration at Multiples of RPM

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Practical Solutions to Machinery and Maintenance Vibration

Problems
Chapter 2, Mechanical Resonance
Section 7, Resonant Vibration at Multiples of RPM

A high resonant frequency is sometimes reached even when operating rpm is

low, due to the impulses created by a rotor's teeth or vanes. For example, a
machine tool spindle with a resonant frequency of 4,900 cycles/min and turning
at only 600 rpm can vibrate excessively due to its rotor's eight cutting teeth,
creating impulses of 4,800 cycles/min, bringing it close to resonance of a
relatively rigid part such as the machine tool's frame.

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Vanepass vibration in a pump (rpm x number of vanes) or bladepass vibration

in a blower (rpm x number of blades) is usually of such low amplitude that it
causes no trouble and therefore is not noticed. However, when the rpm of the
rotor, multiplied by the number of vanes, approaches a resonant frequency, the
vibration rises well beyond an acceptable limit. Resonances can be excited in
the pipe, base, valve, etc.
However, a pump's excessive amplitude at vanepass frequency may not
actually be caused by resonance. Instead, it could be caused by a rate of flow
that is too low. Excessive vanepass vibration amplitude often occurs when the
flow rate is lower than approximately 40 percent of the best efficiency flow.
This percentage can vary. For higher speeds or high pressure pumps, vanepass
vibration can occur at lower percentages of reduced flow. (See section, "FlowRelated Problems in a Centrifugal Pump.")
Experience indicates that when vibration at rpm x number of blades or teeth
becomes excessive, there is a strong possibility that a resonant condition has
magnified the vibration. In such instances, tune the vibration instrument to the
vibration frequency, and then probe various parts to determine which one is
resonant. As such vibrations tend to have a relatively high frequency, they are
most apt to resonate at much higher frequencies than their own first resonance
frequency. As a result, the mode shape would include several nodes and
antinodes. (See section "Plotting the Mode Shape From Point-to-Point
Amplitude Readings [To Determine Whether or Not a Part is Resonant]).")
For rotary pumps, vanepass frequency vibration resonances are often found in
the bending or torsional resonance of the pump shaft itself, often causing a
"fatigue break" at one of the nodes. The various spans of pipe, elbows and even
the valve parts are also subject to resonance. Possible cures are to change rpm
(usually not practical), change the number of vanes, or to find the resonant part
and detune it. Most often the easiest solution is to work with the pump
manufacturer to obtain an impeller with a different number of vanes. The
replacement impeller should have a vanepass frequency at least 20 to 25
percent away from the resonant frequency.
Similar solutions are used for gear teeth vibration. Not only can the shaft be
resonant in bending or torsion, but the gearplate or a section of the gearbox
housing can be a fault. Gearmesh frequency vibration can also be caused by an
excessively large shaft centerline vibration orbit at lower frequencies, such as
that caused by unbalance or shaft/coupling misalignment (see section "Gear
Vibration [Of Already Built Machinery].")
A relatively common situation is what happened in a wood cooling tower
having four, 20 foot diameter fans, each with three blades. The fans operated at
300 rpm. Regardless of which fan was operating, the tower vibrated

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Mechanical Resonance - Resonant Vibration at Multiples of RPM

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excessively. The vibration frequency was measured as 3 x rpm. By using a

stroboscope, it was discovered that the tip of each fan blade would rise about
three inches when it passed over a horizontal driveshaft located about one foot
below. Every time a blade passed over the shaft, it lost a part of its load. This
action imparted a vibration impulse to the cooling tower equal to 3 x rpm of the
rotor. Without a resonance to this frequency, the amplitude of the impulses
would be acceptable, but as the resonance frequency of the tower was
approximately 900 cycles/min, these impulses were greatly magnified.
Tightening all of the tower's joints and installing additional wood braces raised
the resonance frequency of the tower above 900 cycles/min, thus eliminating
the excessive vibration. However, it became necessary to retighten the joints
once a year. Other possible solutions would be to either change the rpm or the
number of blades.
Another case involved a roof exhaust fan that had relatively flexible blades.
Although there were several hundred such fans in operation throughout the
country, this was the only fan that had ever vibrated excessively. It was finally
determined that the vibration frequency of number of blades x rpm
corresponded to the times/min that the blades passed over a tie rod, and that
frequency corresponded to the natural frequency of a supporting "I" beam.
Changing the number and spacing of the tie rods was the easiest way to change
the source frequency so that it no longer would resonate the "I" beam.
Increasing or decreasing the rotor's rpm will have a large detuning effect by
adjusting the source frequency away from the resonance frequency. For every
rpm change, there is even greater change in the frequency of number of blades
or vanes x rpm. (The same applies for resonance at gearmesh frequency.)
However, as it is usually not easy to change rotor speed, the resonant part may
still have to be detuned or the vibration reduced at its source.
The preceding situations describe resonances to frequencies at exact multiples
of rpm. These frequencies are synchronous with rpm. There are also several
source frequencies that are not synchronous with rpm, such as those that
originate from electrical hum, bearing defect frequencies and cavitation. Any of
these non-synchronous frequencies could also be resonated when they are
close to or matching a part's resonance frequency.

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