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Q&A About InterActive Vibration Training

Introduction: Vibration analysis in general and vibration training in particular have
always had a reputation of being dry and boring. Many training companies offer the
"lecture-style" classes where the instructor stands up and talks for 2 or 3 or even 4 days,
some offer a few hands-on exercises to break up the monotony but basically that is it - an
instructor talks and the students listen. Many students struggle to learn in this style format
and thereby remain stuck at the level where they really are not sure of themselves. About
7 years ago, a company named Vibe-Assist developed a training class that is significantly
different than that. It has now been taught to over 600 students from some 20 or so
countries in not only the U.S. but also in England, Canada, South Africa, Australia and
New Zealand. It has been taught on-site for model PdM end-users like Dofasco Steel,
Proctor & Gamble and Southern Company. When I originally heard about this class I was
intrigued with the unique format but what really caught my eye were the student
testimonials Vibe-Assist has received over the years. The comments were amazing. The
people who actually attended this class absolutely raved about it. Yet despite its loyal
following and consistent success in pushing people to the next level, it has never
achieved overwhelming commercial success or widespread notoriety. Over the last
couple of years I have gotten to know Scott Dow, the instructor and developer of that
class, and thought it might be interesting to talk with him about what makes the class
unique and why it is so successful from the student's point of view. The following is what
we discussed.
Scott, what is it that makes your class different from all other training classes?
Because it is totally focused on teaching how to apply the theory we learn in the real
world. Its about understanding what the vibration data is telling you, the analyst, and
how that information can help diagnose machinery problems. The other main difference
is this class is fun - it will hold each and every student's attention for the entire time the
students are working on these cases - 2-1/2 days. Not only does nobody fall asleep in this
class but the students actually have fun.
How does the format work?
The students - who are placed in teams of 3 - must think their way through a series of
case studies. They'll correctly solve some and miss others - nobody gets them all right.
We even have a case that we, the so called experts, screwed up. The students always like
that one because it shows them that everyone in this field makes mistakes. These are
actual, real-world case studies that have real-world twists and turns, pitfalls and
difficulties that a lecture-style course simply cannot replicate. In the world of mechanical
systems vibration, truth is definitely stranger than fiction. I couldn't possibly make up
some of the cases that the student's have to deal with. But of course Vibe-Assist had to
deal with the same cases - under our customer's watchful eyes, I may add - in the realworld back when we encountered it.
Can you describe how one of the case studies may play out?

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The first thing we try to do is replicate the exact situation that Vibe-Assist was in when
we encountered the problem. The students are given information on the machine nameplate data, speeds, general background information and a task to complete. That
task may be anything from analyzing the data and submitting a report with
recommendations to actually solving a known vibration problem. The teams get the
actual vibration data to work with along with all the analysis tools they are accustomed
to (cursors, harmonics, sidebands, log scales, etc.). In some cases, that is all they get and
they must report on their analysis. In others, they are then free to do any field testing or
attempt any corrective actions they feel are appropriate in an effort to correctly diagnose
and correct the problem. There are time limits for each portion and a thorough
discussion of each case is conducted upon completion.
I've heard the class described as "competitive". How does that work?
We've actually made it into a game where the student teams compete against one another
to correctly solve each case in the most timely and efficient manner. Nearly every case
has some unexpected twist or turn that makes the obvious solution the wrong solution.
Every class we run plays out in basically the same way - by about the 3rd case study (out
of 10) the teams are getting very competitive and serious about putting in their best
efforts. Teamwork is very important - often the most successful team is the one that thinks
and works the best as a team - not individuals. Many students have commented that the
opportunity to work with others who may approach analysis and problem-solving
differently is a great part of the class.
But why is this class so successful in training the students on using vibration
analysis?
I believe it is because of a couple of reasons. First, it teaches the students very clearly
that vibration data is simply information on how the machine is operating - how it is
moving. Nothing more, nothing less. I have seen lots of analysts that will simply stare at a
spectrum on the computer screen in the hope that an idea will pop out the top of the
monitor like a prize. These people often think it is their fault that they can't diagnose the
problem from the plot they're staring at. They can't get their problem to match up with
anything on the troubleshooting chart or, if they can, it turns out not to be the problem.
They believe they don't understand enough, haven't had enough training - even that
they're not "smart-enough" to be an analyst. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Despite popular wisdom, vibration analysis is not rocket science when applied to general
machinery. These students are simply under the misconception that the vibration data
provides answers. It doesn't - it provides information, clues as to the actual problem.
Sometimes these clues are misleading, sometimes they are straight-forward, but the data
always provides some clues. You still need to use any and all other tools (most
importantly, your own mind) at your disposal necessary to solve your vibration problems.
The second reason is confidence. I believe confidence is a huge part of becoming a
successful vibration analyst. A person who has been to a training class but still doesn't

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really understand what he or she is doing is going to be afraid to try any corrective
actions beyond the most basic like unbalance. The plant environment may also play a
role in this - it is often hostile to anyone involved in PdM. Confidence comes from being
successful, from gaining experience, from having successes. This class allows you to
begin to build confidence in both the technology and yourself, to have successes and
learn in a totally "safe" environment. Most of our students return to their sites full of
confidence and ready to tackle their vibration program and problems. We've had
numerous people that go through a case in the class and then relate that case back to
some unsolved problem back at their plant.
What type of machines and problems does the class focus on?
We have several bearing problems - each propagating itself differently (as RE bearings
do). We have unbalance, looseness, resonance and other interesting cases that really test
the students. The specific machines - pumps, fans, compressors, mills, etc. - are not really
so important. We are teaching a problem solving approach - not analysis on this type of
machine or that. You can use these approaches on any type of machine.
The students must also understand how to do field tests such as phase, looseness checks,
bump tests and more. They must learn the difference between electrically and
mechanically generated vibrations. They must learn why spectrum resolution is so
critically important and why time domain must be used at times. That is what the first day
of the class is all about - helping solidify the student's basic theory foundation. We focus
that day on those subjects that are crucial to understand in order to be a successful
analyst. We teach various field testing techniques which the students can then utilize in
the case study portion of the class.
Is this class vendor-specific?
No, we do not focus on CSI or Entek or anyone else. We are teaching analysis
techniques. We obviously use someone's software to analyze the data - Entek's (since that
was the equipment we used at the time of the cases) but what you need to know about the
software takes about 2 minutes to teach and any further help on more advanced features
is provided by the instructors. We also try to make sure that at least one "Entek" person
is on every team. Vibe-Assist is first and foremost a service and training company.
What level of student should attend?
We have had students from across the experience spectrum from pure beginners to 10year veterans attend this class. With that said, this class is perfectly suited for people who
have attended an introductory class, a VA-I or even a VA-II level class. Some people
attend VA-II simply because it comes after VA-I - not because they are necessarily ready
for it. A student - any student - can only process so much information at a time. That
student must then internalize that information - which is a fancy way of saying they must
think about and/or utilize the info until they truly understand it (totally different than
simply memorizing it) before moving on to additional information. This class ties

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together any loose ends by really showing the students the importance of some of these
abstract subjects in the realm of practical application. It makes them understand. It is
also a great class for a manager who needs a general understanding of how the
technology works and wants to experience it in a real-world environment.
That explains the success of your class - what about the failures. If this class is so
good, why haven't more people been exposed to it?
I really believe that has to do with the perception of what training supposedly needs to be
comprised of: Intro class, VA-I, VA-II, VA-III, training finished. That's what a lot of
people think is the only path to being a competent, trained analyst. What those people
don't realize is that 90% of what is covered in VA-II has already been covered in VA-I
and the same goes for VA-III vs. VA-II. When something like our class comes along with
a name like "InterActive Training", it may seem gimmicky to some people or somehow
just not what they need. You've read the testimonials - those people wish they had come
to our class sooner. Perhaps we should have named it "Problem-Solving I", or maybe
VA-IA or something like that. People tend to be real careful - and understandably so when spending their training budget dollars. The success we've had in filling classes has
always been a result of talking to people about it and explaining how it works and why.
You can't do that in an ad or a flyer or an email.
So what does the future hold?
I'm nearing completion of our Level II class and we should be test-running it later this
fall. The nice thing about this one is that we have been capturing all the pertinent data at
the time we are encountering these interesting cases - not trying to reconstruct it 2 or 3
years after the fact. It will have a lot more time domain analysis and there are some
really, really good cases. It should be a lot of fun and a very good class. And we will
continue running the Level I class. Hopefully more people will discover the value of our
methodology and realize that one theory-lecture class after another is not the best way to
learn in this field.
Please visit www.vibeassist.com and www.vibrationschool.com for more information.