Low Speed Bearing Monitoring

A Case Study of Low Speed Bearing

Monitoring in a Paperboard Plant

Summary
This case study from a UK Paperboard manufacturer clearly illustrates the ability of
bearing enveloping techniques to successfully diagnose faults in bearings that operate
at low speeds. It also dispels the myth that study of any problem on low speed
machinery requires use of specialized “low frequency” sensors and equipment.

SKF Reliability Systems MBO1001

@ptitude Exchange Mel Barratt
5271 Viewridge Court
San Diego, CA 92123 9 Pages
United States Published May, 2002
tel +1 858 496 3400 Revised
fax +1 858 496 3511
email info@aptitudexchange.com
Internet http://www.aptitudexchange.com

Low Speed Bearing Monitoring

Table of contents

1. Introduction ........................................................................... 3
2. Detection of the Problem........................................................ 4
3. Using the Enveloping Technique for Further Fault Analysis. ... 5
4. Subsequent Action ................................................................. 7
5. Conclusions ............................................................................ 9
6. References ............................................................................. 9

Low Speed Bearing Monitoring © 2010 SKF Group 2 (9)

 provided due allowance is made in the
1. Introduction configuration of measurement parameters.

In late 1997 the in-house condition

Users of modern vibration instrumentation
monitoring program at Iggesund’s plant in
are accustomed to fast data collection times.
Workington (UK) detected a problem
On common electric motors running at
associated with a cylinder support bearing
around 1500 – 3000 RPM it is necessary to
on their Number 2 Board Machine. Iggesund
sample only a few seconds of data to enable
staff estimated that complete failure of the
fault detection at an early stage of
suspect bearing could result in machine shut
development. It should be remembered that
down for up to six months, due to the size
in 2 seconds, a motor doing 1500 RPM
and weight of the cylinder in question. This
completes 50 revolutions of movement. The
is the Machine Glaze (MG) cylinder, which is
same length of data sample applied to a
more than 6 meters diameter, and weighs
bearing at 12 RPM means that less than half
approximately 165 tons (Figure 1). The
of one shaft revolution is studied. Therefore,
Number 2 Board Machine is over 200 meters
study of rolling element bearings operating
long and manufactures coated carton-board
at low speeds does not necessarily require
for the packaging and pharmaceutical
special equipment, but does require special
industries.
consideration. Using a technique known as
“Enveloped Acceleration Measurement” may
further enhance the effectiveness of
vibration analysis on low speed bearings.

Although a bearing fault can transmit a

significant force through the bearing
housing, the response of the supporting
structure is usually very small (as measured
by an accelerometer mounted near the
bearing load zone).

Figure 1. MG Cylinder.

The MG cylinder typically operates at around

12 RPM. It is a commonly held
misconception that studying any problem at
such a low speed requires specialized
equipment. It is true that resulting vibration
from basic mechanical problems, such as
unbalance or misalignment occurs at low
frequencies that fall outside the range of
most “general purpose” accelerometer
sensors. However, the vibration frequency Figure 2. Time Domain Data From Accelerometer.
generated by a fault in a rolling element
bearing is still relatively high, even at low
Figure 2 shows a time domain plot of such
rotational speeds. Therefore, they may be
an accelerometer signal. It depicts a bearing
studied using “standard” equipment,

Low Speed Bearing Monitoring © 2010 SKF Group 3 (9)

defect impulse signal summed with low  The manner in which low speed bearing
frequency vibration, due to imbalance or problems may be studied without
misalignment. The measurement difficulty specialized (i.e. low-frequency) sensors
here is to accurately separate and sense and equipment.
these small bearing signal excitations in the
presence of generally larger vibration 2. Detection of the Problem
components. In the very early stages of
A study of vibration velocity measurements
surface distress, transducer signals are
taken from the MG cylinder’s front side
buried in noise. Measurements of these
bearing cap over a three-year period (Figure
early-stage signals require instrumentation
3) shows a mean value of 0.74 mm/sec RMS
that incorporates wide dynamic range, low
(root mean squared value). As monitoring
inherent amplifier noise, and circuitry to
continued during late 1997 is was noted that
enhance these negligible bearing response
this level rose to a new record of 1.21
signals. In the early stages of bearing
mm/sec RMS. The change was clearly visible
deterioration, defect frequency components
despite the fluctuations that occurred in the
are very small and are usually not
value as a result of different machine
discernible in the transducer signal’s normal
operating conditions.
amplitude spectrum plot. It is during these
early stages of bearing wear that enveloping
A velocity level of 1.21 mm/sec RMS on
methods are useful to enhance the response
many machines is not significant. Indeed,
signals of small repetitive defect impacts.
many other machines on the Iggesund site
typically operate at higher levels. However,
This incident serves to illustrate a number of
the MG cylinder operates at low speed,
points:
typically around 12 RPM. It was the change
in the level that was considered significant
 The cost effectiveness of a disciplined
enough to warrant further study.
vibration monitoring program
 The value of the “enveloping” techniques
in bearing fault diagnosis

Figure 3. Vibration Velocity Trend Data.

Low Speed Bearing Monitoring © 2010 SKF Group 4 (9)

Figure 4. Velocity Spectrum
Study of the vibration velocity spectrum
(Figure 4) indicates a harmonic family with
spacing of approximately 3 Hz. The peak
levels were very low, as was the total
spectral energy. Defective bearings usually
display higher levels of vibration with more
clearly defined peaks.
The bearing was identified as an SKF
230/630 CAK-C4-W33 (double spherical
roller). The bearing defect frequencies at
this speed were calculated:
 Inner-race defect frequency = 3. 05 Hz
 Outer-race defect frequency = 2. 55 Hz
 Rolling element defect frequency = 0. 2
Hz
 Cage rotational speed = 0. 9 Hz
 Rolling element rotational speed = 1. 08
Hz
After applying this information to a further
study of the velocity spectrum, it was
concluded that the peaks belonged to either
an inner-race or outer-race frequency, but it
was not possible to be more specific. (All
Low Speed Bearing Monitoring
bearings are prone to a degree of “slippage”
and “sliding”).
Typically, the signal from a bearing defect is
attenuated as it travels through the machine
from its source to the sensor. It may be
reduced by as much as 50% when it crosses
the interface between two surfaces. The
signal from an inner-race defect crosses
more interfaces before the vibration
transducer mounted on the bearing housing
senses it. Therefore, an inner-race fault may
be more serious than the vibration levels
suggest.
3. Using the Enveloping
Technique for Further
Fault Analysis.
Analysis of faults in rolling element bearings
involves the study of vibration generated by
impacts occurring between flawed rolling-
contact surfaces. Typically, this vibration is
within the range of a good, general-purpose
industrial accelerometer.
© 2010 SKF Group 5 (9)
The signal is passed through a band-pass
filter to separate the high frequency
components from the low frequency
machinery vibration. The bursts of high
frequency vibration from the bearing are
very repetitive, due to the bearing’s
geometry and speed. The signal is passed
though a “peak detection circuit,” which
emphasizes the repetitive components, and
de-emphasizing random noise.
Applying this technique to the vibrations
from the MG cylinder resulted in the
enveloped acceleration spectrum shown in
Figure 5. As you can see, the resulting
spectral peaks strongly suggest the problem
is with the inner-race. Studying the side
Figure 5. Enveloped Acceleration Spectrum
Low Speed Bearing Monitoring
bands around the fault frequency peaks
further supported this diagnosis.
Figure 6 shows a zoomed view of the
enveloped spectrum. The spacing between
the sidebands is 0. 2 Hz, which corresponds
to the rotational speed of the inner-race.
This effect in the FFT display is caused by
the modulation of the inner-race defect
signal as the rotation of the raceway carries
the defects in and out of the bearing’s load
zone.
Thus, use of the bearing enveloping
technique positively identified the defect as
an inner-race problem – most probably a
raceway crack.
© 2010 SKF Group 6 (9)
Figure 6. Spectral Sidebands

4. Subsequent Action SKF believes that the Iggesund condition

monitoring team picked up the second crack,
The bearing was closely monitored on a daily
which was caused by the stresses imposed
basis. The resulting trend data is given in
by the original crack. Cracks in bearings are
Figure 7. Levels continued to be higher than
generally seen as secondary damage caused
previously recorded amplitudes, and varied
by primary defects such as wear and
with machine speed. The highest recorded
distress.
level on the bearing was 1. 98 mm/sec RMS.

As was expected, there was an improvement

The offending bearing was removed during a
in readings taken after bearing replacement.
planned shutdown. Examination of the
Figure 8 shows the enveloped acceleration
bearing revealed at least two raceway
spectrum taken from the new bearing.
cracks. Raceways had a mirror-like surface
with discoloration. These can indicate a
The trend of subsequent velocity readings is
deterioration in lubricant film thickness,
given in Figure 9. Velocity levels returned to
possibly caused by the presence of water.
the previous low values, with some
There were also shallow craters with
fluctuation from varying machine speed.
crystalline surfaces and gray / black streaks
on the raceways. Engineers came to the
conclusion that the failure stemmed mainly
from a lubrication problem, and that water
was present in the bearing at some time.

Low Speed Bearing Monitoring © 2010 SKF Group 7 (9)

Figure 7. Velocity Trend Prior to Shutdown.

Figure 8. Enveloped Acceleration Spectrum Following Repair.

Low Speed Bearing Monitoring © 2010 SKF Group 8 (9)

Figure 9. Velocity Trend After Repair.
5. Conclusions
Note that, even at the time of bearing
replacement, there were no other indications
of the developing problem. There was no
discernable increase in the bearing’s
operating temperature, nor any noticeable
difference in machinery noise. The incident
provides a graphic example of the improved
maintenance lead-time provided by an
organized approach to vibration monitoring.
Use of the enveloping technique to attain
accurate and specific fault diagnosis in this
bearing demonstrates the possibilities of
employing standard vibration equipment to
study low-speed machinery faults.
People question the need for a specific
diagnostic system for use on rolling element
bearings. In many situations, it is accepted
that the engineer only needs to know
whether or not the bearing is fit for further
duty; the nature of the fault within the
bearing becomes
Low Speed Bearing Monitoring
irrelevant. Whether the fault is an inner /
outer ring, cage or balls makes little
difference. This is particularly true when the
bearing is part of a small machine or
assembly, and maintenance consists of
replacing that assembly. However, even in
such cases the decision to take a plant off-
line for the purpose of carrying out that work
can have significant financial and operational
implications. The ability to base such a
decision on very specific information
provides the engineer with more confidence
when making such recommendations.
6. References
Early Warning Fault Detection in Rolling
Element Bearings Using Microlog Enveloping,
SKF Condition Monitoring Inc, Application
Note CM3021.
Monitoring of Slow Speed Bearings Using the
Microlog CMVA 60 ULS (Ultra Low speed), by
Dr Bob Jones, SKF Condition Monitoring Inc,
Application Note CM3052.
© 2010 SKF Group 9 (9)