ULTRASONIC

phenomenon is known as attenuation. Audible sound will

propagate further and wider than ultrasound with the same
energy, because an audible sound wavelength is much
longer than an ultrasound wavelength. For this reason ultra-

DETECTION sound is more directional to its source than lower frequency

audible sounds. This directional characteristic makes it
easy to pinpoint the exact source of the ultrasound even in
very loud and noisy environments (like your plant floor).

APPLYING ACOUSTIC VIBRATION Audible

MONITORING TO PREDICTIVE
MAINTENANCE
By Allan Rienstra, & James Hall Ultrasound
SDT North America

A What is Ultrasound?
B How Ultrasonic Detectors Work
Sound vs. Ultrasound
If we want to listen to ultrasound, we
All sounds are produced by vibrations in bodies. In musi-
need an instrument capable of trans-
cal instruments the sound is emitted by vibrating strings or
lating high frequencies into a range
a reed. Our voice is the result of vibrations of our vocal
we can hear (normally 200-5000
cords. The number of vibrations a body makes per second
hertz is a comfortable listening
is called its frequency and is commonly referred to as hertz.
range). That is the function of an
ultrasound detector. If we want to
Ultrasound is defined as “…sound waves having a frequen-
listen ONLY to ultrasound we need a
cy above the limits of human hearing, or in excess of 20,000
detector with certain filters to eliminate audible or “para-
cycles per second (hertz).” So by definition, ultrasound is
site” noises. If we want to measure the energy of the ultra-
totally undetectable by human ears unless aided by instru-
sound then the detector should have digital measurement
ments capable of translating ultrasound to audible sound. In
capabilities. This equipment can usually store the measure-
the marketplace, these instruments are commonly known as
ments to an onboard memory chip and transmit the data to
ultrasonic detectors and have been used for various mainte-
PC software.
nance related functions for over 25 years.

Types of Sensors
Sound Propagation Theory
Ultrasonic detectors use sensors with piezo-electric quartz
Sound is propagated by longitudinal waves through virtual-
crystals which are excited by the energy of certain ultrason-
ly any medium (air, water, glass, metal, etc…). A wave is a
ic vibrations. These vibrations are sensed by the detector
moving disturbance that causes the particles of the medium
and translated from their high frequency state to a low fre-
through which it is passing to vibrate. In such waves, the
quency state. The sound quality is maintained during this
particles over which the wave is passing are made to vibrate
translation so the ultrasound is clearly heard in a headphone.
in a line parallel to the direction in which the wave is mov-
Sensors are designed to receive both airborne and structure-
ing.
borne ultrasound.
Properties of Ultrasound
The energy of a sound wave diminishes the further it travels Treatment and Measurement of Signal
from its source. Because sound waves spread out in widen-
Ultrasonic or acoustic vibration is energy created by the
ing spheres their energy is dispersed over a large area. This
friction between moving components (bearings, couplings,
 gear mesh, etc…). This to schedule downtime since the bearing is already advanced
energy is really an AC to a failure state. High frequency acoustic vibration moni-
voltage or current that is toring controls the evolution
at best, highly unstable of the bearing, indicates nec-
and erratic. To provide essary lubrication intervals,
useful data for acoustic and triggers alarms before
vibration monitoring this the bearing enters failure
energy must be made lin- state.
ear for repeatability pur-
poses. A quality ultra- The earliest indication of
sonic detector uses True change means corrective
RMS conversion tech- action can be taken quickly
niques to accomplish this. RMS means “Root Mean to increase the machine’s
Squared.” It’s a way of measuring an AC voltage by means longevity. If one goal of pre-
of taking the root of mean squared samples. Basically, True dictive maintenance is to extend the lifespan of production
RMS measurement is a technique that provides consistent machines then monitoring acoustic vibrations must play an
theoretically valid measurements of electrical signals integral role.
derived from mechanical phenomena such as strain, stress,
vibration, shock, expansion, bearing noise, and acoustic Remember that ultrasonic inspection controls and trends the
vibration. The electrical signals produced by these mechan- evolution of bearing wear. It should not be considered a
ical actions are often noisy, non-periodic, non-sinusoidal, replacement for vibration analysis, rather an enhancement
superimposed on DC levels, and require True RMS for, to any good vibration based predictive maintenance pro-
valid, accurate, and repeatable measurements. gram. Because of the relative low cost of ultrasonic detec-
tion equipment, this technology is also an excellent choice
for small and medium sized companies with smaller budg-
C Acoustic Vibration Monitoring ets dedicated to capital equipment.

What is Acoustic Vibration Monitoring?

Trending Bearing Wear with
Bearings, good or bad, new or old, produce ultrasonic fric-
tion as the internal rolling elements turn against the inner
D Ultrasonic Detection
and outer raceway. A good bearing will produce less
acoustic energy than a bearing with typical wear flaws such
as pitting, spalling, flattening of the balls, and scarring of Establish a Route-Based Method of Data
the raceway. Likewise, the friction absorbing properties of Collection
grease means a well-lubricated bearing produces less fric- Today’s ultrasonic instruments allow greater flexibility than
tion than a bearing that lacks lubrication. As the lubricant’s instruments from only a few years ago. Smaller, more pow-
viscosity deteriorates, and/or the bearing’s material compo- erful electronic components allow for complex data storage
sition stresses and fatigues, the friction and the correspon- and two-way communications with PC’s. Proper acoustic
ding ultrasonic emissions increase. Monitoring and trend- vibration monitoring means establishing a route-based
ing high frequency bearing energy allows us to determine method of data collection similar to that of your vibration
proper lubrication intervals and predict when the bearing routes. Establish routes or groups of machines in a logical
enters its FIRST stages of wear. sequence and identify asset names to each measurement
point for storage, trending, and time-based graphical repre-
sentation of bearing condition.
Acoustic Vibration Monitoring vs Vibration
Analysis
Ultrasonic inspection must not be confused with low fre- Measured Value (dBmV) and its Correlation to
quency vibration analysis. Low frequency vibration meas- Condition
urements (velocity or displacement) indicate a bearing in an At the outset, the goal is to establish a baseline or normal
advanced state of wear and provide information about root operating range for each bearing to be checked. Throughout
cause of premature failure (misalignment, imbalance, the life of a bearing its ultrasonic level should remain rela-
etc…). Normally there is a smaller window of opportunity tively constant (+/- 3 or 4 dBmV). As the condition of the
bearing changes, increases in acoustic energy due to either An increase of 8 to 10 dBµV over historical baseline indi-
lubrication breakdown or structural breakdown will be cates a need for lubrication. This is confirmed by listening
observed. Increases correspond with an elevated reading to the bearing’s acoustic qualities in the headphones, or by
(dBmV) on the instrument. Trending acoustic energy with viewing the waveform on a spectrum analyzer. Bearings
data logger software allows the user to accurately predict lacking lubrication will sound louder, with a rough growl,
when lubrication should be applied to a bearing, and when compared to the relatively smooth whirring noises of a well-
the bearing itself is entering early failure stages. greased bearing. The waveform on an oscilloscope will
Remember, trending acoustic vibration warns us of the ear- show inconsistent peaks if the bearing is lacking grease.
liest signs of change in a bearing. Diligent use of the infor-
mation gathered results in better lubrication practices and
extended bearing life. The desired result is a much larger Ultrasonic Detectors Can Tell Us When to Stop
window through which to schedule repairs and change outs. Greasing

An ultrasonic detector tells us when its time to grease, and

also when its time to stop greasing. Some ultrasonic detec-
tors offer a lube adaptor that attaches an ultrasonic contact
sensor to any standard grease gun to permit listening and
lubricating simultaneously. While listening to the bearing’s
sound quality in the headphones, begin pumping the grease
gun, giving only one half* pump at a time. The sound qual-
ity changes as the grease reaches its intended destination.
Re-take the dBuV measurement and compare. You will
notice a change in amplitude once the grease reaches the
bearing. Stop greasing. Re-take the dBuV measurement and
compare. In most cases the sound level or dBuV will be
lower than the original baseline. Again re-take the reading
and store the new baseline for future reference. If, after the
initial half pump of grease you notice an increase in the
sound level stop lubricating and wait 10-15 seconds for the
sound ultrasound level to stabilize. If it does not stabilize or
To optimise ultrasonic inspection techniques it is essential
decrease, stop lubrication the bearing.
to listen to the bearings; not just read the values on the dis-
play. Listening to the ultrasound of a bearing provides sig-
nificant qualitative information that correlates to the meas-
ured values. A low, muffled smooth noise associated to sta-
ble values indicates a normal functioning bearing. A stri-
dent high-pitched noise indicates a lack of lubrication, an
overload or a rotation speed beyond spec of the bearing. A
crackling noise associated to unstable or high dB values
indicates faults, wear or loose metal particles in the lubri-
cant. Ultrasonic detectors provide an excellent quantitative
measurement via the digital display, but do not ignore the
qualitative information provided by the headphone output.

Ultrasound Detection for Your

E Lubrication Program

Lubricant absorbs energy created by friction between the *A grease gun is capable of producing 150 to 200 pounds
rolling elements of a bearing. Acoustic vibration is low per square inch of pressure. For this reason, we caution
when the bearing is properly lubricated but as the lubrica- against ever using a full pump of grease to avoid over lubri-
tion film breaks down this energy logarithmically increases; cation and creating unnecessary damage to the bearing,
even though the bearing may not have any significant wear. seals, and motor.
If too much grease is applied the overage may enter the inspection is an excellent stand-alone technology for all
motor and cause a short, leading to a motor failure. In our maintenance departments wanting to start or enhance a
experience you will hear a slight increase while lubricating vibration monitoring program. Vibration analysts will also
(it may be after one or two, half pumps of grease). Some reap immediate benefits by implementing acoustic vibration
time may have to pass for the increase to settle down or monitoring techniques to enhance their existing vibration
lower. If it does not settle down stop lubricating. The balls routes. The more “good” information we can give our-
may be pushed up against the raceway due too much grease selves, the better able we are to make the right decision
being applied. By using half pumps with the grease gun about the relative health of our production machines.
instead of full pumps, we are trying to avoid this pressure
build up. In most cases, using the half pump method and ***********************************************
listening with ultrasound will avoid over lubrication.
We suggest that this be done to all critical motors at least
once, and all other critical bearings that are not read by
vibration because of slow speed or accessibility.
For more information about AVM™
Technology please contact:
F Conclusions and Summary

The goal of any predictive maintenance program should be SDT North America
to arm yourself with tools that give you the best information
to make an informed decision on the condition of your 1-800-667-5325 Tel
plant’s production machinery. Ultrasonic detection enables 1-800-224-1546 Fax
us to hear the earliest signs of machine failure and lubrica-
tion breakdown; normally with a large enough window to
act within the confines of a planned shutdown. Ultrasonic www.sdtnorthamerica.com

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