MODULE-5:

INDUSTRIAL INSTRUMENTATION
BEIE304L
LECTURE 3:
VIBRATION MEASUREMENT

Course Instructor:-
Dr. K.V.Lakshmi Narayana,
Professor
SELECT, VIT, Vellore.
 Industrial Instrumentation: Module-5
Speed, Vibration and Force Measurement
• Speed measurement: units, revolution
counter, tacho generators;
• Vibration Measurement: units, seismic
transducer; Accelerometers: potentiometric,
piezo electric;
• Force measurement: units, hydraulic,
pneumatic.

26 March, 2025 Dr.K.V.L.Narayana

 Outline
Vibration Measurement:
• Nature of vibrations – Seismic transducer –
Types of accelerometers –
• Potentiometric type – LVDT Accelerometer –
Piezo electric type.

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 Vibration measurement plays a crucial role in
industries for several reasons
• Early Fault Detection: Monitoring vibrations helps identify issues like misalignment,
imbalance, or wear in machinery before they escalate into major failures. This allows for
timely maintenance and reduces unexpected downtime.
• Preventive Maintenance: By analyzing vibration data, industries can implement condition-
based maintenance rather than relying on fixed schedules. This approach minimizes repair
costs and extends the lifespan of equipment.
• Safety Assurance: Excessive vibrations can pose safety risks to workers and equipment.
Measuring vibrations ensures compliance with safety standards and prevents hazardous
conditions.
• Performance Optimization: Vibration analysis helps optimize the performance of
machinery by identifying inefficiencies or mechanical issues, leading to improved
productivity and energy efficiency.
• Quality Control: In manufacturing, consistent vibration levels are essential for maintaining
product quality. Monitoring vibrations ensures that production processes meet strict
quality standards.
• Cost Savings: Well-maintained machinery with reduced vibrations operates more
efficiently, leading to lower energy consumption and reduced operational costs.
• Structural Health Monitoring: In industries like construction and aerospace, vibration
measurement is used to monitor the health of structures, ensuring their integrity and
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safety over time.
 Vibration can be measured in various units depending on the
parameter being monitored. The commonly used units are
• Displacement: Measured in units of length, such as micrometers (μm),
millimeters (mm), or inches (in). Displacement indicates how far the vibrating
object moves from its equilibrium position.
• Velocity: Measured in units of speed, typically millimeters per second (mm/s)
or inches per second (in/s). It represents the rate at which the object moves
during vibration.
• Acceleration: Measured in units of acceleration, such as meters per second
squared (m/s²) or G-force (g). Acceleration measures the intensity or force of
the vibration.
• Frequency: Measured in units of cycles per second, known as Hertz (Hz).
Frequency indicates how many vibration cycles occur in one second.
• Amplitude: Usually measured as a percentage (%) or in units such as
displacement (μm or mm). Amplitude reflects the maximum extent of vibration.
• These units help describe and analyze vibration characteristics for effective
monitoring and diagnostics in various applications

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 Nature of Vibration
• Vibrations are very commonly encountered in
machinery operation, and therefore measurement
of the accelerations associated with such
vibrations is extremely important in industrial
environments.
• The peak accelerations involved in such
vibrations can be of 100g or greater in magnitude,
whilst both the frequency of oscillation and the
magnitude of displacements from the equilibrium
position in vibrations have a tendency to vary
randomly.

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 Nature of Vibration
• Vibrations normally consist of linear harmonic motion that can be
expressed mathematically as:
X=X0 sin (ωt)------(1)
• where X is the displacement from the equilibrium position at any general
point in time, X0 is the peak displacement from the equilibrium position,
and ω is the angular frequency of the oscillations. By differentiating
equation (1) with respect to time, an expression for the velocity v of the
vibrating body at any general point in time is obtained as:
• v =ωX0 cos (ωt)---(2)
• Differentiating equation (2) again with respect to time, we obtain an
expression for the acceleration, α of the body at any general point in
time as:
Inspection of above equation shows that the peak acceleration is
given by:
   2 X 0 sin(t )

 peak   2 X 0 Dr.K V L Narayana

• This square law relationship between peak acceleration
and oscillation frequency is the reason why high values
of acceleration occur during relatively low-frequency
oscillations.
• For example, an oscillation at 10 Hz and with
displacement of 5 mm produces peak accelerations of
2g.
Example
• A pipe carrying a fluid vibrates at a frequency of 50 Hz
with displacements of 8mm from the equilibrium
position. Calculate the peak acceleration.
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Dr.K V L Narayana
 Purpose of vibration measurement
 Condition monitoring– predicting or monitoring
wear, fatigue, and failure – requires vibration
measurements meant to determine the kinetic
energy and forces acting upon an object . This is
often called inertial vibration.
 Monitoring machinery motors (especially the
bearings) in critical applications is an example. In
these cases, the measurement of acceleration
provides an easy conversion to units of force
assuming the mass of the object is known.
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 Seismic type of motion or vibration sensor
• It consists of one terminal
called base of a spring mass
system.
• The base is attached to the
point whose motion or
vibration is to be measured.
Here, no fixed reference is
available.
• The motion of the mass w.r.t
the base gives the measure of
absolute motion of the object.
The motion in this case is
dynamic or vibratory motion.
Example: To measure the vibration of a
bridge or an aircraft wing in flight.

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 Seismic type of motion or vibration sensor
• Basically seismic transducer consists of the mass, m is
supported on a spring of stiffness k and viscous damper,
with damping coefficient c and with a relative motion
transducers. The (relative) motion of the mass is
measured by various arrangements, which uses relative
motion transducers.
1) Resistance transducer
2) Resistance strain gauges so on

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Seismic Transducer

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Seismic Transducer

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Dr.K V L Narayana
 Vibration measurement
• The device used for measurement of acceleration
is called accelerometer. The accelerometers are
widely used for the measurement of general
purpose motion such a measurement of
acceleration, velocity and displacement. Besides
this application, the accelerometers are also used
for the measurement of vibrations and
mechanical shocks.
• There are 3 types of accelerometers.
 LVDT accelerometer,
 Piezoelectric accelerometer
 Potentiometric accelerometer Dr.K V L Narayana
 Types of Accelerometers- LVDT accelerometer

• Based on the type of spring element and the form

of damping used, there are various types of
accelerometers.
• In LVDT accelerometer, the core of LVDT itself
acts as a seismic mass. The core is attached to
two spring steel one at top and other at bottom
with the help of rods as shown in fig. The spring
steels are attached to the case family.
• With the help of this arrangement null position of
the core of LVDT is maintained. Both the spring
steel provide necessary spring action.
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LVDT accelerometer

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 LVDT accelerometer
Working
• When the instrument is subjected to
vibrations, the core moves up and down.
Thus voltage induces in the secondary
windings, thus at the output terminals we
get output voltage having amplitude directly
proportional to the magnitude of the
vibrations.

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 Advantages and limitations of LVDT accelerometer

• As compared to the potentiometric type

accelerometer, the natural frequency of the LVDT
accelerometer is higher and it is around 80 Hz.
• It offers low resistance to the motion, so the
resolution is better compared with the
potentiometric type accelerometer. No errors due to
the moving contacts as there are no sliding contacts
in the instrument.
• Due to low natural frequency, the application is
again limited to steady state acceleration or low
frequency vibration measurements.
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 Types of Accelerometers- Piezoelectric
accelerometer
• The piezoelectric accelerometer is based on a
property of certain crystals that when it is
subjected to the stress, a voltage is generated
across the crystal.
• In this, a spring loaded crystal is placed
touching the seismic mass as shown in figure.
When accelerometer is subjected to an
acceleration, the seismic mass stresses the
crystal by a force equal to (F= m.a). This
generates voltage across crystal which is
directly proportional to the acceleration.
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Piezoelectric accelerometer

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 Components
• Accelerometer case: The housing that encloses all internal
parts, ensuring protection and structural integrity.
• Clip-type spring: This spring supports the seismic mass and
helps it respond to external forces while maintaining its
position within the case.
• Seismic mass (m): A key element that moves in response to
acceleration. Its movement is proportional to the acceleration
applied.
• Crystal: Positioned beneath the seismic mass, it detects
motion and converts it into an electrical signal.
• Output: The connection through which the electrical signal
exits the accelerometer.
• Direction of motion: The arrow indicates the direction in
which acceleration is being measured.
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 How it Works?
When the accelerometer experiences acceleration:
• The seismic mass shifts, compressing or stretching the
clip-type spring.
• This movement is detected by the crystal, which
generates an electrical signal proportional to the
acceleration.
• The signal is then transmitted through the output for
use in applications.
• Accelerometers are used widely—in smartphones to
detect orientation changes, in vehicles for airbag
deployment systems, and in industrial equipment to
monitor vibrations.
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Advantages and disadvantages of the Piezoelectric
accelerometer
• The main advantage of the Piezoelectric
accelerometer is that the crystal acts as a spring and
damper in the instrument. The natural frequency of
the crystal is very high, hence it can be used for
very high frequency vibration measurements.

• The disadvantage of Piezoelectric accelerometer is

that the output voltage must be measured with a
instrument having very high input impedance to
avoid loading effect as the electrical impedance of
the piezo electric crystal is very high.

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Potentiometric accelerometer

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Potentiometric accelerometer

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 Components of the Accelerometer
• Spring (with spring constant K): Depicted as a coiled spring, this
component provides the restoring force when the system is
displaced. Its stiffness is represented by the spring constant KK.
• Accelerometer Case: The rigid outer housing that contains all
internal components and ensures structural integrity.
• Seismic Mass (m): A critical component that moves in response to
acceleration. Its movement is proportional to the external forces
applied.
• Damper (Dashpot) (B): This damping element opposes the motion of
the seismic mass, with a force proportional to its velocity, thereby
reducing oscillations.
• Wiper: Attached to the seismic mass, this component moves as the
seismic mass shifts. It alters the resistance, producing a measurable
output.
• Resistance Output: The electrical signal that changes depending on
the wiper's position. This output
Dr.K V Lreflects
Narayana the applied acceleration.
 How it Works?
• When the accelerometer experiences an
external acceleration, the seismic mass
moves, compressing or stretching the spring.
• The damper (dashpot) provides resistance to
the motion, ensuring the system does not
oscillate excessively.
• The movement of the seismic mass causes the
wiper to shift, changing the resistance output.
• By analyzing the resistance output, the
magnitude and direction of acceleration can
be determined. Dr.K V L Narayana
 Numerical
Problem: Find the transfer function of the seismic transducer shown in
figure. x0=input =Amplitude of dynamic motion or vibration of the object;
z=output= Relative motion of the seismic mass

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Dr.K V L Narayana
 semiconductor accelerometers: Typical
Image of ADXL335 Accelerometer Module

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• Cellphone accelerometers are based on
tiny microchips with all their components
chemically etched onto the surface of a piece
of silicon.
• Right in the middle, we have a red electrode
(electrical terminal) that has enough mass to
move up and down very slightly when you
move or tilt the accelerometer.

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• The electrode is supported by a tiny beam (cantilever) that's rigid enough to hold it but flexible enough to
allow it to move.
• There's an electrical connection from the cantilever and electrode to the outside of the chip so it can be
wired into a circuit.
• Below the red electrode, and separated from it by an air gap, there's a second electrode (purple). The air gap
between the two electrodes means the red and purple electrodes work together as a capacitor. As you move
the accelerometer and the red electrode moves up and down, the distance between the red and purple
electrodes changes, and so does the capacitance between them. We're talking about amazingly tiny
distances here of a few millionths of a meter (µm, microns). Small bits of insulation (shown as black lines)
prevent the red electrode from making direct electrical contact with the purple one if the accelerometer
experiences a really big force (a sudden jolt).
• In exactly the same way, there's a blue electrode above the red electrode and another air gap making a
second capacitor. As before, the distance between the blue and red electrodes (and the capacitance between
them) changes as you move the accelerometer.
• The electrodes are connected to more electrical terminals at the edges of the chip, again, so it can be wired
to a bigger circuit.
• Now the amazing thing about capacitors like this is that they're fabricated on single, microscopic chips,
with the various different electrodes and electrically conducting layers made from different types of silicon
(n-type and p-type, if you're familiar with how silicon is "doped" to make components such
as transistors and diodes.)

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 Outer assembly having fixed plates

Internal movable assembly

There is an internal movable assembly having a small mass and connected to

outer assembly using spring contacts. The movable assembly also has plates
which form a capacitor with plates of outer fixed assembly.
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• Micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS):
These systems contain both mechanical and
electrical components. These components are
fabricated at the scale of micrometre. These
MEMS are used inside accelerometer IC which
helps keep it size small.

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