Tricks Of The Trade: Vibration Analysis

By B. Kevin Folsom, CEP
Published in the September 2012 issue of Today’s Facility Manager

Q Do you have any info and/or studies related to vibration analysis? ROI? Starting a new program? I’m thinking about adopting a program and would appreciate your assistance.

Name withheld by request

A I have not personally used a vibration analysis service, but from what I understand, it’s simply a way to predict an impending equipment breakdown through various vibration signals on a variety of rotating machines. I do know that if an organization does not have the money to act upon the report, then this kind of exercise is probably a waste of money.

Most facility management (FM) organizations have redundancies they can rely upon. Others are willing to take their chances on a vibration analysis report in the hopes that it will be wrong. Then they can get more miles out of the component without investing in maintenance approaches recommended in the report.

A smart facility manager (fm) will put this—or some other kind of preventive maintenance (PM) strategy—in the budget, knowing that reliable, efficient facilities without interruption benefit everyone in the organization. For more on PM, see “Reactive, Preventive, Or Predictive,” by Steve Wallis in the September 2012 issue of TFM.