Data presentation techniques for rotating machinery malfunction diagnosis

Baseline steady state data is excellent for documentation of vibration signals at normal operating conditions. Assuming that a set of initial data was acquired with the machinery in a good state of repair, any future changes or deterioration in mechanical condition can be easily compared to the baseline information. Often this type of comparison will yield sufficient information for evaluation of the problem. However, many malfunctions require the analysis of transient data in order to identify the malfunction. Steady-state data formats consist of: Time Base Waveform, Orbit, Spectrum. Transient data formats consist of: Polar, Bode, Cascade. Our objective is to demonstrate the use of the above formats to diagnose a machine malfunction. A turbine-driven compressor train is chosen as an example. The machine train outline drawing is shown.