FEATURE Sensors & Industry 4.0
THE SOUND OF GOOD VIBRATIONS
Bernard Ang, Product Marketing Manager, Keysight Technologies, explains how vibration and acoustic signals can be analysed to help improve overall operational that acoustic and vibration analysis provides
engineers and designers
R
andom vibrations and acoustic signals reverberate everywhere around us, and most of the time, we treat them as just noise.
However, identifying and monitoring example, the acoustic signals of mechanical machines driving critical processes such as industrial water pumps, huge compressors, large rotary equipment, turbines, and conveyor systems can provide clues to downtime. Some dynamic mechanical signals are measurable in the form of tensile, compression, and torsional forces that can have the potential signs of failure. They include the dynamic forces that occur on the main structures of a bridge, the warping changes on the wings of turbulence, or the torsion stress of a suspension bar in a car while driving. Measuring these signals can also provide insights into the signature behaviour of a stationary random vibration. A stationary random vibration signal usually has stochastic properties that remain constant over time – for example, the frequency of ball bearings in a rotary machine. If we know the good behaviour of a stationary random vibration, we can analyse and understand the random vibrations of a rotary machine that is wearing down over time and predict its failure. Acoustic and vibration analysis is a measurement science that provides including improved reliability and safety, cost savings, and enhanced overall
18 September 2025 | Automation
provide engineers and designers: 1. Early fault detection and diagnosis Using acoustic and vibration analysis for early fault detection and diagnosis has advanced in recent years to incorporate (AI/ML) to predict industrial machinery failures. Hence, it prevents unplanned downtime and damage to expensive level model of an early fault detection and diagnostic system.
2. Reliability and safety When product design cycles incorporate acoustic and vibration analysis, design and development engineers gain a wealth of physical dynamic parameters. This information helps them make decisions such as validating the dynamic stresses of turbine blades, predicting wear and tear of ball bearings, mechanical shaft coupling performance, and torsional rigidity of an automobile body.
3. Less system and operation downtime Unplanned systems and operation downtime at an automobile manufacturing plant can cost about $2 million per hour. Studying the historical acoustic and vibration analysis trends of manufacturing plant machinery can help you determine a lifecycle breakdown of parts and create a preplanned maintenance cadence. Acoustic and vibration analysis of critical mechanical rotary or moving parts can provide cost savings through what is known as condition monitoring and predictive maintenance. This process avoids unplanned
downtime, minimises repair costs, and extends the lifespan of equipment. Acoustic and vibration analysis can also help identify weaknesses in mechanical machinery. 5. Better quality products Most automobile manufacturers conduct noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) tests. The less NVH transmitted into the passenger cabin, the better the driving experience. Drivers and passengers usually perceive cars with lower NVH as better designed and of higher quality.
in the aerospace and defence industries. structural dynamics and cabin and jet engine Jet engines are extremely loud and can be unbearable to pilots if jet noise is not reduced during the design phase. The increased need for acoustic noise and vibration analysis is leading to the development of data acquisition (DAQ) systems that can serve as universal multichannel sensor monitoring and data logging devices. Such systems combine features like synchronous multichannel digitisers, frequency domain analysers a frequency domain vibration signature in a rotary system derived from a periodic sampling of vibration signals from the rotary system transformed into frequency
automationmagazine.co.uk
THE SOUND OF GOOD VIBRATIONS
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