A motor primer — Part 9

An ever changing global economy continues to push for faster results in every sector of design, planning, manufacturing and production. Expectations today are demanding and in a production environment unexpected installation startup issues or downtimes are unwanted and costly. While many papers have been written discussing the benefits of predictive maintenance one area that is sometimes overlooked is the installation of machinery. Multiple components and structures assemble together to form one operating system. Within a system one will find a structural base supporting a motor and the driven equipment. When these systems are not thoroughly reviewed the potential for resonant frequencies that result in structural vibration during startup and/or operation may exist. The use of impact testing and modal analysis has proven to be very beneficial in resolving vibration issues of this type. Using the case studies, this paper will show how impact testing and modal analysis are used to solve vibration problems.