December 1984 Machinery MESsages Machinery diagnostics using shaft centerline position measurements By Bill Pryor Regional Manager Mechanical Engineering Services Hidden, and potentially catastrophic, problems on rotating machinery often go undetected because only” shaft vibration amplitude, frequency, and phase informa- tion is analyzed, ‘Additional information, contained in data that relates average radial shalt posi- tion to bearing clearance, enables you to diagnose and correct several types of ma- chine malfunctions, including excessive shaft motion, rotor instability, and mis- alignment, By evaluating de gap voltage, you can determine the shaft centerline position rel- ative to the bearing centerline and actual ‘mechanical clearance limits. You can also calculate shaft eccentricity ratio and atti- tude angle. This information is easily ob- tained from a pair of proximity probes mounted near a radial bearing (March, 1984 and October 1983 Orbit), Identifying excessive shaft motion Centerline position measurements taken during starup, between zero speed and full speed operation, can be used to detect excessive shaft motion In Plot 1, for example, a comparison of the shaft position change to the bearing geometry indicates that the shat has ex- ceeded the bearing clearance and an in- spection is warranted. It i important 10 note that had we only compared the mag nitude ofthe shaft position change (which is 4.6 mils) to our diametral bearing clear ance of 6 mils, we would not have detected ‘potential problem, If visual inspection does not reveal evi- dence of babbitt removal, then a loose bearing ora bearing wit excessive clea. ance may be indicated. With a loose bear- ing, the shaft cannot achieve a normal attitude angle within the bearing. A loose bearing or a bearing with excessive clear- ‘ance has the potential to affeet the long- term operability of a machine and, therefore, should be corrected immedi ately. By calculating the change in shaft ‘centerline position during startup, it’s pos- sible to identify and correct these prob Jems before they adversely affect the unit's operation, Rotor instability Te potential for oil whirl also can be detected by measuring shaft centerline po sition changes. Plot 2 shows a machine that exhibited an unusually large shaft centerline position change with a corres- ponding attitude angle of Mil degrees. The calculated eccentricity ratio is 0.63. This machine isa strong candidate for a rotor instability mechanism, such as oil whirl or oil whip. Research and field ex- perience have shown that when the atti- tude angle is 90 degrees or more, the total effective damping of a rotor system is ex- tremely small Tn some instances, the rotor may not display oil whirl or oil whip immediately ‘upon reaching an attitude angle of 90 de- _precs because of either external or internal preloads. I have experienced cases where il whirl does not occur for several months following bearing replacement. ‘Trending shaft centerline position ‘changes over a period of time also can as sist you in predicting the potential for ro- tor instability. Let’s return to Plot 1 for a ‘moment, Inspection of the bearing may ‘not have revealed a problem other than in- creased bearing clearance. But notice the attitude angle of the shaft in Plot 1. It approaches 90 degrees. By trending the shaft centerline position over ‘period of time, we would have been able to detect the increase in the attitude angle ‘and would have permitted a more accurate prediction of the bearing condition In this case, a bearing design change was not required. Replacement of the worn bearing with a new bearing of the same design will result in years of satis- factory service from the new bearing. For those machines which continue to display a tendency toward oil whirl, however, the ‘accepted Solution isto replace the existing bearing with a more stable bearing desiga pp ‘CENTERUNEDecember 1984 (e.g. a pocketed, lobe, or tilting pad bearing) Misalignment Shaft centerline position changes and amjtude angle measurements also can be used to determine the alignment condition of rotating equipment Plot 3 shows the shaft centerline posi tion changes and corresponding attitude angles across the coupling of a turbine- driven compressor. The bearing tthe tur- bine exhaust end displays a normal shaft position change for a counter-clockwise ‘operating machine, with a measured atti- tude angle of 41 degrees. Looking across the coupling, we find thatthe compressor shaft has moved inthe opposite direction, with an attitude angle of 68 degrees (against rotation). Since all the natural forces acting on a rotor ele ‘ment would cause the rotor to move inthe same direction as the turbine, we can as- sume that an outside influence has been introduced to the system. This ouside influence is typically inter. nal misalignment (e.g., cocked or mis positioned bearing) or external mis- alignment (e.g., coupling). When this condition exists, further investigation of the alignment condition is warranted, When to take measurements In the examples cited above, shaft cen- terline position measurements were taken during startup condition as well as during steady-state operation. Taking these measurements during startup permits you to immediately deter- ‘mine and correct potential problems be- fore they adversely affect the unit operation, Trending shaft centerline posi- tion changes during steady-state operation allows you to predict the potential for rotor instability and identify babbitt loss due to clectrostatic discharg ‘This isthe third and final segment in the series of articles on shaft centerline posi tion measurements. The first article, in the October 1983 issue, introduced the ‘concept and presented a case history. The second article, in the March 1984 issue, detailed the techniques used to make shaft ‘centerline measurements. To receive these articles, please check the following num- bers on the return card: October 1983 Orbit, L800. March 1984 Orbit, L801 ORBIT Additional information on shaft cen- terline position measurements. is also available by checking the following num- bers on the return card: Shafi Position Changes Reveal Machin ery Behavior/Malfunctions, LO246. Mechanical Degradation Due to Elec- trostatic Shaft Voltage Discharge, 0247 ata Presentation Techniques for Trend ctEARANGE Plot 2 cenrentne— Analysis and Malfunction, 10237 Plotting Average Shaft Cenerine Pos tion, L028, Preloads on Rotating Shafts, 10243, Vibration Measurement: Parameters for Predictive Maintenance, LO234 Diagnosis in Operation of Bearing Mis alignment in Turbogenerators, by A. Cla pis, G. Lapini, and T. Rossini, 10363. True sue