T

he Lubrizol Corp. is a specialty chemical com- take a pump, fan or motor offline because the bearings are bad
pany that produces and supplies technologies to and need to be replaced, the operator will ask two questions:
improve the quality and performance of our cus- “Are you sure?” and, “How long will it take?” With trending,
tomers’ products in the global transportation, industrial and you have a history on the bearings that helps you diagnose the
consumer markets. Our first operations, in 1928, were in a problem. Without that history, you are guessing.
small garage in Cleveland. Today, the world headquarters in Ultrasound allows you to gather more details about machine
Wickliffe, Ohio, consists of a number of buildings scattered operation. It might emit a rough grinding sound when it needs
throughout a large campus. lubrication. Or, it might give off a rushing water sound when
As maintenance specialist, I perform predictive maintenance it’s over-lubricated, which can cause the bearing to overheat
surveys on critical and non-critical equipment using airborne (Figure 1). Using ultrasound to identify bearing wear in its ear-
ultrasound, infrared thermography and vibration analysis. I lo- liest stages is a valuable tool that avoids costly downtime.
cate minor problems before they become catastrophic failures
that result in hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost income.
Don’t do this
The power of predicting
Companies are in business to be profitable. If equipment
fails unexpectedly, the cost could be enormous. That’s why
it’s essential to keep equipment up and running and to avoid
breakdowns. If a production line bearing in a paper or steel
mill locks up, the costs can run into the millions of dollars.
We have hundreds of pieces of equipment at our Lubrizol
facility, each critical to our operation. Together, they have
several hundred bearings, essential components in all ro-
tating equipment. Bearings hold and support shafts so that
pumps, fans and other machinery can smoothly and freely
rotate. As the internal components in moving machinery
begin to wear, friction increases, which changes the ultra-
sonic sound signature. A change in ultrasound becomes ap-
parent before other signs of wear appear, such as vibration.
Like vibration analysis, ultrasound trending can help you Figure 1. It’s easy to spot bearings that are overlubricated.
make judgment calls. When you ask an equipment operator to

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 Reliability
Power Transmission

How ultrasound works

Ultrasound is higher acoustic frequencies than a human ear Gathering intelligence
can hear. Human-audible sound ranges from 20 Hz to 20
kHz, with the average being approximately 16,500 Hz. Air-
borne ultrasound allows us to hear sounds in the 20 kHz to
100 kHz range. A transducer mounted in either a scanning
module (used for airborne sounds) or a contact module (used
to touch an object) captures the sound and transfers it to the
instrument. Through a process called heterodyning, the in-
audible signal is converted into a frequency that we can hear
through headphones. Also, the sound intensity (in decibels)
is displayed on the instrument’s meter. The unit has a com-
pact flash card to record sound wave signature.
By either touching the instrument to a test spot or point-
ing it at a target, you can hear the ultrasonic sounds through
headphones and determine the source on the basis of intensity
(Figure 2). The advantage of using ultrasound is that the source
of the ultrasonic sound is fairly directional and can be easily
identified with little interference from competing sounds.
Ultrasound sensors are lightweight, portable and can be Figure 2. Using ultrasonic probe, maintenance specialist Roger
Earley of the Lubrizol Corp trends a motor bearing. He uses
used with relatively little training. The applications for ul- a probe that not only records a decibel reading, it can also
trasound are numerous, covering most potential mechanical, record the sound wave onto a compact flash card to be used
later to help diagnose a problem.
electrical and leak problems. Also, ultrasonic technology can
detect, trend and analyze potential failure conditions earlier
than traditional predictive maintenance technologies.
Make it a habit
Fundamentals of repeatability
There are five important things to remember when you trend
wear in rolling-element bearings:
• The most important thing is to have repeatability.
• Select a location on the machine to take your readings, and
take them at the same location every time (Figure 3).
• Approach the machine from the same angle each time.
• Apply the same amount of pressure when taking the read-
ings. Too little pressure causes the reading to be lower;
too much pressure causes the reading to be higher.
• K now the machine’s speed and loading because differ-
ences affect your readings.

What should I monitor?

You’ll have to decide. But keep in mind that no piece of op-
erating equipment is too big or too small to be monitored. If
it’s important to you, your operation, or your customer, then
it’s worth monitoring and trending.
How often should I monitor?
This is where you need to set your priorities. How critical
is the equipment? If you lose a pump, fan or a motor, will
your operation cease? If so, you should put these items on a
monthly schedule. Is there a backup? If one fails, can an-
other take over? If so, check them every other month. If you
could continue to operate even if a piece of equipment fails,
check them quarterly. These monitoring schedules are only a
guideline. Every situation is different. Plant size, equipment
Figure 3. You need to have repeatability when taking readings
on bearings. Always start at the same point every time and
follow the same pattern. For example, you might use MO
(motor out), MI (motor in), FI (fan in), and FO (fan out). It would
also be the same if you were reading a pump (MO, MI, PI, PO).
to be checked and the number of trained personal to take
the readings affect your scheduling.
Establishing baseline readings
When trending bearings, capture an initial baseline read-
ing. The first reading is my baseline. The best time to take
the initial reading is when a motor, fan or pump is new.

May 2007 www.PLANTSERVICES.com 53

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If the equipment has been in ser-
vice for some time, you can still take
your initial readings. If there’s more
than one piece of identical machin-
ery, compare the readings from each
at the same speed and under the same
loading. Then, use the lower readings
as your baseline. It doesn’t matter if
the equipment is new or old, the im-
portant thing is to start a trending
If the equipment has been in service for some time,
you can still take your initial readings.
program. Some ultrasonic units have
software that allows you to change the
baseline after an overhaul or equip-
ment replacement.
Taking and using readings
Repeatability is an essential part of
trending. Select a location on the
equipment to take your reading. Mark
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54
PS0705_52_55_PwrTrans.indd 54
Reliability
Power Transmission
the spot with a dab of paint so you can
take future readings at the same loca-
tion. Pay close attention to the contact
pressure you apply, and approach from
the same angle each time. Set the ul-
trasound instrument range at 30 Hz.
I follow the same route through the
plant when collecting vibration data.
Whenever I take a vibration reading, I
also take an ultrasound reading. I save
the decibel reading, and if I notice the
bearing is emitting an unusual sound,
I record it for later playback and analy-
sis with the software.
When I return to the office, I down-
load the data into the software, which
saves the readings, the date and time
they were taken and the sound wave
recordings. The software allows me
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to both hear and see the readings I
took. Once I establish a baseline, I can
trend the readings and compare each
new reading to the previous reading
and the baseline (Figure 4). A current
reading that exceeds the baseline by
eight decibels is a sign that the bearing
lacks lubrication. At a difference of 12
decibels, you can expect minor dam-
age and microscopic faults. When you
reach a 16-decibel difference, damage
is visually apparent. And a difference
of 35 decibels or more indicates cata-
strophic failure.
Better software provides a choice of
charts that you can graph: date, time,
decibels, low-level alarm, high-level
alarm, rpm, temperature, frequency and
more. I normally set my low-level alarm
at eight decibels over the baseline. My
software automatically sets the high-
level alarm at twice the low level.
The program allows us to watch
what a particular piece of equipment
is doing. We can adjust the alarm level
to whatever suits our needs. If a read-
ing exceeds the low-level alarm, the
date at which it was taken turns yel-
low, alerting us that this is something
to watch more closely. If the high-
alarm level is exceeded, the date turns
red, which also gets our attention.
When you locate a problem, initi-
ate a maintenance request to repair the
equipment. Including a trend chart in a
report shows why a machine should be
taken offline. And with trending, you
can prove you didn’t miss something;
you have the records to prove it.
After you make the repairs, take
another set of readings to ensure the
problem has been corrected and to
reset your baseline. However, don’t
delete your earlier data. It provides a
valuable history. If a problem repeats,
you can check the history. If the prob-
lem persists, you might decide, for
example, that the application, not the
bearing, is at fault.
The savings
Although I’m a 27-year veteran of Lu-
brizol, I didn’t use ultrasonic instru-
ments until I assumed maintenance
May 2007
4/24/07 1:41:43 PM
 Reliability
Power Transmission

Back to hush

Figure 4. The bearing was changed when its noise level

reached 65 dB over the baseline value. After being replaced,
the new baseline noise level was only 37 dB.

specialist responsibilities in 1998. Back then, we were us-

ing only vibration analysis to inspect equipment. However,
I discovered a hand-held instrument sitting in a corner, still
in the original carton, collecting dust. After I read the in-
struction manual and learned about its capabilities, I was so
enthused that I taught myself how to use it. After I demon-
strated what it could accomplish, I took a Level 1 ultrasonic
course. Back at the plant, I started a steam trap inspection
program. Within the first year, we saved about $85,000 in
steam generation cost due to failed traps we found. Two
years later, I took the Level 2 course. I continue to expand
the program and incorporate it into all of our surveys.
Although no single instrument does it all, you can use
vibration analysis, infrared thermography and airborne ul-
trasound to survey equipment. But because of its reasonable
cost, the ease of use and its versatility, ultrasound equip-
ment can fit into any reliability maintenance program.

Roger Earley is maintenance specialist at The Lubrizol Corp., Wick-

liffe, Ohio. Contact him at rle@lubrizol.com and (440) 347-4486. Watch it all come
together at
More resources at www.PlantServices.com/thismonth
Alemite.com/products.
Bearing upgrades – “Don’t lose your bearings when planning
07ALE326

an upgrade”
Upgrading equipment – “Drive system upgrades”
Selection algorithm – “Selecting the right bearing”
Powertrain PdM – “Avoid the rolling thunder”
On-board diagnostics – “Training for on-board diagnostics”
Automated diagnostics – “Automated maintenance diagnostics”

For more, search www.plantservices.com using the keywords

bearing, trending and ultrasonics.
www.Alemite.com

May 2007 www.PLANTSERVICES.com 55

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