2.

2 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RMS, PEAK AND PEAK-TO- PEAK

VIBRATION AMPLITUDE?

Since electronics is already employed to create the various vibration displays in the time and
frequency domains, additional electronics and software are used to convert the displayed
amplitude into measurement units of displacement, velocity and acceleration. The electronics
also performs all the necessary conversions for peak to peak, peak, RMS (root-mean-square) or
average amplitude. Table I gives the formulas for the various measurement unit conversions. It is
interesting to note here that Europeans normally use RMS velocity amplitudes while Americans
have adopted peak velocity values even though the instruments themselves collect RMS data and
then multiply them by the conversion factor (1.414) to obtain so-called peak velocity. This is most
likely due to the fact that most all the severity charts for various equipment types have been
developed using this so-called peak velocity in America.

Figure 18 compares the various common English and Metric units of vibration measurement.

TABLE I
CONVERSION FORMULAS FOR VARIOUS AMPLITUDE UNITS (Ref. 1)
(See Figure 22 also which graphically shows these and gives further formulas)

FIGURE 18
COMPARISON OF ENGLISH AND METRIC VIBRATION UNITS

© Copyright 2001 Technical Associates Of Charlotte, P.C. 2-11

Technical Associates Level I

 FIGURE 20
VIBRATION DISPLACEMENT & VELOCITY CHART FOR
GENERAL HORIZONTAL ROTATING MACHINERY
(Source: Entek IRD International, Milford, OH)

© Copyright 2001 Technical Associates Of Charlotte, P.C. 2-15

Technical Associates Level I

 FIGURE 21
VIBRATION ACCELERATION & VELOCITY SEVERITY CHART FOR
GENERAL HORIZONTAL ROTATING MACHINERY
(Source: Entek IRD International, Milford, OH)

2-16 © Copyright 2001 Technical Associates Of Charlotte, P.C.

Technical Associates Level I

 TABLE II.

© Copyright 2001 Technical Associates Of Charlotte, P.C. 7-29

Technical Associates Level I

9-10 © Copyright 2001 Technical Associates Of Charlotte, P.C.
Technical Associates Level I