Data Physics 9-14:CAREB 05-09.
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OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE
VIBRATION ANALYSIS OF LARGE
ROTATING MACHINERY
WHEN USED TOGETHER, SHAFT ORBIT AND CENTERLINE ANALYSIS CAN
PINPOINT THE ROOT CAUSE OF MALFUNCTIONS
ROB BLOOMQUIST, PE, CMRP
F
or vibration analysis of large rotating
machinery, shaft orbit and centerline
analysis are useful diagnostic tech-
niques for the specialist’s toolbox.
Especially when used together, they can yield
diagnostic information for evaluating
machinery condition and pinpointing the root
cause of malfunctions.
Shaft orbit and centerline analysis apply
to equipment such as turbines, generators,
motors, pumps, compressors and fans with
fluid-film radial bearings. By design, these
radial bearings allow for a nominal amount of
shaft movement within the bearing clearance.
Shaft vibration measurements relative to
the bearing are made possible by pairs of radi-
al-mounted, non-contact proximity transducers
installed in an X-Y configuration 90 degrees
apart at each bearing location (Figure 1).
Because the frequency range of proximity
transducers starts at DC (0 Hz), the information
from each X-Y probe pair enables two-dimen-
sional views of shaft dynamic motion and aver-
Figure 1: Typical X-Y probe configuration
Figure 2: Successive orbits at increasing speeds during machine startup
30 Turbomachinery International • September/October 2014
age position within the bearing clearance.
The shaft orbit presentation is construct-
ed by plotting the AC vibration signals from
each probe pair together in X-Y format. The
resulting graph in displacement units repre-
sents the dynamic deflection of the vibrating
shaft within the bearing. One way to concep-
tualize how a shaft orbit develops is to first
consider a shaft rotating at low speeds with
little dynamic motion.
At low speeds, the resulting orbit presen-
tation will not be much more than a dot on the
graph, assuming that the shaft is straight and
there is little noise in the signal from scratch-
es or other surface irregularities.
Then, consider the same rotating shaft
with the introduction of increased unbalance
force at higher speeds. The shaft will now
begin to exhibit dynamic response as a result
of the unbalance force. Because unbalance is
an outward force that is also rotating at the
rpm of the machine, shaft deflection will tend
to follow a circular path at a frequency equal
to running speed (Figure 2).
Most shaft orbits are slightly elliptical
due to the net effect of steady state side loads,
or preloads, acting on the shaft. Examples
include reaction from discharge flow on a
pump, partial arc admission of steam into a
turbine, and gravity on a horizontal machine.
A significant aspect of orbit analysis, there-
fore, is differentiating between effects of nor-
mal preloads and significant deviations from
the expected shape and form that are the
result of machinery malfunctions.
While orbits are derived from the AC
portion of the signals captured from an X-Y
probe configuration, shaft centerline plots
are derived from the DC portion. The DC
signal from each probe is proportional to the
average gap between the probe tip and the
shaft surface.
Shaft centerline display
When changes in DC voltages from the two
probes are converted to displacement units
and plotted together in X-Y format, the
resulting two-dimensional graph is called the
shaft centerline. The most common applica-
tion of the shaft centerline graph is to display
changes in shaft centerline position within
the bearing, such as might be experienced
during a startup or shutdown, or which may
occur at constant speed over time given
changes in process load.
The shaft centerline display is most useful
when centerline position data points are refer-
enced to the bearing clearance boundary. This
reference can easily be established on a horizon-
tal machine by capturing DC gap reference volt-
ages from the X and Y probes with the machine
at rest, preferably following a shutdown to min-
imize hysteresis in the data from thermal effects.
The DC gap voltages captured at rest can
then be used to reference the plot starting
point at the bottom of the bearing clearance
boundary. The resulting graph displays shaft
centerline position changes relative to the
starting point.
(Continued on p. 32)
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Data Physics 9-14:CAREB 05-09.qxd 8/25/2014
Some change in shaft centerline posi-
tion with increased machine speed is nor-
mal and expected. This is because a radi-
al fluid-film bearing provides hydrody-
namic support of the rotor on the oil
wedge which develops underneath the
shaft as it rotates. The supporting oil
wedge generally delivers more lift to the
shaft at higher rotational speeds, causing
the gap to change between the shaft and
the observing proximity probes.
As the orbit and shaft centerline dis-
plays are in displacement units, they can
be presented together in the same graph
(Figure 3). The shaft centerline portion of
the graph shows shaft lift from the sup-
porting oil wedge at increased speed, and
a position above bottom-dead center (nor-
mal for a tilt-pad bearing). The orbit at full
speed is fairly circular and at an accept-
able magnitude. Together, these observa-
Figure 5: Orbit and timebase showing 2x component on Y signal
tions indicate good alignment and bal-
ance, conclusions that can be further vali-
dated by bearing metal temperatures.
Presentation of shaft orbit and center-
line plots together in an overlay graph is
convenient, and also enables easy corre-
lation of findings derived from these two
plots. An external preload due to cou-
pling misalignment, for example, will
constrain shaft response in the plane of
the preload force, yielding a much flatter
orbit than normal. Such a preload can
also force the shaft to run in a different
position within the bearing clearance
than under normal conditions.
The shaft centerline plot in Figure 4
shows position changes at the exhaust end
bearing of a large gas turbine rotor during
startup and load-up. The machine exhibit-
ed normal centerline position up to about
3,000 rpm. For the remainder of the start-
32 Turbomachinery International • September/October 2014
12:32 PM Page 32
Figure 3: Normal orbit and shaft centerline
position for tilt-pad bearing
Figure 4: Abnormal orbit and shaft
centerline position
up to 3,600 rpm and as load was added to
the machine, it showed movement down
and to the right, reaching the bearing
clearance boundary. Also shown in the
same graph is an overlay of a highly pre-
loaded figure-eight shaped orbit. The ori-
entation and tilt of the orbit is parallel to
the bearing wall. Taken together, the orbit
and shaft centerline data confirm the pres-
ence of preloading and a heavily loaded
bearing. Severe misalignment was sus-
pected, but the exact root cause was yet to
be determined.
An expanded view of the figure-eight
orbit (Figure 5) also shows the time-base
waveform signals from the X-Y probe
pair used to draw the orbit. In the Y probe
signal, two vibration peaks can be re-seen
between successive rotational timing
marks indicating 2X running speed vibra-
tion; another symptom of misalignment.
Based on these indications, plant
operations personnel were advised to
shut down the unit. Subsequent inspec-
tion revealed large cracks in structural
elements supporting the exhaust-end
radial bearing large enough to compro-
mise the supports. The thermal distortion
induced misalignment, resulting in the
excessive preload.
Rob Bloomquist, PE,
CMRP, is Product
Manager at Data
Physics, a corpora-
tion that supplies sig-
nal processing solu-
tions to the noise and
vibration community.
For more informa-
tion, call (408) 216-
8405 or visit
www.dataphysics.com.
www.turbomachinerymag.com