Triaxial Accelerometer Considerations

Triaxial accelerometers are a useful combination of three sensing pellets,

each taken from a single-axis accelerometer and oriented in a new package
to cover all three Euclidean axes, that can quickly evaluate a machine’s
condition. Obtaining data from just a single measurement axis can certainly
clue you into developing machine faults and their severity, but monitoring all
three axes, especially at both ends of the machine, gives the clearest picture
of overall machine health.

With many data collectors programmed to accept readings from triaxial

sensors and process all three axes simultaneously, you might wonder why
you would ever revert to a condition monitoring program using just single-axis
sensors. Why give up the cable-cost-cutting, spot-face-location-reducing,
timesaving gadget that is a triaxial accelerometer? Alas, there are some
considerations to make before leaving your singular sensor world.

The primary reason you would want to use a single-axis sensor, or three of
them mounted in a triaxial configuration, is that of frequency
response. Because of the significant increase in mass when incorporating
three sensing elements instead of just one into a single sensor case, the
resonance frequency of most triaxial accelerometers, and therefore its usable
frequency range, is noticeably lower when compared to that of a single-axis
sensor. This eliminates some of the high-frequency analysis capability
inherent in most uniaxial accelerometers for things like early bearing or shock
warnings. The low-frequency cutoff can also be affected in a triaxial unit and
it likely cannot measure as slow of speeds as a single-axis sensor would.

Another consideration that goes hand-in-hand with low-frequency response is

that of sensitivity. Most industrial triaxial accelerometers have a 100 mV/g
sensitivity but for low-speed, low-amplitude applications, a higher sensitivity
sensor, such as 500 or 1,000 mV/g, would be desired to ensure the signal is
accurately captured. You might even want some high-frequency content
filtered out, which is usually not available in a triaxial configuration, leaving
you with a single-axis solution.

If your machines operate in standard industrial run-speed ranges though, say

300-3600 RPM nominal, the triaxial unit is a great timesaving tool for
walkaround data collection routes when efficiency is key and there are always
more machines to analyze. It will give you the information you need to know,
taking three readings in the time it takes for one, and allow your condition
monitoring program to operate seamlessly.