Rotating Equipment and Bearing Monitoring
In rotating equipment such as pumps, fans and motors, bearings are the most frequent failure cause; vibration and temperature monitoring detects incipient bearing damage before it develops into a breakdown loss.
Failure mechanisms
In pumps, fans, electric motors and similar rotating equipment, rolling-element and plain bearings are statistically the most frequent failure source. Shaft coupling misalignment, imbalance, inadequate or contaminated lubrication, and electrically induced bearing currents in variable-frequency-drive motors all cause progressive wear that announces itself through characteristic vibration patterns long before a total failure.
Monitoring and maintenance
Regular vibration measurements at bearing locations, complemented by temperature monitoring and, where warranted, oil or grease analysis, allow bearing damage to be detected early against recognised evaluation classes and maintenance to be planned on a risk basis. Careful alignment during installation and after repairs, together with a lubricant selection matched to operating conditions, significantly reduce failure frequency.
Insurance relevance
For machinery insurance, repeated bearing failures on the same machine or the absence of systematic vibration monitoring on critical units are indicators of elevated risk. A documented monitoring programme with defined warning and shutdown thresholds has a favourable effect on risk assessment.
Standards and codes
- DS 13-24 – Fans and Blowers
- ISO 20816-1:2016 – Mechanical Vibration, Measurement and Evaluation of Machine Vibration, Part 1: General Guidelines