Knowledge Base Article

PeakVue as Part of a Reliability Based Maintenance Program

Article ID: NK-1000-0285

Publish Date: 26 Feb 2015
Article Status: Approved
Article Type: General Product Technical Information
Required Action: Information Only

Recent Article Revision History:

Revision/Publish Description of Revision
26 Feb 2015 updated affected products
(See end of article for a complete revision history listing.)

Affected Products:
Product Line Category Device Version
Machinery Health AMS Machinery Manager Data Analysis
Management Software
Introduction
A vibration analysts main job is to provide accurate, timely information on the health of the machinery that is being
monitored. As experience shows, this is not always an easy job. Therefore, any tool that can be used to assist the analyst
in providing this information should be made readily available. Unfortunately, we do not always have the resources (i.e.
time and money) available to utilize these tools or we do not understand the capability of the equipment we have. This
paper was written to address this problem with a relatively new tool in vibration analysis, PeakVue.

Vibration analysis is one part of a Reliability Based Maintenance (RBM) philosophy that, along with other technologies
such as thermography and tribology, can provide a condition based assessment of the plant or mill machinery. PeakVue
is designed to play a significant role in the route based vibration surveys of an RBM program without taking a large time or
capital expenditure to implement.

The goal of this paper is to provide the reader with an understanding of what PeakVue can do to help in making more
accurate vibration calls. This is done in two parts: first, a basic background of what PeakVue is and how to implement it is
discussed and second, data is presented to demonstrate the capabilities of PeakVue and to get the reader familiar with
looking at the information it provides.

What is PeakVue?
PeakVue is a method of vibration signal analysis that captures the peak value of the time waveform over a defined time
interval. These peak values can then be processed, like routine instantaneous values from the waveform, into a frequency
based spectral plot.

This type of signal processing is directed at picking up and monitoring short duration stress waves. These stress waves
are primarily produced in faults where metal-to-metal impacting is present. Gear defects, bearing defects, and abrasive
wear are examples of faults where stress waves are produced.

PeakVue can be set up similar to demodulation in intermediate frequenc y bands (6000 to 30,000 rpm). Unlike
demodulation, PeakVue maintains the true signal levels that are occurring in the impacting events. Thus, PeakVue is a
more trendable parameter. Also, PeakVue is not limited to the intermediate frequency range. It is applicable to impacting
faults in both high speed and very slow speed frequency ranges.

Where Should PeakVue be Used?

As with any other tool, you need to recognize where it should be used and how much it is going to cost to use it.
Fortunately, equipment cost for PeakVue is low compared to other predictive maintenance tools; in fact, it may already be
a part of your data collection hardware and software. The labor required involves taking one additional data point on a
machinery bearing. With CSI equipment, PeakVue data is collected using your analyzer and a typical accelerometer and
can be added to route based data collection.

Whether a formal or informal approach to setting up an RBM program is used, PeakVue should be applied wherever
impacting defects can be found. Additionally, PeakVue shows its strengths on slow speed machinery. In you have laid out
a formal RBM program, you may have analyzed different failure modes and criticalities of your machinery and operating
systems. From this information, you can identify where metal-to-metal impact failures are the most critical and then focus
the manpower to take PeakVue data. If your RBM program does not have a formal blueprint, a general rule of thumb
would be to take PeakVue data on critical gearboxes and on critical motors and rolls with anti-friction bearings. One
PeakVue measurement per bearing should be taken with the transducer placed near the load zone.
How to Implement PeakVue
A PeakVue measurement point is set up very similar to a routine vibration measurement point. The main difference is that
with PeakVue you must select a high pass or bandpass filter setting.
 Figure 1 - AP set-up screen in MasterTrend
Setting up a data point using MasterTrend software is relatively easy. A PeakVue reading must be set up to be taken in
acceleration. The remainder of the set-up is done in the Analysis Parameter (AP) set-up portion of the database manager.
Make certain to set the maximum frequency (Fmax) of your spectrum to capture faults as you normally would with a
routine vibration reading. For example, some guidelines are: on gearboxes set the Fmax to capture three times gearmesh,
or on anti-friction bearing set the Fmax to capture five orders of the inner raceway defect frequency. Figure 1 shows the
Signal Processing Parameters menu of the AP set-up menu. Here, you need to check the Enable PeakVue box, set the
Peak Analysis Method to PeakVue, and select an appropriate filter. Selecting the appropriate filter may take some
practice. As Figure 2 shows, there is a large selection of high pass and band pass filters to choose from.

The general rules to keep in mind when selecting a filter are:

Use bandpass filters to capture modulations and excitations of resonance frequencies.
Use high pass filters to detect stress waves given off by faulty bearings or gearing.
Select a filter equal to or higher than your defined Fmax.
Keep in mind the mounting methods that will be used when collecting the data.
 Figure 2 - PeakVue filter selections.
Regarding the last rule, band pass filters and the 500 and 1000 Hz high pass filters can be used with magnet mo unts. It is
recommended to use a flat rare earth magnet on a clean, flat surface if the selected filter is 2000 Hz high pass. Stud or
adhesive mounting should be used with the even higher frequency filters.

For general plant machinery when looking for bearing and gearing defects, the1000 Hz high pass filter works effectively.
However, it is advisable to first test different filter settings on the same piece of equipment to get an idea of what data y ou
will be able to capture.

An optional parameter that can be changed for PeakVue analysis is the time waveform. In particular, on slow speed
machines, PeakVue can clearly show impacting in the time waveform. Analysis can then be enhanced by taking a longer
period waveform. This set-up is done in the Waveform Parameters portion of the AP set-up menu, as shown in Figure 3.
The waveform should be set up to capture and view data in acceleration units. Select the Special Time Waveform option
and then enter the frequency span and number of waveform points to collect the waveform record you want to store.

The equation to keep in mind here is the waveform time is equal to:
(# of waveform points)/(2.56* Maximum Frequency).
 Figure 3 - Waveform Parameter set-up menu.
Interpreting PeakVue Data
After looking at a some PeakVue spectrums and waveforms, the vibration analyst will note some similarities and
differences from conventional vibration data. One of the differences that will immediately jump out at you is the truncated,
or one-sided, time waveform. A good example of a PeakVue waveform is shown in Figure 4. This data was taken on the
output shaft of a steel coil wrapper gearbox. The frequencies of the peaks in the waveform are at output speed of the
gearbox. This impacting is primarily due to excessive clearances in the mandrel bearing. The waveform appears one -
sided because the PeakVue process stores the maximum peak value in each sampling interval instead of the
instantaneous value. The peak values are then plotted, by convention, on the positive side of the waveform plot.

Other differences can be seen be looking at the spectrum in Figure 5. This plot is from the previ ous waveform taken on
the mandrel gearbox. First, note the amplitude scale of the plot. PeakVue is designed to be looked at in acceleration units.
The amplitude value may look extremely low, especially for low frequency events as seen in the example spectr um.
Second, note the spectral content of the plot. The "mound" in the 0 to 1000 rpm frequency range is actually made up of
discrete peaks spaced apart at output speed. However, what is important to note is what is not showing up in the plot -
typical gearmesh frequencies. Remember, PeakVue is detecting stress waves and impacts. If the gearing system is
healthy and is undergoing rolling and sliding mechanisms, gearmesh will not appear. In the case of the mandrel gearbox,
gearmesh (4950 rpm) typically appears at low levels in the routine vibration spectrum. However, in the PeakVue plot,
since there are no mechanical problems with this gear set, it does not show up. This is important to remember when
looking at some types of faults, such as imbalance, where impac ting may not be occurring.
 Figure 4 - Example of a PeakVue waveform.

Figure 5 - Example of a PeakVue spectrum.

After getting used to looking at the data, performing analysis with PeakVue is easy for an analyst who is familiar with
looking at conventional vibration data. The remainder of this paper focuses on how some different faults show up in
PeakVue data.

Bearing Defects
PeakVue is an excellent tool for early bearing defect detection. Most bearing failure scenarios start with defects ringing
high frequency stress waves. This type of failure analysis is where PeakVue can make an immediate impact in your RBM
program.

Figures 6 and 7 show a good example of how PeakVue can detect early stage defects. Routine vibration data on a 300 hp
temper mill bridle motor showed frequencies that corresponded to an outer race defect on the motor bearings. Figure 6
shows this spectrum. When PeakVue readings were added to the routine data collection route, it was noted that additional
defect frequencies were present in the vibration spectrum. Figure 7 shows the PeakVue data, note the presence here of
outer and inner race defect frequencies. The routine vibration data was not picking up the inner raceway defects, possible
due to the fact that the defect signal was damped out before it reached the transducer or it could not detect the stress
waves. Based on the additional information provided by the PeakVue data, it was decided to replace the motor bearing
during a planned outage. The pulled bearing revealed defects on both of the raceways as PeakVue had predicted.

Bearing defects on raceways are somewhat easy to diagnose. Cage and rolling element defects are harder to diagnose
because not much vibration energy is transmitted from these types of defects. An even harder problem with these defects
is estimating how much life is left in the bearing. Sideband analysis is a good tool to aid the analyst in answering these
questions. PeakVue provides us with another tool to help diagnose these types of defects and help indicate their sever ity.

Figure 8 shows routine vibration data recorded on the inboard bearing of a large exhaust fan. This plot shows some 1x
rotational speed vibration. Figure 9 shows PeakVue data taken on the same bearing. This plot showed multiples of cage
defect frequency and inner raceway defects with sidebands of 1x rpm.

Figure 6 - Routine vibration spectrum on mill motor.

Figure 7 - PeakVue spectrum on mill motor.

 Figure 8 - Routine vibration data on large fan.
This data prompted the vibration analyst to recommend that the bearing be replaced at a planned outage. The pulled
bearing showed some "normal" wear on the inner race, but more significantly, a couple of the rolling elements were
severely spalled.

The PeakVue waveform, see Figure 10, from this example gave additional clues to the severity and cause of the problem.
Here, the frequencies of the peaks in the plot are equal to the FTF defect frequency of the bearing. This energy was not
detected in the routine vibration readings and the defect could have been allowed to propagate.

When bearing degradation is identified as a primary or critical failure mode, routine PeakVue data can be used to trend
and aid in picking out early faults. In one instance, bearing defect harmonics were only able to be meaningfully trended
with the PeakVue data. Figure 11 shows a routine spectrum taken on a gearbox bearing on a tandem mill drive. For three
years the mound of energy had been monitored in the spectrum. This mound increased and decreased in energy from
reading to reading. Thinking that this energy indicated an opening of bearing clearances, PeakVue readings were added
to the data collection route. This data finally allowed the analyst to get a better understanding of the energy being
transmitted from the bearing defects. Figure 12 shows the PeakVue data from the gearbox measurement point. Here,
impacting defects from the outer race stand out and become more t rendable. PeakVue made it easier to watch for
sideband and harmonic development.
Figure 9 - PeakVue spectrum on a large fan.

Figure 10 - PeakVue waveform on large fan.

 Figure 11 - Routine vibration reading on gearbox.

Figure 12 - PeakVue reading on gearbox.

Gear Defects
PeakVue is an excellent tool for assisting in diagnosing gear set problems. It is particularly impressive to see how it picks
up gear teeth that are developing cracks. Stress waves are given off when a tooth begins to bend or deflect due to a hig h
area of stress concentration. These short duration waves are picked up by the PeakVue data collection.

In one instance, PeakVue was able to help prevent a day of lost production time on a tin plating line. In fact, the PeakVue
readings showed a dramatically different picture of what was going on inside the gearbox than what the routine vibration
data showed. Figure 13 shows this routine data collected on a double reduction, precision tension bridle gearbox.
Because of access restrictions, data can only be collected on the input shaft bearings. The analyst had been watching the
input meshing frequency and harmonics. While the amplitudes were not very high, "skirts" had been present around the
gear mesh frequencies. It had been recommended to visually inspect the input gear set for any signs of accelerated wear,
but no inspection was made. Once a PeakVue measurement was added to the data collection route, the urgency of the
analysis was changed. Figure 14 shows this PeakVue reading taken on the input shaft bearing. What was predominant in
both the spectrum and waveform were peaks at frequencies of output shaft speed. The amplitude of the waveform was
very shocking, especially since the vibration reading was taken about three feet away from the output shaft. The analyst
recommended that the output gear set be replaced as soon as possible. That weekend, the gear set was replaced and
two teeth had visible cracks developing around the root. The input set was found to be worn and showing signs of
misalignment. Looking at the data in Figure 13, the analyst would have been hard pressed to call any problems with the
output gear set, let alone any serious problems. The additional information provided by the PeakVue reading allowed the
analyst to make an accurate, timely call on a serious problem.

Figure 13 - Routine data on bridle gearbox.

Figure 14 - PeakVue data on bridle gearbox.

Electrical Defects
One surprising benefit from adding PeakVue measurement points on our routine routes, was the ability to diagnose rotor
related electrical defects. A can of worms was opened up when Peak Vue points were added to routes at a large steel
manufacturer. The data showed 2x line frequency on a number of AC induction motors. This frequency was present in the
PeakVue readings but not in the routine vibration readings. Why was it showing up? Does it indicate a severe problem? It
seemed as if all of the analysts had stumbled on the same problem at once and needed some feedback on what
corrective actions should be taken. To get a better feel for what we were getting into, a motor was located (350 hp, ball
bearings) that we were pretty certain had rotor related electrical defects and was gong to be sent out for a rewind in the
near future. Figures 15 and 16 show the routine and PeakVue data collected on this motor. The routine data had been
showing rotor bar passing frequency, but as Figure 15 shows, not much else in the lower frequency region. The PeakVue
reading, on the other hand, showed lots of activity in this region. As seen in the pl ot, many harmonics of rotational speed
were present with sidebands of slip times the number of poles (pole pass frequency). This indicated that there were some
broken or open rotor bars. The motor was sent out for rebuild and was found to have five broken rotor bars. Subsequent
findings have lead us to use one rule that we have been following when encountering electrical problems with PeakVue:
watch for the development of pole pass frequency sidebands around rotational speed harmonics. The number and size o f
the sidebands seem to indicate a more severe problem.

In one instance, the pole passing frequency was actually picked up in the PeakVue reading. Routine vibration data taken
on a 1000 hp induced draft fan motor continually showed 2 x line frequency vibrations, see Figure 17. The amplitude was
very low and did not trend upwards over a two year period. Figure 18 shows a PeakVue reading taken on this motor. This
data, though low in amplitude, showed pole pass side bands to be higher than the rotational speed peaks. Also, note the
presence of the fundamental pole pass frequency. This motor was run until a scheduled outage, 4 months later. Upon
inspection, the rotor showed 17 broken rotor bars.

Figure 15 - Routine vibration data on a motor.

 Figure 16 - PeakVue data on the same motor.

Figure 17 - Routine data on ID fan motor.

Currently, we are simultaneously taking PeakVue, motor current, and flux data on a group of AC induction motors to try to
correlate severity of the problem with the frequency and amplitude content in the PeakVue reading.

Slow Speed Machinery

PeakVue also works very good on machinery with slow turning speeds. Some good examples would be large paper roll
bearings, galvanizing furnace rolls, or hoist gearboxes on cranes. On these types of equipment, faults are difficult to
detect with traditional vibration measurements, even with high sensitivity transducers.

In one manufacturing facility, roll bearing failures in a galvanizing furnace were becoming unpredictable. Two bearings
had failed with no advance warning from the routine vibration data. Good data was being taken: raceway defects were
observed on some bearings and slow speed technology was providing a clear picture of turning speed vibration, however,
the slow speed of the rolls (10 to 25 rpm) made the failures undetectable. To address this problem, the data collection
interval of the route was changed to bi-monthly and one PeakVue reading was added to each bearing. After one month of
collecting this data, a bearing failure was predicted, solely based on the PeakVue data. Figure 19 shows the routine
vibration reading acquired on the bearing in question, while Figure 20 shows the PeakVue data. The routine vibration plot
did not show any changes in the narrowband trends. However, the PeakVue data showed a twenty times increase in the
overall energy level. The spectrum showed many harmonics of turning speed, 15 rpm. The waveform showed an event
once per revolution. The roll bearings that were failing did not go through a traditional failure scenario, but were destroye d
in a short time by excessive heat and loading that caused the bearing clearances to open. Once a roller became skewed
and started to do more than roll, stress waves were produced that PeakVue was able to detect.

Figure18 - PeakVue data on ID fan motor.

Figure19 - Routine trend and spectrum on roll.

 Figure20 - PeakVue data on roll bearing.

Conclusion
Hopefully, looking at these "real world" examples will give some idea of how valuable a tool PeakVue vibration data can
be to an analyst. Using this tool in conjunction with routine vibration data provides a more complete picture of the health of
the machinery. In fact, some defects on gearing and slow speed bearings presented in this paper would not have been
seen in a timely manner without the PeakVue data. Thus, adding this type of measurement to an RBM toolbox has proven
to be an effective means of making sure plant and mill machinery stay productive.

Reference
"Peak Value Analysis" , Dr. James Robinson and Dr. Kenneth Piety

Acknowledgments
The author would like to thank everyone at the CSI office in Weirton; especially Joe Bauman, Rodney Dragonir, Dan
Finney, Jerry McDonald, and Tim Rawson for helping supply information for this paper.

Complete Article Revision History:

Revision/Publish Description of Revision
26 Feb 2015 updated affected products
17 Nov 2010 Original release of article

Emerson Automation Solutions 2009-2016. All rights reserved. For Emerson Automation Solutions trademarks and service marks, click this link to
see trademarks. All other marks are properties of their respective owners. The contents of this publication are presented for informational p urposes
only, and while every effort has been made to ensure their accuracy, they are not to be construed as warrantees or guarantees, express or implied,
regarding the products or services described herein or their use or applicability. All sales are governed by our terms and co nditions, which are
available on request. We reserve the right to modify or improve the de sign or specification of such products at any time without notice.

View Emerson Products and Services: Click This Link