Articles: Ultrasonics

2009 PdM Program of the Year Award Winners

Primetime Programs receive award from Uptime Magazine

Elevate the Expectations for an Ultrasound Program

by James Hall

For many years and for many companies, Airborne Ultrasound was the beginning, or the Alpha, of their Predictive Maintenance (PdM) program.

 

Getting (dis)Charged Up

Detecting Corona and Corona Discharge

by Jim Hall with Chuck Humphrey

Don't let corona steal your productivity.

Goin’ Mobile with Ultrasound

by Gustavo Velasquez and Allan Rienstra

Ultrasound as a predictive maintenance tool is used successfully for many applications in industries of all kinds.  Ultrasound is useful as an inspection tool for detecting positive and negative pressure leaks, which are commonly found in compressed air and vacuum systems.  Some industrial processes use ultrasound to identify failed steam traps, and all facilities derive safety benefits from its ability to find electrical faults.

Sustainability Through Ultrasonic Energy Conservation

by Allan Rienstra

In 2008, there arose a broad selection of solution providers specializing in helping the community of maintenance and reliability professionals to 'Go Green'. It is unlikely that the original mandate of most of these companies was to "help save the environment", but it does show how nimble entrepreneurialism adjusts to accommodate the demands of corporate social responsibility.

 

The Many Uses of Contact Ultrasound

by Thomas J. Murphy, Eng.

The use of ultrasound as a predictive tool has been with us for over 35 years.  Yet, despite its vintage, the use – and, indeed the understanding – of this technology is still not widespread.  This article continues an exploration of airborne ultrasound applications that we started in the June/July issue.  In this article, I will explain how, just by changing from an airborne sensor to a contact probe, we can use ultrasonic inspection in a myriad of mechanical applications.

The Synergy of Ultrasound and Vibration Analysis

by Liane Harris

Today's airborne ultrasound is a far more versatile technology than most people think. We can use ultrasound, together with vibration analysis and infrared thermography, to deepen our understanding of our machinery's condition. This article, which touches upon the use of airborne ultrasound and vibration, is the second of a three part series, in which we look at ultrasound, ultrasound/vibration and ultrasound/infrared.

 

The Ultimate in Bearing Maintenance Programs

By Chuck Petersen

Greasing bearings with Ultrasound Detection is very fast becoming the way to go. We can actually tell by Ultrasound Detection when bearings need greased and then when they have enough grease. We listen to the bearing and when it sounds smooth like air escaping then it is properly lubricated. When it sounds like popcorn popping or gravel in a bucket it needs greased. We then have the maintenance man grease the bearing ½ stroke at a time while we listen to the bearing with the Ultraprobe 10000, we can actually hear the grease enter the bearing and the sound quickly goes to the smooth air escaping sound. At that point we stop the greasing.

 

Ultrasonic Inspections on Ball Screws, Gearboxes, and Transfers

In the Automotive Manufacturing environment maintenance is faced with many challenges in completing PM's. We are often expected to check equipment that is running 24/7, which means the machine must be shutdown to do the necessary maintenance. As costs increase and sales decrease in the automotive industry, downtime is no longer acceptable under any circumstance.

Ultrasonics: A Sound Concept

by Steve Johnson
Computational Systems, Inc

Today's cost-sensitive maintenance environment dictates an effective, simple-to-use, high payback technology where materials cost and personnel training are concerned. Ultrasonic monitoring is such a technology. Most plant systems and equipment generate operational noise of some sort and during failure modes the noise characteristics can change dramatically. Detecting this change and fixing the problem before failure can result in higher quality production output, reduced downtime, reduced maintenance overtime, and greatly reduced costs.

 

Using Ultrasound for Effective Inspection of Slow Speed Bearings

by Thomas J Murphy, Eng

Measuring the condition of bearings rotating at speeds below 60rpm using vibration is fraught with difficulty. This article describes using a portable ultrasound system as an "intelligent sensor" in association with a normal vibration data collector to overcome this problem. It includes results of measurements taken on a group of rotary crushing machines where this combined approach reduced the measurement time from 21 minutes per measurement to less than a minute per reading.

 

Why Do Steam Traps Fail?

Properly functioning steam traps open to release condensate and automatically close when steam is present. Failed traps waste fuel, reduce efficiency, increase production costs and compromise the overall integrity of the steam and condensate systems. Traps should be tested on a regular basis -- or the neglect may be quite costly.Failed Steam Traps Negatively Impact the Entire Steam System

• Waste Energy
• Adversely Affect Production
• Increase Maintenance Costs
• Create Safety Issues

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