Alternative Techniques in Vibration Measurement and Analysis

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Acoustics and Vibrations".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 January 2023) | Viewed by 13878

Special Issue Editor

Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Bologna, 40131 Bologna, Italy
Interests: mechanical vibrations; elastodynamic modeling; dynamics of machines; robotics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The potential of vibration signal analysis as a powerful tool to inspect mechanical systems has been known since the latter decades of the 1800s, and, at first glance, it might be considered a consolidated science with a poor outlook of innovation. On the contrary, research on this topic has remained intense, even today. Unceasing advances in both technology and knowledge have been boosting up the practical impact of vibration signal analysis in many fields and applications, such as automotive, aerospace, machinery and industrial plants, civil structures, energy harvesters, and even biological systems.

New technologically advanced equipment for experimental measurements, increasingly smart signal processing algorithms, and exploitation of accurate modeling techniques offer countless combinations of analysis tools, among which it is often difficult to orient oneself.

This Special Issue is intended to gather a collection of papers where alternative approaches to vibration data acquisition and analysis are compared and critically discussed in order to bring out the corresponding strengths and weaknesses (very often strictly dependent on specific applications). The overall purpose is to track the progress of technical and technological advances based on back-to-back comparisons and, as a consequence, to draw the way toward possible best practices for vibration analysts.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, review and comparative studies among:

  • Sensors (e.g., effectiveness of different transducers, performance of different sensor models, effectiveness and efficiency of alternative sensors setup, etc.);
  • Application-driven techniques of signal processing (e.g., for fault detection, diagnostics and prognostics of machinery and civil structures, system dynamics identification, real-time active control of vibrations, etc.);
  • Signal processing techniques to optimally extract meaningful information from vibration data (e.g., Time- vs. Frequency- vs. Time/Frequency Domain analyses, definition of metrics and/or indices to evaluate certain events, etc.);
  • Modal testing techniques (e.g., Experimental vs. Operational Modal Analyses, Displacement vs. Strain modal testing, etc.);
  • Data fusion criteria (e.g., to optimize the sensor setup to implement condition-based maintenance of machinery, vehicles, civil structures, etc.);
  • Qualification testing procedures (e.g., Standards tests vs. Test Tailoring);
  • Equipment and data analysis techniques in Rotordynamics.

Prof. Dr. Marco Troncossi
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • vibration measurement
  • equipment for vibration data acquisition
  • vibration signal analysis
  • system dynamics monitoring
  • vibration-based diagnostics and prognostics
  • condition-based monitoring maintenance
  • system dynamics identification
  • modal testing
  • qualification to vibration testing
  • rotordynamics analysis tools

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 2127 KiB  
Article
Accuracy Characterization of a MEMS Accelerometer for Vibration Monitoring in a Rotating Framework
by Andrea Rossi, Gabriele Bocchetta, Fabio Botta and Andrea Scorza
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(8), 5070; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13085070 - 18 Apr 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2342
Abstract
Active and passive vibration control systems are of paramount importance in many engineering applications. If an external load excites a structure’s resonance and the damping is too low, detrimental events, such as crack initiation, growth and, in the worst case, fatigue failure, can [...] Read more.
Active and passive vibration control systems are of paramount importance in many engineering applications. If an external load excites a structure’s resonance and the damping is too low, detrimental events, such as crack initiation, growth and, in the worst case, fatigue failure, can be entailed. Damping systems can be commonly found in applications such as industrial machines, vehicles, buildings, turbomachinery blades, and so forth. Active control systems usually achieve higher damping effectiveness than passive ones, but they need a sensor to detect the working conditions that require damping system activation. Recently, the development of such systems in rotating structures has received considerable interest among designers. As a result, the development of vibration monitoring equipment in rotating structures is also a topic of particular interest. In this respect, a reliable, inexpensive and wireless monitoring system is of utmost importance. Typically, optical systems are used to measure vibrations, but they are expensive and require rather complex processing algorithms. In this paper, a wireless system based on a commercial MEMS accelerometer is developed for rotating blade vibration monitoring. The proposed system measurement accuracy was assessed by means of comparison with a reference wired measurement setup based on a mini integrated circuit piezoelectric (ICP) accelerometer adapted for data acquisition in a rotating frame. Both the accelerometers were mounted on the tip of the blade and, in order to test the structure under different conditions, the first four blade resonances were excited by means of piezoelectric actuators, embedded in a novel experimental setup. The frequency and amplitude of acceleration, simultaneously measured by the reference and MEMS sensors, were compared with each other in order to investigate the viability and accuracy of the proposed wireless monitoring system. The rotor angular speed was varied from 0 to 300 rpm, and the data acquisitions were repeated six times for each considered condition. The outcomes reveal that the wireless measurement system may be successfully used for vibration monitoring in rotating blades. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Alternative Techniques in Vibration Measurement and Analysis)
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18 pages, 6984 KiB  
Article
A Methodology for Continuous Monitoring of Rail Corrugation on Subway Lines Based on Axlebox Acceleration Measurements
by Leonardo Faccini, Jihad Karaki, Egidio Di Gialleonardo, Claudio Somaschini, Marco Bocciolone and Andrea Collina
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(6), 3773; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13063773 - 15 Mar 2023
Viewed by 1252
Abstract
Rail corrugation is a degradation phenomenon that manifests as a quasi-periodic irregularity on the running surface of the rail. It is a critical problem for urban railway lines because it induces ground-borne vibrations transmitted to the buildings near the infrastructure, causing complaints from [...] Read more.
Rail corrugation is a degradation phenomenon that manifests as a quasi-periodic irregularity on the running surface of the rail. It is a critical problem for urban railway lines because it induces ground-borne vibrations transmitted to the buildings near the infrastructure, causing complaints from the inhabitants. A typical treatment to mitigate the rail corrugation problem is the periodic grinding of the rails, performed by dedicated vehicles. The scheduling of rail maintenance is particularly critical because it can be performed only when the service is interrupted. A procedure for the continuous monitoring of rail corrugation is proposed, based on axlebox acceleration measurements. The rail irregularity is estimated from the measured acceleration by means of a frequency domain model of vertical dynamics of the wheel–rail interaction. The results obtained by using two different methods (a state-of-the-art method and a new one) are compared. Finally, the study of the evolution of the power content of the rail irregularity enables the identification of the track sections where corrugation is developing and rail grinding is necessary. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Alternative Techniques in Vibration Measurement and Analysis)
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16 pages, 4602 KiB  
Article
Development and Field Validation of Wireless Sensors for Railway Bridge Modal Identification
by Federico Zanelli, Nicola Debattisti, Marco Mauri, Antonio Argentino and Marco Belloli
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(6), 3620; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13063620 - 12 Mar 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1142
Abstract
Bridges are strategic infrastructures which are subject to degradation during their lifetime. Therefore, structural health monitoring is becoming an essential tool in this field to drive maintenance activities. Conventional vibration monitoring systems relying on wired sensors present several limitations for continuous monitoring projects [...] Read more.
Bridges are strategic infrastructures which are subject to degradation during their lifetime. Therefore, structural health monitoring is becoming an essential tool in this field to drive maintenance activities. Conventional vibration monitoring systems relying on wired sensors present several limitations for continuous monitoring projects on a huge number of structures. In this work, a smart wireless monitoring system is developed for bridge modal identification with the aim of providing an alternative tool to wired sensors in this field. The main peculiarities of the designed wireless accelerometers are the low cost, the ease of installation on the structure, and the long-term autonomy granted by the use of energy harvesting techniques. To assess their measurement performance, some prototypes were installed for a field test on a railway bridge and significant data were acquired. Through the processing of the collected data, bridge main natural frequencies were estimated, and their values were in good agreement with the reference ones obtained with a conventional system. The assessment of the developed solution paves the way to the instrumentation of many bridges with the aim of performing continuous monitoring activities using simple diagnostic indicators, such as the variation of frequencies in time. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Alternative Techniques in Vibration Measurement and Analysis)
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18 pages, 1464 KiB  
Article
Automatic Decentralized Vibration Control System Based on Collaborative Stand-Alone Smart Dampers
by Nicola Debattisti, Simone Cinquemani and Federico Zanelli
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(6), 3406; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13063406 - 07 Mar 2023
Viewed by 764
Abstract
In many structures, undesired noise and vibrations generated by external sources represent a huge problem in terms of structural damage and comfort. Active vibration absorbers can be used to dynamically suppress vibrations, by increasing the damping of the system. A wireless smart active [...] Read more.
In many structures, undesired noise and vibrations generated by external sources represent a huge problem in terms of structural damage and comfort. Active vibration absorbers can be used to dynamically suppress vibrations, by increasing the damping of the system. A wireless smart active damper has been developed to perform this task and some automated functionalities have been implemented to perform the identification of the structure on which it is mounted on. The sharing of information between wireless sensors represents one of the most interesting features of this kind of control system. In this work, a procedure to estimate the nondimensional damping and modal amplitude for each wireless sensor location and each vibration mode is studied. Then, the information obtained by each sensor in the identification phase are used to implement a coordinated control strategy, which is based on a modified version of the Efficient Modal Control (EMC). Such control strategy implements the low level Selective Negative Derivative Feedback control law and modulates the control gains of each actuator and controlled mode pair in order to get an effective vibration reduction. The tuning procedure represents the next step of the algorithm, in which the evaluation of the introduced damping and the maximum applicable gains are derived; finally, the proposed solution is validated with experimental results on a simply-supported beam. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Alternative Techniques in Vibration Measurement and Analysis)
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24 pages, 10811 KiB  
Article
Experimental Detection of Nonlinear Dynamics Using a Laser Profilometer
by Elvio Bonisoli, Luca Dimauro, Simone Venturini and Salvatore Paolo Cavallaro
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(5), 3295; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13053295 - 04 Mar 2023
Viewed by 1088
Abstract
This paper investigates a cantilever beam nonlinear dynamic behaviour, on which the nonlinearity is introduced with permanent magnet interactions or with a non-holonomic contact. The experimental time domain responses obtained from non-zero initial conditions are measured using a laser profilometer, conventionally adopted for [...] Read more.
This paper investigates a cantilever beam nonlinear dynamic behaviour, on which the nonlinearity is introduced with permanent magnet interactions or with a non-holonomic contact. The experimental time domain responses obtained from non-zero initial conditions are measured using a laser profilometer, conventionally adopted for product shape detections in online industrial applications. The Fourier transform, Continuous Wavelet transform, and Hilbert transform are used to investigate nonlinear phenomena in the frequency content, highlighting advantages and drawbacks of the three methods in catching instantaneous phenomena. Then, a Multi-Phi approach is proposed to describe the time evolution of nonlinear systems by means of a discrete number of linearised systems. Therefore, two linearised models have been developed and tuned to describe the dynamic behaviour of different Euler–Bernoulli cantilever beam configurations. The experimental data of nonlinear systems are compared with the corresponding ones of the linear system to evaluate the effects of introduced nonlinearities on the overall dynamic properties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Alternative Techniques in Vibration Measurement and Analysis)
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19 pages, 11278 KiB  
Article
Assessment of Novel Modal Testing Methods for Structures Rotating in Water
by Rafel Roig, Xavier Sánchez-Botello and Xavier Escaler
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(5), 2895; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13052895 - 23 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1192
Abstract
The current paper presents an investigation into novel modal testing methods applied to a disk–shaft structure at different rotating speeds in air and water. The structure was excited using three different methods: an instrumented hammer, a piezoelectric PZT patch glued on the disk [...] Read more.
The current paper presents an investigation into novel modal testing methods applied to a disk–shaft structure at different rotating speeds in air and water. The structure was excited using three different methods: an instrumented hammer, a piezoelectric PZT patch glued on the disk and a transient ramp-up. The structural response was measured using an accelerometer and strain gauges mounted on board as well as accelerometers and displacement lasers mounted off board. The potential to excite the natural frequencies using each excitation method and to detect natural frequencies with each sensor was analyzed and compared. Numerical structural and acoustic–structural modal and harmonic analyses of the non-rotating disk in air and water were also performed, taking into consideration the PZT patch. The numerical results showed a close agreement with the experimental ones in both air and water. It was found that the rotating speed of the disk modified the detected natural frequencies, depending on the frame of reference of the sensor. Finally, the PZT patch and the transient ramp-up were proven to be reliable methods to excite the natural frequencies of the current test rig and to be potentially applicable in full-scale hydraulic turbines under operating conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Alternative Techniques in Vibration Measurement and Analysis)
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14 pages, 9175 KiB  
Article
Application of the Signal Spectrum-Based Image Pattern Recognition in the Vibration Process Analysis
by Adam Biernat
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(10), 5160; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12105160 - 20 May 2022
Viewed by 1405
Abstract
One of the aims of vibration signal analysis is the assessment of the condition of technical objects at each stage of operation based on a cause-and-effect relationship between the technical condition of the device and the features of the vibration signal available through [...] Read more.
One of the aims of vibration signal analysis is the assessment of the condition of technical objects at each stage of operation based on a cause-and-effect relationship between the technical condition of the device and the features of the vibration signal available through the measurement experiment. The essential features of the signal (in the form of certain measures) are available through appropriate operations on the measurement signal. The problem arises when the measuring signal is not a fully deterministic one, it shows features common to deterministic and random signals. Consequently, some simple periodic signal measures such as spectrum frequency components introduce some level of uncertainty in the before mentioned cause-and-effect relationship. Thus, the assessment of the technical condition in the selected frequency components of the spectrum of the measuring signal may not be reliable. These difficulties can be overcome by using the frequency-frequency analysis of the diagnostic signal. The entire frequency spectrum is converted into an image in which the frequency components form characteristic patterns unique to the actual condition of the technical object. The final assessment of the condition is achieved through the identification of a unique image pattern by comparison with reference image patterns created with a generation model. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Alternative Techniques in Vibration Measurement and Analysis)
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28 pages, 5682 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of a Novel Condition Indicator with Comparative Application to Hypoid Gear Failures
by Marcell Surányi, Michael Leighton, Christian Reinbrecht and Michael Bader
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(23), 11499; https://doi.org/10.3390/app112311499 - 04 Dec 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1667
Abstract
This paper presents a condition monitoring methodology that uses a novel condition indicator (CI) algorithm, allowing for a confident assessment of system health and an advanced warning of failures. The CI is evaluated in the application of a specialized gear rig utilized for [...] Read more.
This paper presents a condition monitoring methodology that uses a novel condition indicator (CI) algorithm, allowing for a confident assessment of system health and an advanced warning of failures. The CI is evaluated in the application of a specialized gear rig utilized for the high-cycle fatigue testing of hypoid gears. The CI is shown in this case study to ensure higher confidence in the prediction of failures than other algorithms, with variations in the results. In the comparison, consideration is given to the signal-to-noise ratio, the ability to differentiate between damages and/or damaged components and the sensitivity of the CI to the failure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Alternative Techniques in Vibration Measurement and Analysis)
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19 pages, 11563 KiB  
Article
Approach for Calibrated Measurement of the Frequency Response for Characterization of Compliant Interface Elements on Vibration Test Benches
by Emil Heyden, Andreas Lindenmann, Sven Matthiesen and Dieter Krause
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(20), 9604; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11209604 - 15 Oct 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1305
Abstract
In vibration tests, the behavior of the structure depends on its mechanical boundary conditions, which are represented in physical tests by connecting elements with mechanical properties. Adjustable impedance elements are machine elements fulfilling the task of an adjustable connection on a vibration test [...] Read more.
In vibration tests, the behavior of the structure depends on its mechanical boundary conditions, which are represented in physical tests by connecting elements with mechanical properties. Adjustable impedance elements are machine elements fulfilling the task of an adjustable connection on a vibration test bench and therefore represent a variety of properties. Their mechanical properties must be known over wider ranges than comparable compliant structures tested in the literature. This paper is dedicated to vibration testing of the adjustable impedance elements themselves, taking the influences of fixtures and measuring devices of the test bench into account. Different approaches for measuring the frequency response functions are applied to freely vibrating masses at a hydraulic and an electrodynamic test bench. Mass cancellation and the frequency-dependent measurement systems function have shown their usefulness in characterizing the biodynamic response of hand–arm models before. This measurement method is extended to be transferable to machine elements to obtain reliable results under a wider range of test conditions. The necessity for dynamically calibrated measurement of the frequency response functions is demonstrated for different free vibration masses and for two compliant elements on two different test benches to provide results over a wide range of test conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Alternative Techniques in Vibration Measurement and Analysis)
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