What Are Vibration Sensors?
Upon using the piezoelectric effect, a vibration sensor can measure variation in accelerations and motion of vibrations. These devices are used for measuring the vibration amplitude such as displacement, velocity & acceleration. The purpose of vibration sensors is to monitor the particular component for any variation in its vibration levels which will indicate variation in the health condition of that component in any machinery working on heavy loads most of the time. It is very likely for a machine to have malfunctions during continuous operation. The good maintenance of machinery in a factory facility is crucial as a small failure in one piece of equipment can cost significant damage to the rest of the process. By installing vibration sensors, you can eliminate the chances of malfunctions or failures by monitoring the health condition continuously.
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Types of Vibration Sensors
Vibrations can be of different natures. It can either be an axial vibration or a radial vibration. In light of this, the vibration sensors are classified into a few.
Capacitive Accelerometers:
These accelerometers act as the vibration sensors for equipment with two or more electrodes in motion and consist of seismic mass with diaphragm support. The vibrations can be measured by analyzing the change in the capacitance of the object, which will be later converted using an LC circuit.
Potentiometric Accelerometers:
These vibration sensors are considered to be the most cost-effective devices for measuring the vibration variation in machinery. It works on a mechanical wiper arm where it is connected to a spring-mass system, and the variations move along with the resistive component.
Electromagnetic Tachometer Generators:
This type of velocity sensor is used to measure the angular velocity of a machine component. The angular velocity will be directly proportional to the frequency or energy produced by the instrument under inspection.
Electromagnetic Linear Velocity Transducers:
This velocity sensor is used to measure the oscillatory velocity of a machine component. These velocity inducers consist of a permanent magnet set inside a coil winding oscillating non-stop and inducing an emf that is directly proportional to the velocity of the magnet.
Applications of Vibration Sensors
Regular inspection and monitoring of the machinery efficiency has been successful in the industrial maintenance and machinery systems, and it helps in cost reduction and collecting data and insights for future references. A facility with automated manufacturing processes can use vibration sensors by adding them to the ecosystem. This will provide a regular, timely machine analysis along with the needed repair requirements. It is an economically wise choice and time-saving.
In the case of HVAC systems, the part of compressors and fans are really crucial. By coupling vibration sensors to the maintenance network, you can regularly detect and track the health status of the mechanical components that keep the object cool. If any hindrance leads to a compressor failure, the prospective team will be immediately notified about it, and further steps can be taken. Early detection and prevention of failures with the help of sensors will reduce a lot of human efforts, thus saving money for the company.
In the food and beverage processing industry, the high maintenance and expensive types of machinery used to make, package, and process food items are vital. So it is highly recommended that the working of these components should not be compromised at any point in time as it can slow down the entire production unit. Usage of vibration sensors here can also help you detect minor failures in the working components and rectify them at the earliest. Through accurate maintenance prediction, the downtime of the machinery can be reduced while increasing the profit rationale.
Extending the lifetime of your equipment results in a smooth mechanical working environment and saving money on purchasing new machinery. Implementing vibration sensors as a part of accurate maintenance and prediction will help you increase the lifecycle of your equipment and provide you with futuristic data that can be used to determine what areas you should be considering to enhance production and performance.