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Noninvasive method and apparatus for determining resonance information for rotating machinery components and for anticipating component failure from changes therein

  • US 5,365,787 A
  • Filed: 10/02/1991
  • Issued: 11/22/1994
  • Est. Priority Date: 10/02/1991
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for measuring resonance information for at least one rotating element of a rotary machine, said machine'"'"'s rotating elements:

  • comprising a shaft and one or more nonshaft rotating elements;

    having at least one resonant vibration mode; and

    rotating about an axis at a fundamental frequency of angular rotation modulated by oscillatory vibrations of at least one of said rotating elements;

    said apparatus comprising;

    a sensor providing a train of N sensor-pulses in each complete 360°

    -rotation of said shaft, where;

    N is a positive integer;

    each of said N sensor-pulses is representative of an angular-rotation increment by said shaft; and

    said pulses, or the spacings therebetween, have an instantaneous frequency associated therewith;

    means for deriving from said train of sensor-pulses digital signals representative of a modulation of said fundamental frequency of angular rotation being caused by oscillatory motions of at least one of said rotating elements; and

    means for deriving from said digital signals a signal spectrum representative of frequency components present in said instantaneous frequency of said sensor-pulses, said signal spectrum containing signals representative of frequency and amplitude characteristics for said resonant mode, said means comprising spectral-analysis means for performing a Fourier Transform spectral analysis on said digital signals.

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