Vibration Sensors

Monitoring the vibration of your company's machinery can help to increase the productivity of your operation. Machinery vibrations are often an early indication of potential problems with your equipment. Rather than waiting for a critical failure to occur at the most inconvenient time, vibration sensors can provide you with an early warning so that you can schedule maintenance and prevent more severe problems.Machine mounted sensors can help you to identify not only when there is a problem, but also where the problem is. There are three types of vibration sensors that are commonly used to monitor machine vibrations: displacement sensors, velocity sensors, and acceleration sensors. These three measures are mathematically related to each other and the choice of sensor to use will depend on frequency and the signal level.For example, displacement sensors are best suited to low frequencies and low amplitude displacements. On the other hand, velocity sensors are better suited to low or medium frequencies. These vibration sensors are less sensitive to high frequency vibrations than acceleration-based vibration sensors. Accelerometers are applicable to the widest range of frequencies, from low to very high.There are several environmental conditions that you must consider when choosing a vibration sensor. For instance, the sensor must be able to operate within the temperature and humidity range that is in your plant. If there are potentially hazardous conditions such as flammable gases or dust, be certain that the vibration sensors meet intrinsic safety requirements ensuring that electrical and thermal levels are not capable of causing explosions under most conditions.