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Every component of a bolted flange joint has a maximum allowable stress level. The mating flanges will begin to rotate or warp at a defined stress threshold. The studs or bolts of a given specification also will yield or be stressed past their elastic properties at a defined level. Non-metallic and semi-metallic gaskets will crush under excessive applied stress loads.
If you are currently running a vibration monitoring program in-house or outsourcing it to a consultant, before you potentially throw any more money in the toilet, you really need to audit your vibration monitoring program and ask yourself if you are getting any value out of it. If you do not know what benefits you are getting from a vibration monitoring program, you are probably not getting any benefits at all!
For over 20 years, users of oil analysis have used the ISO cleanliness code to help determine solid contamination levels in both new and used oils. The current ISO standard for reporting cleanliness is ISO4406:99. Using this standard, analysts and end users alike have managed to establish cleanliness goals and develop key performance indicators (KPIs) with the expectation to allow for preemptive action to avoid early machine damage. While this has produced some success, relying specifically on the ISO cleanliness code as it is currently reported has its limitations.
In recent years, the tremendous growth of available technologies and the resulting trend towards component miniaturization and increased product reliability has challenged many companies to upgrade their current cleaning operations to satisfy the higher quality standards required by new product designs. Fluorescent cleaning non-destructive testing (FC/NDT) is a new integrated process that combines traditional cleaning methods with fluorescence-based inspection.
Extended service life relies on scheduled black-light monitoring to determine areas of premature coating wear. The timetable depends on the type of coating and its service environment. If low-intensity fluorescence is detected during black-light inspections, maintenance can be delayed. If high-intensity fluorescence is found, complete coating failure is imminent, and repairs should be performed as soon as possible.
Pump reliability is an old topic, but it is just as relevant today as it was the first time we heard it a few decades ago. There are some very good reasons to focus on improving pump reliability. The rewards for achieving pump reliability are great and the effort, on the surface, seems fairly simple. After all, most of the elements of reliability are just common sense. But Ralph Waldo Emerson expertly put this idea into perspective when he said: “Common sense is as rare as genius.”
Proper asset care is critical to ensure that equipment is available to meet production schedules, support process flows and comply with environmental, health, safety, and regulatory requirements. Asset care is the execution of the most cost effective control strategy to address the predominant failure modes of that particular asset with its operating envelope. The intent of an asset care strategy is to provide the required asset utilization at the lowest life cycle cost while also ensuring the asset makes it to the budgeted end of life.
The answer is, it depends. For example, a traditional cleaner/degreaser, of which there are literally hundreds on the market, generally does an adequate job of cleaning. However – and this is an ongoing problem – the majority of them basically move the contamination from one location to another. The result? This cost of hydrocarbon removal is added to the clean-up process, plus your employees could be at risk of additional from toxins in the cleaner. So, how do you clean, provide a safe product for your employees and contribute to an active pollution prevention program?
To assist in understanding the transmission of vibration through a machine, it is instructive to investigate the concept of linearity and what is meant by linear and non-linear systems.
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