Vibration analyzer
Updated 2026-10-27
Data records
- A vibration analyzer measures the vibration of a running machine with an accelerometer and resolves it into a frequency spectrum, so that each peak can be related to the shaft speed or to a bearing frequency and matched to a mechanical fault.
- Imbalance appears as raised vibration at shaft speed in the radial and tangential directions, misalignment as raised shaft-speed vibration in the axial direction with a twice-shaft-speed component, looseness as a train of shaft-speed harmonics in any direction, and bearing wear as peaks that are not integer multiples of shaft speed.
- A diagnostic vibration tester identifies the most common mechanical faults, bearing wear, misalignment, imbalance and looseness, from a single measurement without prior history, and grades each on a severity scale so that maintenance can be prioritized.
- Vibration analyzers are applied to motors, fans, blowers, belt and chain drives, gearboxes, couplings, centrifugal and other pumps, and compressors.
- A multi-channel analyzer collects several vibration channels plus phase simultaneously and applies peak detection to give an early warning of degradation in bearings and gearboxes; the same unit performs balancing and motor diagnostics.
- A vibration meter, the simpler member of the class, reports the overall vibration level as acceleration, velocity or displacement and grades it on a severity scale, and a separate high-frequency reading at the sensor tip assesses bearing condition.
- In route-based data collection a preconfigured route of machines and measurement points is loaded into the portable analyzer from the monitoring software, the readings are collected along the route and returned to the software for storage and analysis.
- The analysis is referenced to the machine's running speed, read with a laser tachometer, so that spectrum peaks can be expressed in orders of shaft speed as well as in frequency units.
- The sensor is an accelerometer, often tri-axial so that radial, tangential and axial vibration are captured from one mounting, fixed to the machine with a magnet mount or an adhesive mounting pad.
Elsewhere in the family
- Motor Vibration Analysis related entry on Motor Testing Reference
- Engine Generator Load and Performance related entry on Electrical Testing Reference
Sources
- Emerson product page, AMS 2140 Machinery Health Analyzer, web page edition, Emerson. Held as: Public page. Publisher page
- Fluke application article, Demystifying Vibration Monitoring Part 4: Diagnosing Imbalance, Misalignment, Looseness, and Bearing Wear, web page edition, Fluke. Held as: Public page. Publisher page
- Fluke product page, Fluke 810 Vibration Tester, web page edition, Fluke. Held as: Public page. Publisher page
- Fluke product page, Fluke 805 Vibration Meter, web page edition, Fluke. Held as: Public page. Publisher page
- SKF product page, SKF Microlog Analyzer dBX, web page edition, SKF. Held as: Public page. Publisher page
Changelog (22 entries)
| Date | Revision | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-27 | created (instr.vibration-analyzer.definition) | |
| 2026-10-27 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (instr.vibration-analyzer.definition) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (instr.vibration-analyzer.fault-signatures) | |
| 2026-10-27 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (instr.vibration-analyzer.fault-signatures) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (instr.vibration-analyzer.four-common-faults) | |
| 2026-10-27 | revised (instr.vibration-analyzer.four-common-faults) | |
| 2026-10-27 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (instr.vibration-analyzer.four-common-faults) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (instr.vibration-analyzer.machines) | |
| 2026-10-27 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (instr.vibration-analyzer.machines) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (instr.vibration-analyzer.multi-channel-peak-detection) | |
| 2026-10-27 | revised (instr.vibration-analyzer.multi-channel-peak-detection) | |
| 2026-10-27 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (instr.vibration-analyzer.multi-channel-peak-detection) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (instr.vibration-analyzer.overall-level-meter) | |
| 2026-10-27 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (instr.vibration-analyzer.overall-level-meter) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (instr.vibration-analyzer.route-based-collection) | |
| 2026-10-27 | revised (instr.vibration-analyzer.route-based-collection) | |
| 2026-10-27 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (instr.vibration-analyzer.route-based-collection) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (instr.vibration-analyzer.running-speed) | |
| 2026-10-27 | revised (instr.vibration-analyzer.running-speed) | |
| 2026-10-27 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (instr.vibration-analyzer.running-speed) | |
| 2026-10-27 | created (instr.vibration-analyzer.sensor) | |
| 2026-10-27 | review_status unreviewed -> software_reviewed (instr.vibration-analyzer.sensor) |
Cite this page
Cite the governing standard for the fact itself; cite this page as the finding aid.
"Vibration analyzer." Test Instrument Reference. 2026-10-27. https://www.testinstrumentreference.com/instruments/vibration-analyzer/.
Test Instrument Reference, Vibration analyzer (Oct. 27, 2026), https://www.testinstrumentreference.com/instruments/vibration-analyzer/.
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title = {Vibration analyzer},
howpublished = {\url{https://www.testinstrumentreference.com/instruments/vibration-analyzer/}},
organization = {Test Instrument Reference},
publisher = {Test Instrument Reference},
year = {2026},
note = {last substantive change 2026-10-27}
}{{cite web |title=Vibration analyzer |website=Test Instrument Reference |publisher=Test Instrument Reference |url=https://www.testinstrumentreference.com/instruments/vibration-analyzer/ |date=2026-10-27 |access-date=}}