Orbit

Orbit, Time base, and Shaft Centerline Plots (Sound and Vibration Measurement
Suite)
Use orbit, time base, and shaft centerline plots to display shaft motion. The most
common use for the orbit, time base, and shaft centerline plots is to monitor turbo
machinery with fluid film bearings. Some turbo machinery mechanical faults have
characteristic plot shapes. You can compare the acquired plots with any known
characteristics to detect faults and diagnose machine problems.
You mount two proximity probes orthogonally on a fluid film bearing to acquire the
signals for the orbit, time base, and shaft centerline plots. An orbit plot shows the
dynamic motion of the center of a rotating shaft with signals from two proximity probes.
A time base plot displays dynamic vibration amplitude information with the same
proximity probe signals as the orbit plot. The time base plot displays the signals as a
function of time in one or more revolutions with two separate plots. A shaft centerline
plot displays the shaft center DC position changes within a bearing clearance range. An
orbit plot represents the shaft center AC dynamic motion. Use a shaft centerline plot
with an orbit plot to track both aspects of shaft motion.
The following illustration shows how you might configure a system to display an orbit
plot and a shaft centerline plot.
In the previous illustration, two orthogonally-mounted proximity probes measure the

shaft motion. The outer circle depicts the bearing clearance. As the shaft speeds up in
the counterclockwise (CCW) rotation direction, the shaft center moves from the bottom
of the bearing clearance to the normal operational center, as the Shaft
Centerline shows. As the shaft continues in normal operation, the shaft center moves
around the normal operating center, as the Shaft Orbit shows.
Orbit Plot
An orbit plot generates a two-dimensional image of the shaft center motion. Use the OA
Orbit Plot VI to display both filtered and unfiltered orbit plots. An unfiltered orbit plot
displays the shaft motion based on even-angle signal data. The unfiltered plot shows the
direct motion of the shaft center and displays all orders. A filtered orbit plot displays the
shaft motion based on vector signal data. The filtered plot shows the synchronous
motion of a particular order.
The following illustration shows a filtered orbit plot and the typical setup for monitoring a
rotating shaft with an orbit plot.
The X and Y proximity probes, which are two probes of the same type mounted 90
degrees apart, monitor the shaft. If you do not use two orthogonally-mounted probes,
the orbit plot might appear skewed.
Probe Angle Correction
In many cases, you cannot mount probes easily in the desired 90 degrees out of phase
horizontal and vertical orientation. Probes often have a 45-degree deviation instead. The
following illustration shows the common mounting positions for X and Y probes.
An orbit plot assumes that the signals are from probes in true horizontal and vertical
positions. To display data with respect to a true vertical and horizontal coordinate
system, you must rotate the data by the probe angular offset from the desired
coordinates. The following illustration shows the effect of compensating for a 45-degree
mounting position.
You can use the OAT Orbit Plot VI to rotate an orbit plot to the true horizontal and
vertical probe orientations.
Time base Plot
A time base plot displays the vibration amplitude of one or more revolutions of a shaft as
a function of time. Whereas an orbit plot shows the whole picture of the rotating shaft, a
time base plot enables you to get a clearer picture of what an individual transducer
acquires in terms of vibration amplitude. The time base plot follows the same convention
as the orbit plot. The following front panel shows a typical unfiltered time base plot for
the x-axis and y-axis.
In the previous plot, each dot represents the trigger pulse position.
Use the OA Tim ebase Plot VI to display both unfiltered and filtered time base plots. An
unfiltered timebase plot displays the shaft vibration with an even-angle signal. A filtered
timebase plot displays the shaft vibration with a vector signal. The filtered timebase plot
shows only the synchronous motion of a certain order.
Shaft Centerline Plot
Use a shaft centerline plot to display changes in radial rotor position with respect to a
stationary bearing over a range of time or speed. The DC gap voltage from two
orthogonally-mounted proximity probes determines the averaged position change. The
following illustration shows a typical shaft centerline plot of a machine startup.
The numeric values on the above plot correspond to the rotational speed.
Displaying a Shaft Centerline Plot
You can use the OAT DC Gap Estimator VI to compute the DC gap values from the X and
Y proximity probes. You then can use the OAT Shaft Centerline Plot VI to display the
shaft centerline plot with DC gaps.
The shaft centerline plot follows the same true vertical and true horizontal convention as
the orbit plot. You can use the OAT Shaft Centerline Plot VI to rotate the plot to true
vertical and true horizontal positions.
When displaying a shaft centerline plot, you must specify the bearing clearance and
shaft centerline starting point reference. Three types of starting point references are as
follows:
BottomUse the bottom starting point reference for a horizontal machine train.
CenterUse the center starting point reference for a vertical machine train.
TopUse the top starting point reference for overhung rotors, such as fans and
compressors.
The following illustration shows three shaft centerline plots with different start point
references.
You can see that the starting point reference you choose affects the boundary position of
the bearing clearance in a shaft centerline plot.

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Orbit, Time base, and Shaft Centerline Plots (Sound and Vibration Measurement

In the previous illustration, two orthogonally-mounted proximity probes measure the

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