Motion Amplification Webinar | Questions Answered

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Motion Amplification Webinar

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Motion Amplification Webinar

Implementing an Industry 4.0 Maintenance Technology

30 September 2020: 10:30am – 11.45am GMT

maintec logo

Maintec (Nineteen Group)
Reliability Maintenance Solutions Ltd

Organisers: Jos Diamond, Verity Noon and Maggie Law
Host: Keith Gallant (Reliability Consultant and Technology Manager at RMS Ltd)
Speakers: Stuart Walker (Director of RMS Ltd), Jeff Hay (CEO of RDI Technologies)
Guests: Paul Phelan (Reliability Engineer at MSD Biologics)  & Phil Renshaw (Engineering Manager at Vertellus)

Schedule

10:30 – 10.40: Welcome and webinar overview

10:40 – 11:10: Stuart Walker and Jeff Hay introduction and case studies

11:10 – 11:25: Keith Gallant and panel discussions

11:25 – 11:40: Q&A session

11:40 – 11:45: Closing remarks

Summary:

An insight into how early adopters of breakthrough technology Motion Amplification are now reaping the benefits as the technology matures.

Jeff Hay the inventor of the technology reveals how it works, what the secrets are to visual vibration and future developments.

We hear how two Engineering Professionals implemented Motion Amplification in the real world, at their industrial plant; gaining reliability benefits, reducing wasted investigative time and resources and effected a shift in focus within their maintenance teams.

Key Takeaways:

  • See real-world applications and case studies with technical explanations.
  • Interact with the Jeff Hay the inventor of Motion Amplification.
  • Hear real-world experiences of Engineers who use and have implemented the technology on their assets.
  • Put your questions to the panel in a Q&A with industry expert.

Motion Amplification Webinar Recording:

Total: 1 hour 14 minutes

Questions and Answers

Akinfolarin A: Can this technology reveal the source of failing fin fans structures and support?

Keith G: In short – Yes. We have a few examples where we have seen fin fan structures at fault. Care must be taken to understand the problem though, as this technology will show you unseen damage but the root cause can be down to a number of issues and as is common with these structures they are the first to show damage when in fact the root cause is something else.

Sergio B: Has anyone used the technology in rail applications? also, any experience with cardan shafts problems?

Keith G: We are currently looking into rail applications with a large rail service company and yes we have used the system to great effect on paper mill rolls driven by cardan shafts and identifying resonances. We could use the system to look closely at a running cardan shaft but haven’t had that call yet.

RMS provide Motion Amplification Services for a wide range of Industries and applications, including: vibration verification, commissioning, troubleshooting, R&D and root cause analysis.

Sumanth S: Can the video files be imported into MEScope to visualize and analyze?

Keith G: In simple terms, this system will not need to be imported into MEScope in 99% of cases. For the most part MEScope allows you to analyse disparate accel locations maybe 10 points or 100 if you are lucky. The camera measures 2.3 million data points in 2 planes. So when you watch the video, more often than not you can see the problem instantly while you would be figuring out over a longer period in MEScope. There are some cases you would want to put data in MEScope but all the visualisation advantages are in the RDI software.

Paul D: Can these record thermal wall movement?

Keith G: Yes we can record thermal expansion over shorter periods. In future we hope to add much longer acquisition times to the capability. However, without seeing your application, it is difficult to understand how suitable it would be. The camera and acquisition laptop would need to be in a fixed location from the start position to the end position times. This may or may not be practical?

Johan T: Are the MA cameras certified as intrinsically safe?

Keith G: No part of the system is intrinsically safe. We typically use a hot work permit and a gas monitor similar to a camera permit on site. Alternatively, the system is non-contact so as long as we have a good line of sight we can take acquisitions outside zoned areas.

Francois C: Do you use additional lighting for indoor videos?

Keith G: Interesting question, yes we need some level of lighting, the more light the easier it is and add to that, the more control we have of the light the better quality image you will get. As such, any RMS supplied Iris M comes with portable LED lights. These are really good industrial lights that we use in dark plants and also as fill lights to enhance the image. You can take an acquisition with the Iris M in very low light but the quality will be poor.

Paper machine drive

“A great example of the detail you can see with the IRIS M Motion Amplification Camera. Some MA videos like this one of a paper machine drive make the problem look so obvious, but without the camera its a different story. I had a very close look touching and feeling before we shot with the MA camera. I did not appreciate the extent to which the previous base repair had failed until we put our MA eyes on it. Having the use of extreme amplification which was released in version v3.0 really helped in the visualization of this problem especially the cracks.” – Stuart Walker

Daniel F: Can you provide equipment and offer training to reliability engineers on site?

Keith G: Yes, RMS are the official distributor for RDI Technologies products in the UK, Ireland, Iceland, Netherlands, Belgium and France. We only sell systems with training to ensure a high level of competency with this new technology. Your not just learning new equipment, but a new technology and technique of data collection.

Muhammad S: How to control the floor vibration impact on camera stand?

Kieth G: This is a good and reasonable concern as yes any shake in the camera will alias the amplitude (not frequency). For the most part the stability of the ground is sufficiently stable to allow accurate measurements comparable to a standard accelerometer (identical). We do use rubber vibration pads regardless to take out any shock. The challenge on the ground is when the machine vibration is so high in amplitude it can be felt through the floor. In this scenario we use the lenses to get away from the vibration and zoom back in, we often find that if the vibration is severe the problem can be seen with camera and the measurement is irrelevant at that point – the user can live with some low level camera shake in order to see the source of the problem.

We often use the technology on offshore Oil and Gas rigs / Vessels that are steel superstructures with grating and vibration all around. Even in this environment using the rubber pads, finding the node points and using the filtering feature removes any camera shake.

By filtering we can eliminate a specific frequency so a common practice is to find an area of the floor that is still vibrating nearby and simply filter out that frequency leaving the subject frequency in the acquisition. This is much like you can do with a traditional vibration analysis system.

John C: Does the lighting in the area have to be at a certain level for the camera to work?

Keith G: Interesting question, yes we need some level of lighting, the more light the easier it is and add to that, the more control we have of the light the better quality image you will get. As such any RMS supplied Iris M comes with a pair of Nightsearcher battery powered LEDs. These are really good industrial lights that we use in dark plants and also as fill lights to enhance the image. You can take an acquisition with the Iris M in very low light but the quality will be poor.

Mal S: Does Steam, Dust, Smoke etc affect the measurements?

Keith: I think we tried to answer your question as to practicalities during the webinar, but if the smoke, steam or dust is really thick and in front of the area you are interested in then yes it will be turbulent and limit the usefulness. However, if the machine behind has a strong signal to noise ratio then we can filter to that frequency and things like steam and vapor will disappear.

Dust and smoke are a little trickier and that depends on how thick it is in the air.

A range of video case studies can be found on the main Motion Amplification page, they include: Press Water Pump System Analysis, a Re-Boiler Pump 2XRPM Investigation and others.

Patrick B: How to get accurate vibration measurements from different angles?

Keith G: The angle of the camera to the measurement point is not usually a limiting factor for measurement, mainly because we want to see want we want to measure and therefore set the camera so it has the region of interest clearly in view. Typically any angle from a typical view will not affect accuracy. Beyond 120O the measurement may have some amplitude alias.

To take accurate measurements we just need the distance from the camera to the point of measurement or ‘region of interest’, these are some basic inputs into the software before acquisition.

Michel T: Is it also useful for doing a run up / coast down?

Keith G: Absolutely! The Iris M is great for run ups/coast downs. We have done several using the camera to compliment the transient 4 channel 2140 data. Here is a link to a test we did where the pump A starts and then switches to pump B. https://youtu.be/aodgp0M7-T8

Lester I: What level of vibration training does RMS offer with the purchasing of equipment?

Keith G: The training with RDI’s Iris M system contains some basic vibration training. A competency in vibration analysis is preferred but not required as the training will cover anything that is needed for the ability to proficiently use the technology. If the user is an Engineer in another field and they just need to see the videos/data then their interpretation is just as valuable as a vibration analysts viewpoint. The practical use of the camera is straightforward enough for most people.

Stefan T: What is the maximum frequency resolution which can be achieved?

Keith G: Theoretically this much higher than in practice and depends on how long you are willing to wait and have storage on your hard drive.

In practical terms a typical video on a typical machine would be a 3 second video shot at 109fps on a 50Hz machine. In Hz this would give a low res spectral resolution = Bin Width 0.333 / LOR 163.5. You could easily increase this by extending the acquisition time to 10 seconds = Bin Width 0.1 / LOR 545.

Zaid A: How is the scope of this technique in screw type air compressors?

Keith G: We recommend the MX system for this. With the MX you can collect data up to 29,000FPS or 14kHz Fmax. We have used the technology successfully on several screw compressors.

The Iris M™ covers a wide range of faults in machine condition monitoring but with the addition of the Iris MX™, we have you covered no matter what the speed of your machine.

Richard J: Can we use mobile phone cameras for Motion Amplification?

Keith G: Simply put, No. Jeff gave a detail reason during the webinar so if you missed the answer, check out the link for a full explanation from the inventor himself. In practice the package RDI supplies is a compact, portable system that is quick to setup and use. The camera itself is only the size of a gopro.

Alain R: Can motion amplification see how belts are slipping on pulleys and generate vibrations?

Keith G: Simply put, Yes. The system can be used as a high speed camera and produce a ‘super slo-mo’ of your belts, we call this feature ‘Shaft Inspection’ as it is mainly used for such. If you have multiple belts in shot then you will see any slip between them also. I have an example here – https://youtu.be/eWf0f7_bPCg?t=187

You can also take displacement measurements from those belts and determine the frequency/amplitude. Of course the quality of this would rely on your line of sight.

Daniel B: Could the technology be applied to linear movement?

Keith G: Yes. The system can be used too track motion, measure the displacement and also take a vibration reading from the tracked point. See here for an example – https://youtu.be/eWf0f7_bPCg?t=359

Adam K: Can the system be used over a long term period?

Keith G: The desired outcome would dictate which system to use on your application. But essentially yes we can ‘watch’ a machine continuously and have the system trigger a measurement based on various trigger inputs – tach, vibration, accel, 4-20ma etc. Alternatively you could take a spot measurement of a robot’s complete motion, then return some time later and measure again for drift.

With Iris CM, you now have the ability to see what is happening on your machines even when you are away. Once configured, Iris CM can continuously monitor your asset with live Motion Amplification™, trigger and store recordings, and provide all the data analysis of Motion Amplification™ software.”

Mark L: Will there be a route friendly version of the technology in the pipeline?

Keith G: The database software that comes with RDI Technologies Motion Amplification system includes the ability to build a machine tree much like a traditional route based system. You can then save reports, measurements, mp4s all in the same collection date. You can then create a new collection for that same machine or position, so while not trending the readings you can quickly compare past measurements.

David D: What is the average time needed to install + shoot camera + analyse data, including filters or image management?

Keith G : You can take a live view using Motion Amplification. However, for a 25Hz or 50Hz machine, you only need 3 seconds of collection time. So from arriving next to the machine, setting up the kit, collection and filter – probably around 15mins. For x1 shot. Depending on the problem it might take more shots, various angles etc all taking more time.

Ian B: How close do you need to be to the object under test to get reasonable resolution?

Keith G: Ideally you want the whole machine in the frame, but this questions really relies on how much vibration is present. If the amplitudes are high then our resolution will not be challenging. If the vibration is low amplitude then we will need greater resolution to visualise it. The specs given are “<0.01 mils (0.25 μm) at 3.3 ft (1m) with 50mm lens, 0.005 mils (0.125 μm) at close focus.

Irfandi F: Can this tool use to identify bearing fault?

Keith G: You won’t typically be looking or see bearing defect frequencies – you will often see the root cause though, in many cases even more valuable.

Presenters and panelists

Stuart Walker
Director of Reliability Maintenance Solutions Ltd

Stuart has worked in the Condition Monitoring and Reliability sector for the last 23 years. In 1999, he set up Reliability Maintenance Solutions Ltd with his colleague Dean Whittle. Stuart has worked in many industry sectors including Oil & Gas, Petrochemical, Power and Paper. He is currently working on projects introducing and implementing new cutting edge technologies within RMS and across a wide range of Industries at home and abroad.

Jeff Hay
CEO of RDI Technologies

Jeff Hay is the inventor and visionary behind Motion Amplification and the Iris M, which allows you to amplify and measure motion with the use of video. His products are moving industrial vibration to the visual spectrum. His passion is using his background in applied optical technology to change the way you see machinery and maintenance.

Phil Renshaw
Engineering Manager at Vertellus

25 year long career in British Army Aviation (REME) as an Aircraft Technician introduced me to vibration analysis and many other Condition Monitoring activities; since leaving the Army I have worked in Nuclear Industry as a Maintenance Standards and Asset Management specialist. Current role as an Engineering Manager in the Chemicals Industry with a view towards leading the UK sites reliability improvement journey.

Paul Phelan
Reliability Engineer at MSD Biologics

Paul is a Reliability Engineer with 15 years of experience in the field of predictive maintenance and condition monitoring. For the last 4 years, he has been operating in the Bio-Pharmaceutical arena helping new builds to establish reliability and predictive maintenance programs. He has worked in diverse fields, including gold and iron ore mines, Sydney Harbour Ferries, pharmaceutical APIs and power plants. He holds CAT IV Vibration Analysis, CAT II Infrared, CAT II Lubrication and CAT II Ultrasonic certification.

Keith Gallant
Reliability Consultant and Technology Manager at Reliability Maintenance Solutions Ltd

Keith is the UK’s first certified Motion Amplification Analyst. Responsible for consulting on problem machinery and applications for Motion Amplification and Vibration Analysis across a variety of industries.

Products & Services

Gallery

IRIS M, IRIS MX, IRIS CM
Motion Amplification Service
Case Studies

Last updated: 19th March 2024

1 reply
  1. Nigel
    Nigel says:

    Good blog you’ve got here. It’s difficult to find high quality content like yours nowadays. I appreciate the efforts made to put this Webinar together. Take care!!

    Reply

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