A method for detecting defects in a rotational element of a machine based on changes in measured vibration energy includes: (a) collecting vibration data over an extended period of time using vibration sensors attached to the machine; (b) processing the vibration data to generate a time waveform comprising processed vibration values sampled during sequential sampling time intervals within the extended period of time; (c) detecting multiple time blocks within the extended period of time during which the processed vibration values exhibit sustained increases at progressively increasing rates; and (d) generating alerts based on detection of the multiple time blocks during which the processed vibration values exhibit sustained increases at progressively increasing rates. The multiple time blocks may include a first time block during which the processed vibration values increase at a first rate, and a second time block occurring after the first time block during which the processed vibration values increase at a second rate that is greater than the first rate.

A method for analyzing the condition of a machine, and an apparatus for analyzing the condition of a machine are described.

A device for identifying a type of a bearing is provided. The device includes a detection unit for detecting a vibration frequency of the bearing, and an identification unit for identifying the type of the bearing based on the detected vibration frequency.

A mounting system for retrofitting a vibration sensor to a machine component is provided. The mounting system includes an elongate fastener, a washer, and a mounting boss. The elongate fastener includes a fastener head and an elongated body defining a longitudinal top end and a longitudinal bottom end. The longitudinal bottom end defines a fastening end configured to engage with a corresponding fastening receptacle of the machine component. The washer defines an external surface and includes a central cavity for engaging the elongated body of the elongate fastener therein. The mounting boss includes a first portion and a second portion. The first portion includes an internal cavity defining a first cavity section configured to engage with the external surface of the washer, and a second cavity section to engage with the fastener head of the elongate fastener. The second portion defines a receiving port for receiving the vibration sensor.

A strand-guiding section arranged downstream of a continuous casting mould of a continuous casting line. The strand-guiding section has at least one strand-guiding roller supporting a metal strand cast with the continuous casting mould, is mounted in roller bearings in the strand-guiding section, and has at least one sensor device, which has at least one vibration sensor acoustically coupled to the strand-guiding roller or its roller bearings to detect the vibrations occurring with the rotation of the strand-guiding roller in the roller bearings. The strand-guiding roller is cooled internally by a cooling water. The vibration sensor is acoustically coupled to the strand-guiding roller and/or to the roller bearings via the cooling water. The evaluation device determines the status of the at least one roller bearing by evaluating the vibration data.

According to one embodiment, a diagnostic method includes changing a position of a mechanical structure to be diagnosed with a drive unit based on an acceleration command, the acceleration command being generated based on a log swept sine (LOGSS) signal, calculating an impulse response based on the acceleration command and measured acceleration of the mechanical structure, the measured acceleration being measured by an accelerometer, analyzing at least one of a linear characteristic and a nonlinear characteristic relating to the mechanical structure based on the impulse response, and diagnosing the mechanical structure based on the at least one of the linear characteristic and the nonlinear characteristic relating to the mechanical structure.

A signal processing method and apparatus quantifies signal “character” in the frequency domain from highly complex signals in a statistically consistent manner. Particular aspects focus on spectral density analyses such as skewness spectral density (SSD), kurtosis spectral density KSD), and probability spectral density (PDSD), among other types of spectral density. Applications of the inventive technique enable not only identification of signal characteristics, but also quantification of signal behavior in an explainable way. Higher orders of spectral densities are 1) physical and statistical, 2) convergent with boundable error, 3) integrable and relatable to the time-domain, and 4) typically differentiable.

A method (400) of determining blade tip deflection characteristics is applied to moving rotor blades (R.sub.1, R.sub.2) in a turbomachine (10) comprising a housing and rotor including a shaft with the rotor blades attached thereto and at least one proximity probe (202). The method (400) includes measuring ((402) a proximity signal caused by a presence of a proximate tip of a moving rotor blade (R.sub.1) and calculating (404) by a control module (212) a shaft Instantaneous Angular Position (IAP) as a function of time, and performing (410) an order tracking process which includes expressing (412) the measured proximity signal in the angular domain and resampling (414) the expressed proximity signal to render it equidistant in the angular domain. The method (400) includes performing (416) a pulse localisation process which includes filtering (418) the proximity signal yielding a complex-valued response, expressing (420) the complex-valued response in terms of a local amplitude and phase, and calculating (422) local phase shifts between each expressed signal and a reference signal.

Provided is a refrigerator. The refrigerator is characterized by enabling at least a part of a refrigerator door to be selectively transparent by a user's operation, such that the user sees through an inside of the refrigerator while the refrigerator door is closed.

A system for continuously monitoring at least one machine including a plurality of magnetic sensors synchronously sensing magnetic fields emitted by at least one machine, the plurality of magnetic sensors sensing the magnetic fields along a corresponding plurality of channels and outputting magnetic field emission signals corresponding to the magnetic fields, a signal analyzer receiving at least a portion of the magnetic field emission signals and performing analysis of the magnetic field emission signals, the signal analyzer providing an output based on the analysis, the output including at least an indication of a condition of the at least one machine and a control module receiving the indication of the condition and initiating at least one of a repair event on the at least one machine, an adjustment to a maintenance schedule of the at least one machine and an adjustment to an operating parameter of the at least one machine based on the indication, whereby efficacy of the at least one machine is improved.