Regular vibration monitoring can detect bearing defects, mechanical looseness and damaged or worn teeth. Vibration analysis can also detect misalignment and unbalance before these conditions cause damage to bearings and shafts.
Trends in vibration levels can help identify poor maintenance practices such as poor bearing installation and replacement, inaccurate shaft alignment, and imprecise rotor balancing. All rotating machines produce vibrations which are a function of machining dynamics such as misalignment and unbalance of the rotor components.