Early Signals. Big Difference.
Most machinery failures don’t happen suddenly — the warning signs are often there months in advance.
The Cost of Ignoring Early Bearing Signals
During routine measurements on the DG1 pre-lub pump electric motor, our team detected early warning signs that could have easily been missed.
Initial findings:
🔧 RMS velocity reached 9.5 mm/s
🔧 Envelope acceleration peaked at 115.9 m/s²
High values — but the real insight came from deeper analysis.
In the FFT envelope spectrum, we identified clear BPFI harmonics (Ball Pass Frequency Inner Race), along other with non-synchronous peaks.
📊 Why is this critical?
BPFI is a key indicator of inner race bearing damage. When combined with other non-synchronous frequencies, it strongly points to progressing wear inside the bearing — long before catastrophic failure occurs.
👉 Left unchecked, this type of damage often leads to motor burnout, unplanned downtime, and significant replacement costs.
Based on these signals, we recommended bearing replacement.
✔️ The crew confirmed the bearings were worn
✔️ After replacement, vibration and envelope values dropped significantly
✔️ BPFI harmonics reduced, and non-synchronous peaks disappeared
✅ Result: Failure avoided. Equipment protected. Over €3,000 in potential costs saved.
This is what effective condition monitoring delivers — not just fault detection, but early, precise diagnosis that drives the right action.
Because the most expensive failures… are the ones you didn’t see coming.