Simcenter Testing Solutions Single Plane Balancing in Simcenter Testlab

Direct YouTube link: https://youtu.be/yCPvPnGwfEQ


The balancing workbook in Simcenter Testlab runs in conjunction with Simcenter Testlab Signature Acquisition. Users can perform single and dual plane balancing to reduce vibration as shown below:

Getting Started

The balancing application is tokenable. Turn on the balancing application by opening Signature Acquisition, then go to Tools -> Add-ins -> "Single and Dual Plane Balancing". The add-in requires 28 tokens.

Figure 1: Balancing is available under Tools -> Add-ins -> Single and Dual Plane Balancing.

NOTE: For versions prior to 17.1, go to “Tools --> User Applications --> Balancing”.

The balancing application in Signature consists of four tabs:

• Measurement setup: Input the custom characteristics for your balancing setup (balancing speed, shaft dimensions, etc.)
• Balancing: Guides the user through the sequential steps for balancing and verification for single or dual plane balancing
• Runs annotation: Allows the user to update the run annotation after the acquisition is done
• Units selection: Allows the user to adjust the units used in the balancing workbook.

Figure 2: The four tabs of the balancing application.

Physical Setup:

To do balancing in a single plane, you will need a tachometer, an accelerometer, a SCADAS data acquisition system (SCADAS XS shown below), and a PC with the Simcenter Testlab Balancing software loaded (Figure 3).

VERY IMPORTANT: The signal from the tachometer needs to be split. Insert one end of the split signal into a tachometer channel and insert the other end into a dynamic channel (see below). One split of the tachometer is used for measuring the rpm, the other split is used for phase referencing.

Figure 3: Physical setup for single plane balancing. The accelerometer is placed on the bearing. An optical tachometer and a SCADAS XS are being used.

The accelerometer should be in or near the balancing plane. The balancing plane is where the correction mass is added; typically it is near where two components meet, like a coupler, the end of a shaft, or a bearing. In Figure 3 above, the balancing plane is labeled “Single plane” and the accelerometer is placed on the bearing.

Figure 4: A plane through a shaft.

Channel Setup:

For single plane balancing, the Channel Setup workbook should look something like the following:

Figure 5: Channel Setup for single plane balancing.

NOTE: The tachometer is split and goes into two different channels: one in the Vibration group and one in the Tacho group.

Balancing Procedure:

A: What speed to perform the balancing operation at?

Do a system run-up. Measure the system in all three directions (which can be done at once with a triaxial accelerometer).

Cut the first order of the accelerometer in the +X, +Y, and +Z directions. Choose which direction to balance the system. Find the RPM at which the system has a peak in unbalance.

Figure 6: First order cuts of the +X, +Y, and +Z directions of the accelerometer on the bearing.

Here, it appears that at 2900 RPM, the system has a peak in unbalance in the +Z direction. Typically, balancing is performed near the RPM value corresponding to the peak in amplitude. Therefore the balancing operation will be performed at 2900 RPM in the +Z direction.

NOTE: Do not balance at a structural resonance! Look at a waterfall of the run-up to ensure you are not balancing at structural resonance.

B: Fill in the values in the “Measurement setup” tab of the balancing application

B.1: First column of balancing settings

Figure 7: The first column of balancing settings.

1. Select the “Single plane” radio button.

2. Choose which calculation method to use:

• Stationary – Averaged Spectrum: The phase-referenced spectra will be averaged and based on the averaged result, the value of Order 1 will be calculated.
• Stationary – Order 1 Section: The Order 1 value for each individual average will be calculated and averaged for the final result.
• Run-up – Order 1 Section: A run-up will be performed and the first order will be extracted. The value at the specified balancing RPM will be used.

3. Fill in the balancing speed (as determined in the previous section), RPM tolerance, and number of averages to be performed for the FFT.

4. For “Tacho channel” choose the tacho channel that you fed into the tachometer of the SCADAS.

5. Set your bandwidth and block size (these will be extracted from the Acquisition Setup workbook if you prefer to set the values there).

6. For “Phase reference” choose the tacho channel that you fed into the dynamic channel of the SCADAS.

7. Select an ISO defined balance target or define your own parameters. For this example, the vales are left at zero meaning we will target zero unbalance.

8. Select to leave the test mass on during the balancing procedure or to take it off. If you leave the test mass on during the balancing procedure, the final correction mass will take the test mass into account.

9. Define the “Sense of rotation”.

Choose which end to view your object from. Determine which direction it is spinning in that view. This will be the “Sense of rotation”.

The direction the shaft spins is relative to where the user is standing. It is KEY that the user remembers how he views the object.

NOTE: Angles are counted positive in the sense of rotation.

Figure 8: Sense of rotation is relative to where the user is. Always remember from where you defined the sense of rotation. Angles are counted positive in the sense of rotation.

10. Weight splitting allows the user to define the number of correction masses being used for balancing. If weight splitting is unchecked, the software will calculate the values for only one correction mass.

B.2: The second column of balancing settings

Figure 9: The second column of balancing settings.

1. Select the dynamic channel with which you would like to do the balancing procedure. In this case, the unbalance is the largest in the Z direction, so the Accel:+Z channel is selected.

2. Plane radius: the radius of the shaft on which the plane is mounted. This is not critical and is used for graphical representation only (see Figure 10).

3. Test mass radius: the radius at which the test mass will be installed (see Figure 10).

Figure 10: Definition of the plane and test mass radii.

4. Select to use any weight or enter predefined weights.

5. Select to place the weight(s) at any location on the plane or at fixed locations (which are defined by using count and offset).

EXAMPLE: Imagine you are balancing a fan and you can only place weights on the blades (Figure 11). If the fan is spinning clockwise, the count would be 5 and the offset would be 54°. If the can was spinning counter clockwise, the count would be 5 and the offset would be 18°.

NOTE: Zero degrees is where the reflective tape is located on the shaft.

Figure 11: Custom weight locations can be defined with “count” and “offset”. Keep in mind the direction of rotation when calculating these values.

6. Finally, press the “Apply” button, this will transfer the settings of the balancing application to Signature Acquisition and switch the application to the “Balancing” tab.

C: Balancing

Within the single plane balancing tab, there are six steps. The active step will be highlighted in green. To move forward / backward in the balancing procedure, use the “Previous step” and “Next step” buttons at the bottom of the screen (Figure 12).

Figure 12: The Balancing tab of the application. The current step will be highlighted in green.

1. Initial measurement: Arm the system (click Arm button in lower right corner). Then, bring the system to the balancing speed and hold it at that speed. Finally, click “Start” which will begin the acquisition. If taking more than one run, the runs will be averaged.

Figure 13: Take the initial measurement. Multiple runs will be averaged.

2. Add the test mass. Specify the weight of the mass to be added and the location where the mass will be added in the balancing plane. Remember, angles are counted positive in the sense of rotation.

Figure 14: Add the first test mass.

3. Perform measurements with the first test mass. If taking more than one run, the runs will be averaged.

Figure 15: Take the measurement with test mass.

4. Calculated balanced masses: The calculated recommended mass and angle will be displayed. The “Used mass” column suggests a mass that you input in the “Available masses” section of the “Measurement setup” tab. The “Used angle” suggests an angle available as specified in the “Measurement setup” tab.

Figure 16: The recommended mass and angle to mitigate the unbalance in the plane.5.

If you selected “Leave test mass on” in the “Measurement setup” tab, leave the test mass on and add the additional mass at the specified angle.

If you selected “Remove test mass”, remove the test mass and then add the additional mass at the specified angle.

Figure 17: Add the balancing mass.6.

Once the mass is added at the specified angle, acquire a few runs to verify the results. Ensure that the resulting unbalance amplitude is smaller than it originally was.

Figure 18: The verification measurements show that the resulting unbalance is less that the initial. The initial measurement is highlighted in red. The verification measurement is highlighted in green.

Looking at the first order of the Z direction (which is the direction we were balancing in), you can see there is a sharp decrease in the amplitude at all RPM values due to balancing the shaft.

Figure 19: The acceleration amplitude values have decreased at nearly every RPM value.

Questions?  Email scott.beebe@siemens.com or contact Siemens Support Center.

Rotating Machinery

• Index of Testing Knowledge Articles
• What is an order?
• Torsional Vibration: What is it?
• Zebra Tape Butt Joint Correction for Torsional Vibrations
• Balancing: Static, Coupled, and Dynamic
• Removing Spikes from RPM Signals
• Measuring RPM: Missing Pulses
• Order Tracking versus Synchronous Sampling
• Tips and tricks for acquiring torsional orders
• Harmonic Removal
• Order Cuts: How to get the right amplitude
• Interpreting Colormaps
• Angle Domain Analysis
• Simcenter Testlab Combustion Analysis
• Cycle to Cycle Averaging in Simcenter Testlab
• Simcenter Testlab: Switching Frequencies and Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) Signals
• Simcenter Testlab: Calculating Angular Difference
• Rotating Machinery Dynamics Seminar
• Gears: Rotating Machinery Dynamics Seminar
• Rotating Machinery YouTube Playlist

Simcenter Testlab Acquisition Tips

• Simcenter Testlab Signature
• Hands-free acquisition (almost)
• Capturing Transient Events in Simcenter Testlab
• Cool Channel Setup tricks for Triaxial Accelerometers
• GPS triggered data acquisition
• How to calculate a VECTOR SUM
• Tips and tricks for acquiring torsional orders
• CAN Bus Measurements
• No more tach! OBDII for engine speed
• Record Raw CANBUS Data and Decode Offline!
• Single Plane Balancing in Simcenter Testlab
• Measuring strain gauges in Simcenter Testlab
• Correcting a bad calibration factor
• Simcenter Testlab Calibration