An Overview of Bearing Vibration Analysis

Dr. S. J. Lacey, Engineering Manager Schaeffler UK Limited

An Overview of
Bearing Vibration Analysis
Dr. S. J. Lacey, Engineering Manager Schaeffler UK
Summary
Vibration produced by rolling bearings can be complex and can result from geometrical imperfections
during the manufacturing process, defects on the rolling surfaces or geometrical errors in associated
components. Noise and vibration is becoming more critical in all types of equipment since it is often
perceived to be synonymous with quality and often used for predictive maintenance. In this article the
different sources of bearing vibration are considered along with some of the characteristic defect
frequencies that may be present. Some examples of how vibration analysis can be used to detect
deterioration in machine condition are also given.
1. Introduction
Rolling contact bearings are used in almost every type of
rotating machinery whose successful and reliable operation is
very dependent on the type of bearing selected as well as the
precision of all associated components i.e. shaft, housing,
spacers, nuts etc. Bearing engineers generally use fatigue as
the normal failure mode on the assumption that the bearings
are properly installed, operated and maintained. Today, because
of improvements in manufacturing technology and materials,
bearing fatigue life, which is related to sub surface stresses,
is generally not the limiting factor and probably accounts for
less than 3% of failures in service.
Unfortunately though, many bearings fail prematurely in
service because of contamination, poor lubrication,
misalignment, temperature extremes, poor fitting/fits, shaft
unbalance and misalignment. All these factors lead to an
increase in bearing vibration and condition monitoring has
been used for many years to detect degrading bearings before
they catastrophically fail, with the associated costs of
downtime or significant damage to other parts of the machine.
Rolling element bearings are often used in noise sensitive
applications e.g. household appliances, electric motors which
often use small to medium size bearings. Bearing vibration is
therefore becoming increasingly important from both an
environmental perspective and because it is synonymous with
quality.
It is now generally accepted that quiet running is synonymous
with the form and finish of the rolling contact surfaces. As a
result bearing manufacturers have developed vibration tests as
an effective method for measuring quality. A common
approach is to mount the bearing on a quiet running spindle
and measure the radial velocity at a point on the bearings
outer ring in three frequency bands, 50-300, 300-1800 and
1800-10000Hz. The bearing must meet RMS velocity limits in
all three frequency bands.

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Vibration monitoring has now become a well accepted part of

many planned maintenance regimes and relies on the well
known characteristic vibration signatures which rolling
bearings exhibit as the rolling surfaces degrade. However, in
most situations bearing vibration cannot be measured directly
and so the bearing vibration signature is modified by the
machine structure and this situation is further complicated by
vibration from other equipment on the machine i.e. electric
motors, gears, belts, hydraulics, etc. and from structural
resonances. This often makes the interpretation of vibration
data difficult other than by a trained specialist and can in some
situations lead to a misdiagnosis resulting in unnecessary
machine downtime and costs.
In this article the sources of bearing vibration are discussed
along with the characteristic vibration frequencies that are
likely to be generated.

2. Sources of Vibration
Rolling contact bearings represent a complex vibration system
whose components i.e. rolling elements, inner raceway, outer
raceway and cage interact to generate complex vibration
signatures. Although rolling bearings are manufactured using
high precision machine tools and under strict cleanliness and
quality controls, like any other manufactured part they will have
degrees of imperfection and generate vibration as the
surfaces interact through a combination of rolling and sliding.
Nowadays, although the amplitudes of surface imperfections
are in the order of nanometres, significant vibrations can still
be produced in the entire audible frequency range
(20Hz - 20kHz).
The level of the vibration will depend upon many factors
including the energy of the impact, the point at which the
vibration is measured and the construction of the bearing.

2.1 Variable Compliance

2.2 Geometrical Imperfections

Under radial and misaligned loads bearing vibration is an

inherent feature of rolling bearings even if the bearing is
geometrically perfect and is not therefore indicative of poor
quality. This type of vibration is often referred to as variable
compliance and occurs because the external load is supported
by a discrete number of rolling elements whose position with
respect to the line of action of the load continually changes
with time, Figure 1.

Because of the very nature of the manufacturing processes

used to produce bearing components geometrical
imperfections will always be present to varying degrees
depending on the accuracy class of the bearing. For axially
loaded ball bearings operating under moderate speeds the
form and surface finish of the critical rolling surfaces are
generally the largest source of noise and vibration.
Controlling component waviness and surface finish during the
manufacturing process is therefore critical since it may not
only have a significant effect on vibration but also may affect
bearing life.
It is convenient to consider geometrical imperfections in terms
of wavelength compared with the width of the rolling elementraceway contacts. Surface features of wavelength of the order
of the contact width or less are termed roughness whereas
longer wavelength features are termed waviness, Figure 2.

Fig 1. Simple bearing model

As the bearing rotates, individual ball loads, hence elastic

deflections at the rolling element raceway contacts, change to
produce relative movement between the inner and outer rings.
The movement takes the form of a locus which under radial
load is two dimensional and contained in a radial plane whilst
under misalignment it is three dimensional. The movement is
also periodic with base frequency equal to the rate at which
the rolling elements pass through the load zone. Frequency
analysis of the movement yields the base frequency and a
series of harmonics. For a single row radial ball bearing with
an inner ring speed of 1800rev/min a typical ball pass rate is
100Hz and significant harmonics to more than 500Hz can be
generated.
Variable compliance vibration is heavily dependent on the
number of rolling elements supporting the externally applied
load; the greater the number of loaded rolling elements, the
less the vibration. For radially loaded or misaligned bearings
running clearance determines the extent of the load region,
and hence, in general variable compliance increases with
clearance. Running clearance should not be confused with
radial internal clearance (RIC), the former normally being lower
than the RIC due to interference fit of the rings and
differential thermal expansion of the inner and outer rings
during operation.
Variable compliance vibration levels can be higher than those
produced by roughness and waviness of the rolling surfaces,
however, in applications where vibration is critical it can be
reduced to a negligible level by using ball bearings with the
correct level of axial preload.

Fig 2. Waviness and roughness of rolling surfaces

2.2.1 Surface Roughness

Surface roughness is a significant source of vibration when its
level is high compared with the lubricant film thickness
generated between the rolling element-raceway contacts
(Figure 2). Under this condition surface asperities can break
through the lubricant film and interact with the opposing
surface, resulting in metal-to-metal contact. The resulting
vibration consists of a random sequence of small impulses
which excite all the natural modes of the bearing and
supporting structure.
Surface roughness produces vibration predominantly at
frequencies above 60 times the rotational speed of the
bearing, thus the high frequency part of the spectrum usually
appears as a series of resonances.

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A common parameter used to estimate the degree of asperity

interaction is the lambda ratio (). This is the ratio of lubricant
film thickness to composite surface roughness and is given by:

In the direction of rolling, elastic deformation at the contact

attenuates simple harmonic waveforms over the contact width,
Figure 4.

= h ( b2 + r2 )0.5

h
b
r

= degree of asperity interaction

= the lubricant film thickness
= RMS roughness of the ball
= RMS roughness of the raceway

If we assume that the surface finish of the raceway is twice

that of the rolling element, then for a typical lubricant film
thickness of 0,3m surface finishes better than 0,06m are
required to achieve a value of three and a low incidence of
asperity interaction. For a lubricant film thickness of 0,1m
surface finishes better than 0,025m are required to achieve
= 3. The effect of on bearing life is shown in Figure 3 (1).

Figure 4. Attenuation due to contact width

The level of attenuation increases as wavelength decreases

until, at a wavelength equal to the contact width, waviness
amplitude is theoretically zero. The contact length also
attenuates short wavelength surface features. Generally poor
correlation can exist between parallel surface height profiles
taken at different points across the tracks and this averages
measured waviness amplitudes to a low level. For typical
bearing surfaces poor correlation of parallel surface heights
profiles only exists at shorter wavelengths.

Fig 3. Percent film versus (function of film thickness and surface roughness).

If is less than unity it is unlikely that the bearing will attain

its estimated design life because of surface distress which can
lead to a rapid fatigue failure of the rolling surfaces. In general
ratios greater than three indicate complete surface
separation. A transition from full EHL (elastohydrodynamic
lubrication) to mixed lubrication (partial EHL film with some
asperity contact) occurs in the range between 1 and 3.

2.2.2 Waviness
For longer wavelength surface features, peak curvatures are
low compared with that of the Hertzian contacts and rolling
motion is continuous with the rolling elements following the
surface contours. The relationship between surface geometry
and vibration level is complex being dependent upon the
bearing and contact geometry as well as conditions of load
and speed. Waviness can produce vibration at frequencies up
to approximately 300 times rotational speed but is usually
predominant at frequencies below 60 times rotational speed.
The upper limit is attributed to the finite area of the rolling
element raceway contacts which average out the shorter
wavelength features.

Page 4

Even with modern precision machining technology waviness

cannot be eliminated completely and an element of waviness
will always exist albeit at relatively low levels. As well as the
bearing itself the quality of the associated components can
also affect bearing vibration and any geometrical errors on the
outside diameter of the shaft or bore of the housing can be
reflected on the bearing raceways with the associated
increase in vibration. Therefore, careful attention is required to
the form and precision of all associated bearing components.

2.2.3 Discrete Defects

Whereas surface roughness and waviness result directly from
the bearing component manufacturing processes, discrete
defects refers to damage of the rolling surfaces due to
assembly, contamination, operation, mounting, poor
maintenance etc. These defects can be extremely small and
difficult to detect and yet can have a significant impact on
vibration critical equipment or can result in reduced bearing
life. This type of defect can take a variety of forms:
indentations, scratches along and across the rolling surfaces,
pits, debris and particles in the lubricant.
Bearing manufacturers have adopted simple vibration
measurements on the finished product to detect such defects
but these tend to be limited by the type and size of bearing.
An example of this type of measurement is shown in Figure 5,

where compared to a good bearing, the discrete damage on a

bearing outer ring raceway has produced a characteristically
impulsive vibration which has a high peak/RMS ratio.

Fig5(a). Signal from a good bearing

Fig5(b). Signal from a damaged bearing

Where a large number of defects occur, individual peaks are

not so clearly defined but the RMS vibration level is several
times greater than that normally associated with a bearing in
good condition.

3. Bearing Characteristic Frequencies

Although the fundamental frequencies generated by rolling
bearings are related to relatively simple formulae they cover a
wide frequency range and can interact to give very complex
signals. This is often further complicated by the presence of
other sources of mechanical, structural or electromechanical
vibration on the equipment.

However, in practice this is rarely the case and due to a

number of factors the rolling elements undergo a combination
of rolling and sliding. As a consequence the actual
characteristic defect frequencies may differ slightly from those
predicted, but this is very dependent on the type of bearing,
operating conditions and fits. Generally the bearing
characteristic frequencies will not be integer multiples of the
inner ring rotational frequency which helps to distinguish them
from other sources of vibration.
Since most vibration frequencies are proportional to speed, it is
important when comparing vibration signatures that data is
obtained at identical speeds. Speed changes will cause shifts in
the frequency spectrum causing inaccuracies in both the
amplitude and frequency measurement. In variable speed
equipment sometimes spectral orders may be used where all
the frequencies are normalised relative to the fundamental
rotational speed. This is generally called order normalisation where
the fundamental frequency of rotation is called the first order.
The bearing speed ratio (ball pass frequency divided by the
shaft rotational frequency) is a function of the bearing loads
and clearances and can therefore give some indication of the
bearing operating performance. If the bearing speed ratio is
below predicted values it may indicate insufficient loading,
excessive lubrication or insufficient bearing radial internal
clearance which could result in higher operating temperatures
and premature failure. Likewise a higher than predicted
bearing speed ratio may indicate excessive loading, excessive
bearing radial internal clearance or insufficient lubrication.
A good example of how the bearing speed ratio can be used
to identify a potential problem is shown in Figure 6 which
shows a vibration acceleration spectrum measured axially on
the end cap of a 250kW electric motor.

For a stationary outer ring and rotating inner ring, from the bearing
geometry the fundamental frequencies are derived as follows:
fc/o = fr/2 [1 d/D Cos ]
fc/i = fr/2 [1 + d/D Cos ]
fb/o = Z fc/o
fb/i = Z fc/i
fb = D/2d fr [1 (d/D Cos )2 ]
fr = inner ring rotational frequency
fc/o = fundamental train (cage) frequency relative to outer raceway
fc/i = fundamental train frequency relative to inner raceway
fb/o = ball pass frequency of outer raceway
fb/i = ball pass frequency of inner raceway
fb = rolling element spin frequency
D = Pitch circle diameter
d = Diameter of roller elements
Z = Number of rolling elements
= Contact angle
The bearing equations assume that there is no sliding and that
the rolling elements roll over the raceway surfaces.

Fig 6. Axial vibration acceleration spectrum on end cap of

a 250kW electric motor

In this case the type 6217 radial ball bearings were experiencing
a high axial load as a result of the non locating bearing failing
to slide in the housing (thermal loading). For a nominal shaft
speed of 3000rev/min the estimated outer raceway ball pass
frequency, fb/o, was 228.8Hz giving a bearing speed ratio of
4.576. The actual outer ring ball pass frequency was 233.5Hz
giving a ball speed ratio of 4.67, an increase of 2%.

Page 5

A photograph of the inner ring is shown in Figure 7 showing

the ball running path offset from the centre of the raceway
towards the shoulder.

Fig7.

Photograph of type 6217 inner ring showing running

path offset from centre of raceway.

Eventually this motor failed catastrophically and thermal

loading (cross location) of the bearings was confirmed.
A number of harmonics and sum and difference frequencies
are also evident in the spectrum.
Ball pass frequencies can be generated as a result of elastic
properties of the raceway materials due to variable compliance
or as the rolling elements pass over a defect on the raceways.
The frequency generated at the outer and inner ring raceway
can be estimated roughly as 40% (0.4) and 60% (0.6) of the
inner ring speed times the number of rolling elements respectively.
Unfortunately bearing vibration signals are rarely straight
forward and are further complicated by the interaction of the
various component parts but this can be often used to our
advantage in order to detect a deterioration or damage to the
rolling surfaces.

This is particularly true where multiple defects are present.

However, depending upon the dynamic range of the
equipment, background noise levels and other sources of
vibration bearing frequencies can be difficult to detect in the
early stages of a defect.
However, over the years a number of diagnostic algorithms
have been developed to detect bearing faults by measuring
the vibration signatures on the bearing housing. Usually these
methods take advantage of both the characteristic frequencies
and the ringing frequencies (i.e. natural frequencies) of the
bearing. This is described in more detail in section 4.3.

3.1 Raceway Defect

A discrete defect on the inner raceway will generate a series
of high energy pulses at a rate equal to the ball pass
frequency relative to the inner raceway. Because the inner ring
is rotating, the defect will enter and leave the load zone
causing a variation in the rolling element-raceway contact
force, hence deflections. While in the load zone the
amplitudes of the pulses will be highest but then reduce as
the defect leaves the load zone resulting in a signal which is
amplitude modulated at inner ring rotational frequency. In the
frequency domain this not only gives rise to a discrete peak at
the carrier frequency (ball pass frequency) but also a pair of
sidebands spaced either side of the carrier frequency by an
amount equal to the modulating frequency (inner ring
rotational frequency), Figure 8. Generally as the level of
amplitude modulation increases so will the sidebands.
Fig 8. Amplitude modulation (AM)

Imperfections on the surface of raceways and rolling elements,

as a result of the manufacturing process, interact to produce
other discrete frequencies and sidebands which are
summarised in Table 1.
Surface Defect

Frequency

Component

Imperfection

Inner Raceway

Eccentricity
Waviness
Discrete Defect

fr
nZfc/i fr
nZfc/i fr

Outer Raceway

Waviness
Discrete Defect

nZfc/o
nZfc/ofr
nZfc/ofc/o

Rolling Element

Diameter Variation
Waviness
Discrete Defect

Zfc/o
2nfb fc/o
2nfb fc/o

(a) Amplitude modulated time signal

Table 1. Frequencies related to surface imperfections

Analysis of bearing vibration signals is usually complex and

the frequencies generated will add and subtract and are
almost always present in bearing vibration spectra.

Page 6

(b) Spectrum of amplitude modulated signal.

As the defect increases in size more sidebands are generated

and at some point the ball pass frequency may no longer be
generated, but instead a series of peaks spaced at the inner
ring rotational frequency.
A discrete fault on the outer raceway will generate a series of
high energy pulses at a rate equal to the ball pass frequency
relative to the outer raceway. Because the outer ring is
stationary the amplitude of the pulse will remain theoretically
the same hence will appear as a single discrete peak within
the frequency domain. An unbalanced rotor will produce a
rotating load so, as with an inner ring defect, the resulting
vibration signal can be amplitude modulated at inner ring
rotational frequency.
Likewise the ball pass frequency can also be modulated at the
fundamental train frequency. If a rolling element has a defect it
will enter and leave the load zone at the fundamental train
frequency causing amplitude modulation and result in
sidebands around the ball pass frequency. Amplitude
modulation at the fundamental train frequency can also occur
if the cage is located radially on the inner or outer ring.
Although defects on the inner and outer raceways tend to
behave in the similar manner, for a given size defect the
amplitude of the spectrum of an inner raceway defect is
generally much less. The reason for this might be that a defect
on the inner ring raceway only comes into the load zone once
per revolution and the signal must travel through more
structural interfaces before reaching the transducer location
i.e. rolling element, across an oil film, through the outer ring
and through the bearing housing to the transducer position.
The more difficult transmission path for an inner raceway fault
probably explains why a fault on the outer raceway tends to be
easier to detect.

3.2 Rolling Element Defect

Defects on the rolling elements can generate a frequency at
twice ball spin frequency and harmonics and the fundamental
train frequency. Twice the rolling element spin frequency can
be generated when the defect strikes both raceways, but
sometimes the frequency may not be this high because the
ball is not always in the load zone when the defect strikes and
energy is lost as the signal passes through other structural
interfaces as it strikes the inner raceway. Also, when a defect
on a ball is orientated in the axial direction it will not always
contact the inner and outer raceway and therefore may be
difficult to detect. When more than one rolling element is
defective sums of the ball spin frequency can be generated.
If these defects are large enough then vibration at
fundamental train frequency can be generated.

3.3 Cage Defect

As we have already shown the cage tends to rotate at typically
0.4 times inner ring speed, generally has a low mass and
therefore, unless there is a defect from the manufacturing
process, cage vibration is generally not visible.

Unlike raceway defects, cage failures do not usually excite

specific ringing frequencies and this limits the effectiveness of
the envelope spectrum (see section 4.1.3). In the case of
cage failure, the signature is likely to have random bursts of
vibration as the balls slide and cage starts to wear or deform
and a wide band of frequencies is likely to occur.
As a cage starts to deteriorate, for example as a result of
inadequate lubrication, wear can start to occur on the sliding
surfaces i.e. in the cage pocket or in the case of a ring guided
cage on the cage guiding surface. This may gives rise to a
less stable rotation of the cage or a greater excursion of the
rolling elements, resulting in increased sideband activity
around the other bearing fundamental frequencies e.g. ball
spin frequency.
Excessive clearance can cause vibration at the fundamental
train frequency (FTF) as the rolling elements accelerate and
decelerate through the load zone which can result in large
impact forces between the rolling elements and cage pockets.
Also outer race defects and roller defects can be modulated
with the FTF fundamental frequency.

3.4 Other Sources of Vibration

Contamination is a very common source of bearing
deterioration and premature failure and is due to the ingress
of foreign particles, either as a result of poor handling or
during operation. By its very nature the magnitude of the
vibration caused by contamination will vary and in the early
stages may be difficult to detect, but this depends very much
on the type and nature of the contaminants. Contamination
can cause wear and damage to the rolling contact surfaces
and generate vibration across a broad frequency range. In the
early stages the crest factor of the time signal will increase,
but it is unlikely that this will be detected in the presence of
other sources of vibration.
With grease lubricated bearings, vibration may be initially
high as the bearing works and distributes the grease.
The vibration will generally be irregular but will disappear with
running time and generally for most applications does not
present a problem. For noise critical applications special low
noise producing greases are often used.

4. Vibration Measurement
Vibration measurement can be generally characterised as falling
into one of three categories detection, diagnosis and prognosis.
Detection generally uses the most basic form of vibration
measurement, where the overall vibration level is measured on
a broadband basis in a range for example, 10-1000Hz or
10-10000Hz.
In machines where there is little vibration other than from the
bearings, the spikiness of the vibration signal indicated by the
Crest Factor (peak/RMS) may imply incipient defects, whereas
the high energy level given by the RMS level may indicate
severe defects.

Page 7

This type of measurement generally gives limited information

other than to the experienced operator but can be useful when
used for trending, where an increasing vibration level is an
indicator of a deteriorating machine condition. Trend analysis
involves plotting the vibration level as a function of time and
using this to predict when the machine must be taken out of
service for repair. Another way of using the measurement is to
compare the levels with published vibration criteria for different
types of equipment.
Although broadband vibration measurements may provide a
good starting point for fault detection it has limited diagnostic
capability and although a fault may be identified it may not
give a reliable indication of where the fault is i.e. bearing
deterioration/damage, unbalance, misalignment etc. Where an
improved diagnostic capability is required frequency analysis is
normally employed which usually gives a much earlier
indication of the development of a fault and secondly the
source of the fault. Having detected and diagnosed a fault the
prognosis i.e. the remaining useful life and possible failure
mode of the machine or equipment, is much more difficult and
often relies on the continued monitoring of the fault to
determine a suitable time when the equipment can be taken
out of service or relies on known experience with similar
problems.
Rolling bearings generally produce very little vibration when
they are fault free and have distinctive characteristic
frequencies when faults develop. A fault that begins as a
single defect e.g. a spall on the raceway, is normally dominated
by impulsive events at the raceway pass frequency resulting in
a narrow band frequency spectrum. As the damage worsens
there is likely to be an increase in the characteristic defect
frequencies and sidebands followed by a drop in these
amplitudes and an increase in the broadband noise with
considerable vibration at shaft rotational frequency. Where
machine speeds are very low, the bearings generate low
energy signals which again may be difficult to detect. Also
bearings located within a gearbox can be difficult to monitor
because of the high energy at the gear meshing frequencies
which can mask the bearing defect frequencies.

4.1 Overall Vibration Level

This is the simplest way of measuring vibration and usually
consists of measuring the RMS (Root Mean Square) vibration
of the bearing housing or some other point on the machine
with the transducer located as close to the bearing as
possible. This technique involves measuring the vibration over
a wide frequency range e.g. 10-1000Hz or 10-10000Hz.
The measurements can be trended over time and compared
with known levels of vibration or pre-alarm and alarm levels
can be set to indicate a change in the machine condition.
Alternatively measurements can be compared with general
standards. Although this method represents a quick and low
cost method of vibration monitoring, it is less sensitive to
incipient defects i.e. it detects defects in the advanced
condition and has a limited diagnostic capability.

Page 8

It is also easily influenced by other sources of vibration e.g.

unbalance, misalignment, looseness, electromagnetic vibration etc.
In some situations, the Crest Factor (Peak-to-RMS ratio) of
the vibration is capable of giving an earlier warning of bearing
defects. As a local fault develops this produces short bursts of
high energy which increase the peak level of the vibration
signal, but have little influence on the overall RMS level. As the
fault progresses, more peaks will be generated until finally the
Crest Factor will reduce but the RMS vibration will increase.
The main disadvantage of this method is that in the early
stages of a bearing defect the vibration is normally low
compared with other sources of vibration present and is
therefore easily influenced, so any changes in bearing
condition are difficult to detect.

4.2 Frequency Spectrum

Frequency analysis plays an important part in the detection
and diagnosis of machine faults. In the time domain the
individual contributions e.g. shaft unbalance, gears etc to the
overall machine vibration are difficult to identify. In the
frequency domain they become much easier to identify and can
therefore be much more easily related to individual sources of
vibration. As we have already discussed, a fault developing in a
bearing will show up as increasing vibration at frequencies
related to the bearing characteristic frequencies making detection
possible at a much earlier stage than with overall vibration.

4.3 Envelope Spectrum

When a bearing starts to deteriorate the resulting time signal
often exhibits characteristic features which can be used to
detect a fault. Also, bearing condition can rapidly progress
from a very small defect to complete failure in a relatively short
period of time, so early detection requires sensitivity to very
small changes in the vibration signature. As we have already
discussed the vibration signal from the early stage of a
defective bearing may be masked by machine noise making it
difficult to detect the fault by spectrum analysis alone.
The main advantage of envelope analysis is its ability to extract
the periodic impacts from the modulated random noise of a
deteriorating rolling bearing. This is even possible when the
signal from the rolling bearing is relatively low in energy and
buried within other vibration from the machine. Like any other
structure with mass and stiffness the bearing inner and outer
rings have their own natural frequencies which are often in the
kilohertz range. However, it is more likely that the natural
frequency of the outer ring will be detected due to the small
interference or clearance fit in the housing.
If we consider a fault on the outer ring, as the rolling element
hits the fault the natural frequency of the ring will be excited
and will result in a high frequency burst of energy which
decays and then is excited again as the next rolling element
hits the defect. In other words the resulting time signal will
contain a high frequency component amplitude modulated at
the ball pass frequency of the outer raceway. In practice this

vibration will be very small and almost impossible to detect in a

raw spectrum so a method to enhance the signal is required.
By removing the low frequency components through a suitable
high pass filter, rectifying and then using a low pass filter the
envelope of the signal is left whose frequency corresponds to
the repetition rate of the defect. This technique is often used
to detect early damage in rolling element bearings and is also
often referred to as the High Frequency Resonance Technique
(HFRT) or Envelope Spectrum.

signal and analysing the envelope provides a useful technique

for early fault detection. Figure 10 shows the envelope
spectrum where discrete peaks are present at 62.5Hz and its
harmonics which correspond with the roller defect frequency
and clearly shows how demodulation can in some
circumstances be used to provide a convenient and early
detection of deterioration in rolling bearings.

5. Examples of Vibration Spectrum

5.1 Roller Deterioration
An example of a taper roller bearing with a 432mm diameter
bore rotating at 394rev/min (6.56Hz) is shown in Figure 9.

Fig 10. Envelope spectrum from the housing of a taper roller bearing

5.2 Cage Damage

The vibration spectrum shown in Figure 11 was measured on
the spindle housing of an internal grinding machine which was
grinding the raceways of bearing outer rings.
Although the machine was producing work to the required
quality the routine vibration measurement immediately raised
some concerns on the condition of the spindle.

Fig 9. Spectrum obtained from the housing of a taper roller bearing.

The shaft was gear driven with a drive shaft speed of

936rev/min (2.375 reduction) giving a theoretical gear mesh
frequency of 374.4Hz. Vibration at shaft speed 6.56Hz is
clearly evident along with its harmonics. Evident in the
spectra is vibration at 62.4Hz, which corresponds with twice the
rotational frequency of the roller, plus a number of harmonics
e.g. 186.5(x3), 497(x8), 560(x9), 748(x12), 873(x14) and
936Hz (x15).
This would suggest some deterioration in the condition of the
roller(s) which was confirmed upon examination of the bearing.
The spectrum also shows discrete peaks spaced at cage speed,
2.93Hz, which again is consistent with deterioration in the condition
of the rollers. The 374.4Hz component is related to the gear
mesh frequency with sidebands at rotational speed, 6.56Hz.
As previously mentioned, bearing defects normally produce a
signal which is amplitude modulated so demodulating the

Fig 11. Vibration acceleration measured on the spindle housing of an

internal grinding machine.

The spindle was rotating at 19200rev/min (320Hz) and the

most unusual aspect of the spectrum is the presence of a
large number of discrete peaks spaced at 140Hz which are
related to the fundamental train frequency (cage) of the
angular contact ball bearings which had a plastic cage and
was lubricated with oil mist. Upon examination of the bearing,
the cage outer diameter showed clear signs of damage with
some fragments of plastic material which had broken away,
but still attached to the outer diameter.

Page 9

As a result the spectrum had sum and difference frequencies

related to the shaft (fr) and cage (fc) e.g. 1740Hz (5fr+fc).
As we have already discussed, the deterioration of rolling
element bearings will not necessarily show at the bearing
characteristic frequencies, but the vibration signals are
complex and produce sum and difference frequencies which
are almost always present in the spectra.

5.3 Raceway Damage

An example of a vibration spectrum measured axially on the drive
side end cap of a 250kW electric motor is shown in Figure 12.

Fig 13. Vibration acceleration measured radially on the housing

of a type 23036 spherical roller bearing.

When the bearing was removed from the machine and

examined one part of the outer raceway had black corrosion
stains as a result of water ingress which had occurred during
external storage of the machine, Figure 14.
Also a number of
the rollers had black
corrosion stains which
was consistent with
the vibration at cage
rotational frequency,
fc = 4Hz, in the
envelope spectrum,
Fig14. Type 23036 spherical roller bearing outer
Figure 15.
Fig 12 . Vibration acceleration measured axially on the
DE of 250kW electric motor.

The rotational speed was approximately 3000rev/min (50Hz)

and the rotor was supported by two type 6217 C4 (85mm
bore) radial ball bearings, grease lubricated. The vibration
spectrum shows dominant peaks between 1kHz and 1.5kHz
which can be related to the outer raceway ball pass frequency.
The calculated outer raceway ball pass frequency, fb/o, is
229Hz and the frequency of 1142Hz relates to 5fb/o with a
number of sidebands at rotational frequency, fr. When the
bearings were removed from the motor and examined, the ball
running path was offset from the centre of the raceways
towards the shoulders of the both the inner and outer rings,
indicative of high axial loads. The cause of the failure was
thermal preloading as a result of the non locating bearing not
sliding in the housing to compensate for axial thermal
expansion of the shaft; this is often referred to as cross
location. The non drive end bearing had severe damage to
the raceways and the rolling elements which was consistent
with the highly modulated signal and high amplitude of
vibration at 5fb/o. The overall RMS vibration level of the motor
increased from typically 0.22g to 1.64g.
Another example of a vibration acceleration spectrum obtained
from the housing of a type 23036 (180mm bore) spherical
roller bearing, located on the main drive shaft of an impact
crusher is shown in Figure 13. The spectrum shows a number
of harmonics of the outer raceway ball pass frequency, 101Hz,
with a dominant peak at 404Hz (4fb/o) with sidebands at shaft
rotational frequency, 9Hz.

Page 10

ring raceway showing black corrosion stains.

Fig 15 Envelope spectrum of the type 23036 spherical roller bearing

Fig16. Acceleration time signal of the type 23036 spherical roller bearing.

The modulation of the time signal at cage rotational frequency

can be clearly seen in the time signal, Figure 16.

5.4 Effect of Bearing Vibration on Component Quality

Even low levels of vibration can have a significant impact on
critical equipment such as machine tools that are required to
produce components whose surface finish and form are
critical. A good example of this is during the manufacture of
bearing inner and outer rings. One of the most critical
operations is grinding of the bearing raceways which have to
meet very tight tolerances of roundness and surface finish and
any increase in machine vibration can result in a severe
deterioration in workpiece quality.
Figure 17, which shows the vibration acceleration spectrum,
0-500Hz, measured on the spindle housing of an external
shoe centreless grinding machine during the grinding of an
inner ring raceway where the typical values for out-of-roundness
and surface roughness were >4m and 0,3mRa respectively.
The most distinctive feature on the finished raceway was the
presence of 21 lobes which when multiplied by the workpiece
rotational speed, 370rev/min (6.2Hz) corresponded to a
frequency of 129.5Hz. This was very close to the 126Hz
component in the spectrum which was associated with the ball
pass frequency relative to outer raceway of a ball bearing in
the drive head motor. Also present are harmonics at 256 and
380Hz. The discrete peaks at 38, 116 and 190Hz correspond
to the spindle rotational speed and its harmonics.

(a) Vibration spectrum measured on spindle housing

(b) Roundness of raceway

4m

Fig 18. Vibration spectrum

and roundness after
replacing wheel head
drive motor bearings.

This demonstrates that with some critical equipment such as

machine tools it is possible to assess directly the condition of
the machine by measuring the resultant workpiece quality (2,3).

6. Conclusions

(a) Vibration spectrum on spindle housing

(b) Roundness of raceway

4m

Fig 17. Vibration spectrum

and roundness before
replacing wheel head
drive motor bearings.

Figure 18 shows that after replacing the motor bearings, the

vibration at 126Hz reduced from 0.012g to 0.00032g and the
associated harmonics are no longer dominant. This resulted in
a dramatic improvement in workpiece out-of-roundness of
<0.4m and the surface finish improved to 0,19mRa.

This paper has discussed the various sources of bearing

vibration and how each can generate characteristic vibration
frequencies which can combine to give complex vibration
spectra which at times may be difficult to interpret other than
by the experienced vibration analyst. However, with rolling
bearings characteristic vibration signatures are often
generated usually in the form of modulation of the
fundamental bearing frequencies. This can be used to our
advantage and vibration conditioning monitoring software is
often designed to identify these characteristic features and
provide early detection of an impending problem. This usually
takes the form of signal demodulation and the envelope
spectrum where the early indications of sideband activity,
hence bearing deterioration can be more easily detected.
As long as there are natural frequencies of the bearing and its
nearby structures, which occurs in the case of a localised defect
on the outer raceway, the inner raceway, or a rolling element,
the envelope spectrum works well. However, cage failures do
not usually excite specific natural frequencies. The focus of
demodulation is on the ringing frequency (carrier frequency)
and the rate it is being excited (modulating frequency).
Simple broadband vibration measurements also have their
place but offer a very limited diagnostic capability and
generally will not give an early warning of incipient damage or
deterioration.

Page 11

References
1. Tedric A. Harris
Rolling Bearing Analysis.
2. S. J. Lacey
Vibration monitoring of the internal centreless
grinding process Part 1: mathematical models.
Proc Instn Mech Engrs Vol 24. 1990
3. S. J. Lacey
Vibration monitoring of the internal centreless
grinding process Part 2: experimental results.
Proc Instn Mech Engrs Vol 24. 1990
4. F. P. Wardle & S.J. Lacey
Vibration Research in RHP. Acoustics Bulletin.

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