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EDWartens UK

Free course · Condition monitoring

Vibration Analysis Training

Condition monitoring for rotating machines, worked the way a route is actually walked: units and running speed, analyser setup and averaging, then reading the spectrum, the time waveform, the orbit and the shaft centreline, and separating unbalance, misalignment, looseness, resonance, bearing faults and sidebands. It ends where the job ends, with ISO 10816 limits, ISO 1940 balance grades, a field balance and a findings note.

See the modules

Free to learn. Verifiable certificate £19 when you pass the final exam (optional, VAT included).

Level
Intermediate
Modules
14
Video
12 hours
Price
Free

Outcome

What you will be able to do

Set Fmax, lines of resolution and averages for a machine at a known running speed; read a spectrum peak by peak and name each one as 1x, a harmonic, sub-synchronous or non-synchronous; read a time waveform for impacting and truncation; separate unbalance, misalignment, looseness and resonance using 2x, axial amplitude and phase; place a rolling element bearing in one of the four failure stages and read its sidebands; apply ISO 10816 zones and ISO 1940 balance quality grades; run a single plane trial weight balance; and write the findings note a plant manager will act on.

  • Set Fmax, lines of resolution and averages for a machine at a known running speed
  • Read a spectrum peak by peak and name each one as 1x, a harmonic, sub-synchronous or non-synchronous
  • Separate unbalance, misalignment and looseness using 1x, 2x, axial amplitude and phase readings
  • Place a rolling element bearing in one of the four failure stages and say how much warning is left
  • Apply ISO 10816 zones and ISO 1940 balance grades to call a machine acceptable, watch or stop
  • Run a single plane field balance and write the findings note that gets the work approved

Software

None required. Any spectrum plot from your own plant reports is enough for the practice tasks.

Hardware

None. An accelerometer, tachometer and data collector are discussed and are not needed to finish the course.

Syllabus

14 modules

Each module has video lessons, notes and a short quiz. The final exam closes the course.

  1. 1Condition monitoring and the case for vibration3 lessons
  2. 2Vibration fundamentals: motion, frequency and amplitude3 lessons
  3. 3From time waveform to spectrum3 lessons
  4. 4Taking the measurement: sensor, mounting and technique4 lessons
  5. 5Routes, baselines and trending2 lessons
  6. 6Reading the displays: spectrum and time waveform2 lessons
  7. 7Unbalance2 lessons
  8. 8Misalignment, looseness and phase2 lessons
  9. 9Resonance, natural frequency and critical speed2 lessons
  10. 10Rolling element bearing faults2 lessons
  11. 11Modulation and sidebands2 lessons
  12. 12How good is good enough: ISO 10816 and ISO 19402 lessons
  13. 13Correcting unbalance: field balancing4 lessons
  14. 14Final assessment0 lessons

How it works

How this course works

  1. Watch the video lessonsOne module at a time, at your own pace.
  2. Take the module quizA short quiz at the end of each module shows what stuck.
  3. Keep your notesWrite in My notes beside each module and ask the trainer if you are stuck.
  4. Sit the final examPass it once you have been through the modules.
  5. Certificate, if you want oneOptionalPaid, and only after you pass. Anyone can check it online.

Certificate

An optional certificate when you pass

Learning is free. Pass the final exam and you can have a certificate for £19, including VAT, with a number employers can check online. It records that you completed a free online course; it is not a regulated qualification or a CPD certificate.

  • Your name, the course, its study time and your final exam score
  • A unique certificate number and a QR code to its verification page
  • Issued by Wartens Ltd; add it to your LinkedIn profile in one click
  • Pay now or after you pass: it is issued the moment you pass the final

How the certificate works

Sample certificate for Vibration Analysis Training

Credits

Who made the lessons

The video lessons belong to their creators. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, quizzes and the final exam.

  • Mobius Institute

    the animated introduction and its Q&A, analyser settings, resolution and filters, the averaging clips, time waveform analysis, orbit and centreline plots, modulation, and the rolling element bearing failure stages

  • Mega Technical Hub

    maintenance strategies and the P-F curve, vibration fundamentals and amplitude units, spectrum reading, unbalance types, misalignment, phase analysis, resonance and the bump test, ISO 10816 limits and ISO 1940 balance grades

  • ADASH

    the Secrets of imbalance series on heavy spot, phase and the rules that make a balance hold, together with the on-site balancing guide

  • Turbo mass

    7 lessons in "From time waveform to spectrum", "Taking the measurement: sensor, mounting and technique", "Reading the displays: spectrum and time waveform", "Rolling element bearing faults" and "Modulation and sidebands"

Questions

About this course

Who is this course for?
Maintenance and plant technicians who already take readings but cannot yet read a spectrum, and mechanical, electrical and instrumentation graduates heading for a condition monitoring cell in cement, steel, power, refinery, paper, sugar or textile plants.
Do I need an analyser, a sensor or any software?
No. Nothing is bought and nothing is installed. The practice tasks are done on paper and on spectra you can get from your own plant reports or from printed examples, so the course works whether or not you have access to a data collector.
Is this the same as ISO 18436-2 Category I or II certification?
No, and it is never described as one. ISO 18436-2 categories are awarded by certification bodies after their own examination and a logged period of field experience. This course is preparation: it covers much of the same ground so that a body's syllabus and a real route make sense, and you still sit their examination separately.
Is the course really free?
Yes. Every module, practice task, practice question and the final assessment. You create an account so your progress is saved and the papers can be marked. The certificate is the only paid item, and only if you want it.
What certificate do I get?
An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you have finished every module and passed the final at 60 percent, with a verification code anyone can check. It is not a vendor credential and not an accreditation, and it is never described as either.
Who made the video lessons?
Mobius Institute, Mega Technical Hub and ADASH, on their own YouTube channels, and they are credited at the foot of the course page. EDWartens did not make the videos and the creators are not affiliated with EDWartens. What EDWartens wrote is the study plan, the module notes, the practice tasks and the assessments.
How much maths does it need?
School arithmetic. You divide RPM by 60 for Hz, divide Fmax by lines for resolution, and multiply a balance grade by a rotor mass. Bearing fault frequencies are looked up or calculated for you.
Can I do it if I have never worked in a plant?
Yes, though it is written for someone who can walk up to a machine. If you cannot, use the printed spectra and job cards in the practice tasks; the diagnosis work is the same, and the reasoning is what an interview asks about.

The Professional Module is five live days of Siemens PLC, HMI and SCADA with an instructor, then a resume session and a CPD certificate.

See the Professional Module