Vibration Analysis
Vibration analysis measures the vibration signature of rotating equipment to detect faults such as imbalance, misalignment, bearing wear and looseness — often weeks before failure. It is the workhorse technique of predictive maintenance for pumps, motors, fans and compressors.
Every rotating machine vibrates in a characteristic pattern. As bearings wear, shafts misalign or components loosen, that pattern changes in predictable ways at specific frequencies. Vibration analysis captures the signal with accelerometers and decomposes it (e.g. via FFT) to identify the fault type and severity, enabling repairs to be scheduled before a catastrophic failure.
Related terms
Condition Monitoring · Predictive Maintenance (PdM) · Remaining Useful Life (RUL)
Related guides
Software
Augury
Machine health monitoring for rotating equipment using vibration and AI.
Siemens Senseye Predictive Maintenance
Scalable predictive maintenance that learns from existing condition data.
Where this applies
Transitioning to condition-based maintenance · Establishing a precision alignment and balancing programme · Running a bearing reliability programme · Establishing a laser shaft alignment programme · Setting up a dynamic balancing programme · Vibration Analysis vs Thermography · State of Predictive Maintenance 2026 · The predictive-maintenance market trajectory