Papers and Case Studies

ISO Standards – A great resource for CM programs

There are multiple organizations who have compiled vast libraries of standards for many different applications. If you are in working in the field of non-intrusive machinery condition monitoring, you have likely been exposed to a few of the standards published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). These standards offer a wealth of information which has been thoroughly reviewed and is continually updated by the technical committees. Here are a few standards you can use to support your industrial condition monitoring efforts.

A good place to start for condition monitoring and diagnostics of machines is with the ISO 18436 standard and its multiple parts. This series outlines requirements for qualification and assessment of personnel involved in condition monitoring programs for multiple technologies. Vibration (ISO18436-2), Lubrication (ISO 18436-4 and -5), Thermography (ISO 18436-7), and Ultrasound (ISO 18436-8) are covered. Each part provides lists of subjects and topics for each technology so an analyst trained to a specific category will have the same body of knowledge covered regardless of the training body. If you are an analyst working towards a certification or if you are involved with staff development of condition monitoring personnel, these lists are a great resource.

Industrial facilities which are going to utilize vibration condition monitoring and vibration analysis for troubleshooting can benefit from many of the ISO standards pertaining to vibration. A significant benefit of the ISO standards compared to other historical severity charts is the equipment specific nature of the ISO standards. Standards exist for specific machine types, bearing types, power ratings, speeds, and other details making them valuable resources for determining severity. Table 1 lists a few of the standards Red Wolf Reliability commonly references. In addition to vibration severity amplitudes, many of these standards have additional valuable information such as definitions, measurement types to use, collection locations, and explanations on the proper use of the technology. If you have questions about the correct standards to use for your application, reach out to Red Wolf today.

Table 1. Common ISO standards used by RWR for Vibration Analysis.