Internet of Things Based Monitoring of Large Rotor Vibration With a Microelectromechanical Systems Accelerometer

In rotating machinery, excessive vibration can affect the lifetime of the machine and, for example, in paper machines, it can directly affect production quality. Hence, it is important to monitor vibrations. Typically the vibrations are measured with piezo-based accelerometers attached to the bearing housing. Installation of the accelerometers and especially cabling is laborious and expensive in the case of existing machines that have several components to monitor. In continuous process maintenance, a break may be required as well. Therefore, typically only the critical rotors will be monitored, if at all. This research focuses on applying wireless microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) accelerometers to the measurement of large rotor vibration. The results indicated that MEMS accelerometers combined with wireless communication can offer a viable alternative to more expensive piezo-based accelerometers with traditional wire-based communication. The combination provides a flexible and cost-effective method for the collection of vibration data from large rotors and rotor systems.