Mistras releases condition assessment tools for low-speed bearings

At the core of the LSB portfolio is Mistras’ LSB-PAC, a condition monitoring and assessment system that employs a proven inspection methodology and advanced diagnostics to rapidly assess the condition of low-speed bearings during normal operation.

Effective at assessing the condition of slow rotational speed bearings down to less than one revolution per minute, the LSB-PAC system assesses bearings with fluctuating load conditions or when a breakdown would have a significant impact on production or operational efficiencies.

A variety of bearing defects such as corrosion of tracks or balls (emission from corrosion product break-up), insufficient lubricant (emission from surface fretting), cracking or plastic deformation of bearing material (balls, track and cage), crushing and fracture of debris in the bearing, are all target areas of focus for the LSB-PAC system.

Low-speed rotating or reciprocating bearing signatures are produced by LSB-PAC after a few dozen assessment cycles. Further, a more detailed analysis would involve the identification and elimination of extraneous noise, grading the severity of the bearing signature, and identifying any features that may indicate the root cause of the problem. Multi-level reporting options provide tailored reports meeting customer requirements, including grading reports and time signatures.