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Vibration engineering
Resonance is cheap to design out and expensive to discover. We find it in the model, at the stage where the fix is a stiffener rather than a shutdown.
Structural dynamics — modal, harmonic, response spectrum and full transient analysis — is a core research area of our technical director, whose doctorate is in computational mechanics.
The problem with vibration
Vibration problems rarely appear in a design review. They appear at commissioning, as a noise, a cracked bracket or an instrument reading that will not settle — at the point where the plant is built and the options are limited and costly.
The underlying cause is usually simple: an excitation frequency has landed close to a natural frequency of the structure. Finding that in a model takes a modal analysis and a known excitation spectrum. Finding it on site takes instrumentation, downtime and guesswork.
Analysis types
| Analysis | When it applies |
|---|---|
| Modal | Establishing natural frequencies and mode shapes — the starting point for almost every vibration question. |
| Harmonic response | Steady excitation at a known frequency: rotating equipment, reciprocating compressors, pulsation. |
| Response spectrum | Seismic and shock loading assessed against a design spectrum. |
| Random vibration | Broadband excitation — transport, road and rail loading, and equipment mounted in a vibrating environment. |
| Full transient | Start-up, shutdown, trip and other events where the response over time matters, not just the steady state. |
Typical applications
Rotating and reciprocating equipment
Compressor and pump skids, foundation and baseframe dynamics, and the interaction between machine, frame and supporting structure.
Piping vibration
Small-bore connection fatigue, acoustically induced vibration and flow-induced excitation — the failure mode that most often shows up as a cracked instrument tapping.
Structures and access steel
Platforms and walkways where footfall or machine-induced vibration affects serviceability rather than strength.
Transported and shipped assemblies
Random vibration assessment for equipment that has to survive the journey to site intact.
Have a vibration problem?
Whether it is a design question or something already shaking on site, send what you have.