UEB332 Ultrasound Accelerometer Competitive Comparision

Vibration Analysis vs. Ultrasound Analysis

Vibration Analysis	Ultrasound Analysis
Any frequency up to 20 kHz	Any frequency greater than 20 kHz
Used for the detailed analysis of bearing faults	Used for early bearing fault warning
Used to monitor gear mesh frequencies	Helpful with lubrication of bearings
Detects normal faults like unbalance and misalignment	Monitors lubrication between two surfaces

Ultrasound analysis is used for maintaining proper lubrication which is essential for increasing the life of bearings in industrial machinery. Using ultrasound analysis, improper lubrication can be easily detected to prevent damage to the equipment.

Vibration analysis is used to determine the cause of the machine or bearing fault and allows for the repair and replacement of machine parts during a scheduled downtime.

Both types of analysis facilitate proactive equipment maintenance, saving time and money.

Construction

CTC's UEB332 Ultrasound Sensor features a shear mode design:
A cutaway of a UEB332 ultrasound sensor showing the internal components
UEB332 construction highlights include:

Shear mode element design
Faraday cage
Epoxied element
Robust design
Solid state design

Competitive sensor construction:
A cutaway of a competitor sensor showing the internal construction.

UEB332 Specifications:

UEB332 technical specifications chart
UEB332 ultrasound sensor technical specifications chart

UEB332 specification highlights include:

Premium vibration frequency range of 0.5 Hz to 25 kHz
Resonant frequency used for ultrasound: 44 kHz
Standard IEPE power

Frequency Response

A standard 100 mV/g accelerometer has a resonant frequency between 18 kHz to 22 kHz:
Standard size 100 mV/g sensor frequency response chart

The UEB332 frequency response features a 44 kHz resonant frequency at 30 dB and resonant gain starts at 25 kHz or 3 dB:

A CTC UEB332 ultrasound sensor frequency response chart

How does the UEB332 sensor change the game?

The UEB332 ultrasound sensor combines vibration and ultrasound into one sensor and is engineered to provide better high frequency detection than the competition. The UEB332 is manufactured to work with any standard vibration sensor and with ultrasound analyzers like UE systems and SDT.

Trial #1
Testing done by Tony Dimatteo, Category IV Vibration Analyst, from 4X Diagnostics

Data obtained from IMI sensor supplied by Emerson for Peakvue software, 3.08X outer race defect, 0.40 g RMS:
Chart showing data from an IMI sensor

A more accurate reading is obtained with CTC's UEB332 ultrasound sensor used with Emerson Peakvue software, 3.08X outer race defect, 0.54 g RMS:

A chart showing UEB332 ultrasound data

Trial #2
Testing done by Jake Ford, Category IV Vibration Analyst, from PFE Limited

The following testing was data was compiled using a 10 Hz high pass filter, 102.4 kHz sampling frequency (2.56 x 44 kHz), and 512,000 samples.

Standard 100 mV/g Accelerometer:

A chart showing data from a 100 mV/g standard accelerometer

Low level modulation
∼ 0.085 g's pk(+), 0.078 g's pk(-)
∼ 0.157 g's pk-pk

UEB332 Ultrasound Sensor:

A chart showing data from a CTC UEB332 ultrasound sensor

Much clearer modulation
∼ 0.25 g's pk (+), ∼ 0.23 g's pk (-)
∼ 0.475 g's pk-pk

Overlay (Blue line = UEB332, Magenta line = standard 100 mV/g sensor):
A chart showing the data from a 100 mV/g standard sensor overlayed on top of the data from a UEB332 ultrasound sensor

Trial #3
Testing done by Jake Ford, Category IV Vibration Analyst, from PFE Limited

The following testing was data was compiled using a 10 Hz high pass filter, 80 kHz Fmax, and 102,400 lines.

Standard 100 mV/g Accelerometer:
A chart showing data from a standard 100 mV/g sensor

Some harmonic content up to just under 40 kHz
Low amplitude due to the speed

UEB332 Ultrasound Sensor:

A chart showing data from a UEB332 ultrasound sensor.

Harmonic content exceeding 40 kHz up to ∼ 65 kHz
Low amplitude due to the speed

Overlay (Blue line = UEB332, Magenta line = standard 100 mV/g sensor):

A chart showing data from a UEB332 ultrasound sensor on top of data from a standard 100 mV/g accelerometer.

Trial #4
Testing done by Jake Ford, Category IV Vibration Analyst, from PFE Limited

The following trial utilizes enveloping with:

10 Hz high pass filter
80 kHz Fmax
6,400 lines
Band pass width 20 kHz
Center frequency 44 kHz

Standard 100 mV/g Accelerometer:
A chart showing data from a standard 100 mV/g accelerometer

Some harmonic content up to ∼ 4 kHz enveloped frequency
No clear sidebands

UEB332 Ultrasound Sensor:
A chart showing data from a CTC UEB332 ultrasound sensor.

Harmonic content throughout the enveloping range
Clear sidebands in the mid-range

Overlay (Blue line = UEB332, Magenta line = standard 100 mV/g sensor):
A chart showing the data from a CTC UEB332 ultrasound sensor on top of data from a standard 100 mV/g accelerometer.

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