Vibration Analysis of Farm Assets and Agricultural Equipment

Heavy farm equipment and machinery such as tractors and wind power generators need to undergo regular vibration analysis for the purpose of ensuring precision guidance and control of the equipment. Vibration monitoring equipment is commonly used to keep track of alignment problems in farm assets and agricultural tools that combine elements like gears, pulleys, chains, sprockets, belts, bearing, couplings and springs that may be affected due to day-to-day operations.


A comprehensive vibration analysis of farm assets would involve a thorough check of the equipment and ergonomic design of farm tools, taking into consideration their safety aspects and the impact of vibration on their performance.


Vibration monitoring equipment can efficiently test the impact of vibration in overall design, mechanical and power steering, chassis mechanics, and the dynamometers of tractors. The equipment is also used to conducts tests on the engine body, shade and instrument board. Vibration monitoring equipment provides readings of the vibrating acceleration value of the engine shade and the rotating speed of the engine under resonant conditions.


Similarly, such equipment is commonly used on farm assets such as wind turbines that are commonly found in the countryside and farms by the sea. Undertaking a vibration analysis for wind turbines can be a challenging exercise because of the variations in speed and load between tests. In addition, the speed of the turbines and the wind can be completely different while conducting the actual test. Hence, the results of the vibration analysis are likely to vary as well. Another challenge is that the mechanism of a wind turbine is difficult to access and consist of complex gearboxes. Then again, while conducting a vibration analysis on a wind turbine, its complete structure vibrates since it is constructed in the form of a tower.


In spite of these challenges, vibration analysis continues to be conducted on wind turbines, but the vibration monitoring equipment is likely to show contradictory readings, thus making it difficult to compare the current reading with the previous one.


The market now has a number of technologically advanced vibration analysis systems and vibration monitoring equipment available to meet the challenges of testing such complex machinery and other farm assets. Vibration monitoring equipment is now integrated with accelerometers that are considered to be the most effective microsensors for such studies. Such equipment offers convenient and cost-effective solutions for the purpose of conducting accurate vibration analysis.