What “f max” value should be used ?

The higher the operating speed of the machine, the higher its
frequencies of vibration will be, and the higher the “f max” will need to
be in order to capture vibration behavior at those high frequencies.

The higher the

operating speed,
the higher the “f
max” needs to be.

Operating f max
Speed Required

For vibration not involving rotary fingers such as gear teeth, fan
blades, pump vanes, and bearing elements, an “f max” value equal to
10 times the operating speed is usually sufficient to capture all crucial
information.

For example, if the operating speed is 10,000 rpm, then an “f max”

value of 100,000 cpm (100 kcpm) is most likely sufficient.

For vibration involving fingered elements such as gears, fans, pumps,

and roller bearings, an “f max” value equal to 3 times the number of
fingers multiplied by the operating speed is usually sufficient to
capture all crucial information.

For example, for a gear driven by a 12-toothed pinion rotating at

10,000 rpm, an “f max” value of 360,000 cpm (360 kcpm) is most likely
sufficient.

If the “f max” value required is very large, the resolution of the

spectrum will be low, and information pertaining to low vibration
frequencies may be lost. It may be necessary to take some low “f max”
measurements in addition to the high “f max” measurement.

Copyright  2003 COMMTEST INSTRUMENTS 41 Beginner’s Guide To Machine Vibration