Whip balancing is an important part of maintenance for machines that have rotors. Resonant frequency is another name for whip. The resonant frequency is a measure of the speed, in cycles per minute, that a rotor will vibrate when forced off-balance.
A good example of this concept is a diving board. Having a long diving board means that after you jump off, it will vibrate much more than a shorter diving board. The flexibility or springiness of the longer diving board means that it has a higher resonant frequency. The frequency of these vibrations is high and the amplitude is low. A shorter diving board would result in vibrations with a lower frequency and a higher amplitude.
Machines with long shafts that operate at critical speeds are more likely to experience turbulence due to unbalanced whip. This can lead to the machine’s performance decreasing significantly or worse, tearing itself apart if the problem is left neglected.
Here at Hi-Tek Balancing, we provide many shop services for rotating equipment and components, including whip balancing. We specialize in dynamic balancing and vibration analysis. Don’t delay! Contact us today so we can get started!
