Frequency
Frequency is the reciprocal of time. If an event is periodic in time, i.e. if it repeats at a fixed time interval, then its frequency is one divided by the time interval. If a vibrating element takes one tenth of a second to complete one cycle and return to its starting point, then its frequency is defined to be 10 cycles per second, or 10 hertz (Hz). Although the SI standard unit of frequency is the Hz, when analyzing machinery vibration we often find it more convenient to express frequency in cycles per minute, which corresponds to rpm. Frequency in rpm is simply frequency in Hz times 60. Another common frequency representation used in machinery monitoring is multiples of turning speed, or "orders". Frequency in orders is frequency in rpm divided by the turning speed of the machine. The second order is then the second harmonic of turning speed, etc. This is especially convenient if the machine is varying in speed, for the frequency representation on a spectrum will be the same regardless of speed. Two machine spectra can therefore more easily be compared if they are both expressed in orders. Conversion of the frequency axis of a spectrum to orders is called "order normalization", and is done by the monitoring software.
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