Oil Whirl
A vibration of a shaft within a sleeve bearing caused by the oil film whirling around the inside of the bearing and moving the journal around with it. It occurs at between 40 and 48 percent of the shaft rpm, and is non-synchronous with the shaft. It can be caused by excessive clearance in the bearing and/or by insufficient radial loading of the bearing. Oil whirl is never desirable, but if it causes oil whip, it becomes much more serious.
Azima DLI provides products and services for Predictive Maintenance including vibration analysis instruments, monitoring and diagnostic software, and consulting for CBM programs.
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