VCAT-III Senior Vibration Analyst

There are three major reasons why over 4,000 vibration analysts choose Mobius Institute every year:

1. We make complex topics simple with amazing 3D animations and simulations that make you say, “Ah, now I get it!”
2. We give you access to the entire course before the class begins so you are better prepared, and for six months after the course, just in case you still have questions
3. We use anonymous, stress-free polling throughout the course, so you know if you truly understand each topic, and the instructor knows not to move on to the next topic – no student is left behind

There are many other reasons why vibration analysts, and their managers, choose Mobius Institute.

We offer the ultimate flexibility:

• PUBLIC: You can take the public, instructor-led course with other people like you. You can find a public course here.
• VIRTUAL: You take the course from the comfort and safety of your computer, with an instructor guiding you through the course. You can find a virtual course here.
• ON-SITE: You can invite the instructor to your site and save yourself the cost, hassle, and risk. You can find partners who can deliver the course here.
• VIDEO: You can have the ultimate in safety and flexibility by watching a video of the course. You can watch it multiple times! You can place your order here.

This course is intended for the vibration analyst who will:

• You have a minimum of three years of experience
• Have a senior role in the condition monitoring team
• Have others report to them to verify diagnoses
• Be responsible for the most complex fault conditions (with the possible exception of sleeve bearing, flexible rotor machines)
• Need to perform complex tests to validate fault conditions (e.g. resonance) and find a solution
• You want to be a leader of the vibration team or take a leading role in diagnosing faults and making repair recommendations
• You want to understand all data collector options, special test capabilities, all analysis tools and understand the widest range of fault conditions
• You are seeking to become certified to international standards (ISO-18436) by an accredited certification body
• You want to understand all condition monitoring technologies, how and when to apply them
• You want to understand machine dynamics (natural frequencies, resonance, ODS), how to perform resonance testing and how to correct resonance problems
• Use the training and certification as the next step in a rewarding career as a vibration analyst

Duration:

• 38 hours, typically over 5 days

Format:

• Live public course
• On-site course
• Virtual online course
• Video distance learning online course

Compliance:

• Training and certification: ISO 18436-2
• Certification: ISO 18436-1, ISO/IEC 17024
• Training: ISO 18436-3

Exam:

• Four-hours
• 100 multiple-choice questions
• 70% passing grade
• Can be taken online or in-person at the course

Certification requirements:

• Training course completed
• 36-months of vibration analysis experience, verified by an independent person
• Pass the exam
• Have previously been VCAT-II certified by an approved certification body
• Valid for 5 years
• There is one other way to become VCAT III certified and that is to invoke the mature candidate clause. If you meet the criteria, you can enter the VCAT training and certification program without being VCAT-II certified. *See below question for criteria:  Can I skip the CAT II course and jump directly to CAT III?

Pre-study:

• Access to the “Learning zone” upon registration and payment
• Complete set of videos covering every topic
• An excellent way to be prepared and get the most from the course

Post-study:

• Continue to access the Learning zone for 4-months after the course
• Continue learning, without charge, on Mobius CONNECT^® via www.mobiusconnect.com

There is a great deal to learn, but it will help you to perform your role with confidence. The topics covered in this course include:

• Review of condition monitoring technologies and the ISO standards
• Signal processing and data acquisition
• Time waveform analysis
• Phase analysis
• Dynamics (natural frequencies and resonance)
• Testing for natural frequencies
• Operating Deflection Shape (ODS) analysis
• Modal analysis and intro to FEA
• Correcting resonances
• Rolling element bearing fault detection
• Journal bearing fault detection
• Electric motor testing
• Pumps, fans, and compressors
• Gearbox fault detection
• Corrective action
• Running a successful condition monitoring program
• Acceptance testing
• Review of ISO standards

The key is that on the VCAT-III course you will transition from being a vibration analyst who should be supervised, to a person who is capable of running the program, being a senior consultant, solving difficult problems, and taking a leadership role.

• You should be recognized for your achievements; not everyone is up to the challenge of understanding vibration analysis, let alone successfully collecting data and utilizing it
• Being certified by an accredited certification organization is a major step up from simply passing a test. Yes, the process is a little more complicated and stricter, but that is for very good reasons
• The educational process is extremely valuable, but being certified tells an employer (or a consulting client) that you are capable of doing an important job

Mobius Institute has certified more vibration analysts than any other organization and we have only been offering certification since 2005. Almost 40,000 vibration analysts around the world, just like you, chose Mobius Institute for a good reason.

You will receive a digitally encrypted certificate, an ID card, and a personalized logo that you should use in email signatures and elsewhere that you want people to know about your achievements.

All you need is a desire to learn and to succeed in your field. In order to be certified you must:

• Complete a MIBoC approved training course (click here for a list of approved courses).
• Achieve 70% or higher on the certification exam (100 multiple choice questions, duration 4 hours).
• Have thirty-six (36) months of practical vibration analysis work experience, verified by an independent person.
• Have previously been certified to VCAT-II by a MIBoC approved certification body.

Certification is valid for 5 years.

If you do not have the experience, you will still receive a certificate, but you will not be officially certified. When you pass the 36-month milestone, please contact MIBoC to be upgraded to full certification.

You can learn more about the certification process here or download our Vibration Analysis Certification Guide here.

There is one other way to become VCAT III certified and that is to invoke the mature candidate clause. If you meet the following criteria, you can enter the VCAT training and certification program without being VCAT-II certified. *See below question for criteria:  Can I skip the CAT II course and jump directly to CAT III?

You can learn more about the certification process here.

Here are the main topics covered on the VCAT-III course:

• Signal processing
  • Filters: Low pass, band pass, high pass, band stop
  • Sampling, aliasing, dynamic range
  • Signal-to-noise ratio
  • Resolution, Fmax, data collection time
  • Averaging: linear, overlap, peak hold, time synchronous
  • Windowing and leakage
  • Order tracking
  • Cross-channel measurements
  • Correlation and coherence
• Time waveform analysis
  • Collecting data – ensuring you have the correct setup
  • When should you use time waveform analysis?
  • Diagnosing unbalance, misalignment, bent shaft, eccentricity, cocked bearing, resonance, looseness, and other conditions
• Phase analysis
  • Collecting data
  • Bubble diagrams
  • Diagnosing unbalance, misalignment, bent shaft, eccentricity, cocked bearing, resonance, looseness, and other conditions
• Dynamics (natural frequencies and resonance)
  • Natural frequencies and resonances
  • Mass, stiffness, and damping
  • SDOF and MDOF
• Testing for natural frequencies
  • Run-up coast down tests
  • Bode plots and Nyquist (polar) plots
  • Impact and bump tests
• Operating Deflection Shape (ODS) analysis
  • Can we prove the existence of a natural frequency?
  • Visualizing vibration
  • Setting up the job
  • Collecting phase readings correctly
  • Interpreting the deflection shape
  • Using Motion Amplification
• Modal analysis and intro to FEA
  • How does modal analysis differ from ODS?
  • How does Finite Element Analysis (FEA) differ from modal analysis
  • A quick review of the modal testing process
• Correcting resonances
  • The effect of mass and stiffness
  • Beware of nodal points
  • Adding damping
  • A ‘trial and error’ approach
  • A ‘scientific’ approach
  • Isolation
  • Tuned absorbers and tuned mass dampers
• Rolling element bearing fault detection
  • Why do bearings fail?
  • Cocked bearing, sliding on the shaft or inside the housing, looseness
  • EDM and DC motors and VFDs
  • Bearing frequencies and what to do when you don’t have all the details
  • The four stages of bearing degradation
  • Ultrasound
  • High-frequency detection techniques
  • Shock Pulse, Spike Energy, Peak Vue, and other techniques
  • Demodulation/enveloping
  • Selecting the correct filter settings
  • Spectrum analysis
  • Time waveform analysis
  • Low-speed bearings
• Journal bearing fault detection
  • What are journal bearings?
  • Measuring displacement
  • Introduction to orbit plots
  • Using your analyzer to acquire orbit plots
  • Introduction to centerline diagrams
  • Eccentricity ratio
  • Glitch removal
  • How the orbit changes with pre-load, unbalance, misalignment, instabilities, oil whir and whip
• Electric motor testing
  • How do motors work?
  • Diagnosing a range of fault conditions: eccentric rotor, eccentric stator, soft foot, phasing, broken rotor bars, rotor bar, and stator slot pass frequencies
  • Motor current analysis
• Pumps, fans, and compressors
  • Unique fault conditions
  • Flow turbulence, recirculation, cavitation
• Gearbox fault detection
  • Spectrum analysis versus time waveform analysis
  • Wear particle analysis
  • Gearmesh, gear assembly phase frequency (and common factors)
  • Tooth load, broken teeth, gear eccentricity and misalignment, backlash and more
• Corrective action
  • General maintenance repair activities
  • Review of the balancing process and ISO balance grades
  • Review of shaft alignment procedures
• Running a successful condition monitoring program
  • Defining the program
  • Setting baselines
  • Setting alarms: band, envelope/mask, statistical
  • Setting goals and expectations (avoiding common problems)
  • Report generation
  • Reporting success stories
• Acceptance testing
• Review of ISO standards