AMCA eon 96 AN AMERICAN NATIONA| Balance Quality and Vibration Levels for Fans‘The purchaser may contract for a particular mounting arrangement to be used for factory testing of an as- sembled fan in order to match the planned in-situ mount- ing. If no pre-arrangement exists, the fan may be mounted either rigidly or flexibly for the test, regardless of the planned in-situ mounting. 5. BALANCING The fan manufacturer is responsible for balancing the fan impeller assembly to acceptable commercial standards. This standard is based on ANSI $ 2.19 (ISO 1940). ANSUAMCA 204-96 Balancing is generally performed on highly sensitive, purpose-built, balancing machines which permit accurate assessment of residual unbalance. 5.1 BALANCE QUALITY GRADE The following balance quality grades apply to fan impellers. A fan manufacturer may include other ro- tating components (shaft, coupling, sheave/pulley, et.) in the rotating assembly being balanced. In addition, balance of individual components may be required. See references in Sections 2.5 and 2.6 for balance require- ments for couplings and pulleys. Table 4-1 Fan Application Categories DRIVER FAN APPLICATION EXAMPLES POWER APPLICATION kW (HP) CATEGORY, LIMITS, BV RESIDENTIAL, Ceiling fans, attic fans, 15 (0.2) BY-1 window AC > 18@.2) BV-2 HVAC & AGRICULTURAL Building ventilation and air <= 3.7(5.0) BV-2 conditioning; commercial > 3.75.0) BV-3 systems INDUSTRIAL PROCESS & Baghouse, scrubber, mine, <= 298 (400) BY-3 POWER GENERATION, ETC, | conveying, boilers, combus > 298 (400) Dy-4 tion air, pollution control, wind tunnels TRANSPORTATION & Locomotives, trucks, <= 1520) Bv-3 MARINE automobiles > 1520) BY-4 ‘TRANSIT/TUNNEL Subway emergency <= 75 (100) BV-3 ventilation, tunnel fans, > 75(100) BY-4 garage ventilation, ANY BY-4 Tunnel Jet Fans PETROCHEMICAL PROCESS | Hazardous gases, process <> 37 (50) BV-3 fans. > 37(50) BV-4 COMPUTER CHIP Clean room ANY BV-5 MANUFACTURE6.4 FAN VIBRATION LIMITS FOR OPERATION IN-SITU ‘The in-situ vibration level of any fan is not solely dependent on the balance grade. Installation factors, the ‘mass and stiffness of the supporting system, will influ- ‘ence the in-situ vibration level (Refer to AMCA Publica- tion 202, Troubleshooting). Therefore, fan vibration level in-situ is not the responsibility of the fan manufac- turer unless specified in the purchase contract. ‘The vibration levels in Table 6-4 are guidelines for acceptable operation of fans in the various application categories. The values shown are for filter-out measure- ments taken on the bearing housings. The vibration severity level of newly commissioned fans should be at or below the "start-up" level. As operation of the fan increases with time, it is expected that the vibration level will increase due to wear and other accumulated effects. In general, an increase in vibration is reasonable and safe as long as the level does not reach "alarm" If the vibration severity level increases to the “alan level, action should be initiated immediately to deter- ‘mine the cause of the increase and action taken to correct it. Operation at this condition should be carefully monitored and limited to the time required to develop a program for correcting the cause of the increased vibra- tion. If the vibration severity level increases to the "shut- down" level, corrective action should be taken imme- diately or the fan should be shut down. Failure to reduce the shut-down level vibration to the acceptable recom- ‘mended level could lead to bearing failure, cracking of rotor parts and fan housing structural welds, and ull ‘mately, a catastrophic failure Historical data is an important factor when considering the vibration severity of any fan installation. A sudden change in the vibration level may indicate the need for prompt inspection or maintenance. These values should bbe evaluated and adjusted for each fan installation based on operational or historical data. Transitory changes in vibration level that result from relubrication or mainte- hance should not be used for evaluating the condition of equipment. n ANSI/AMCA 204-96 Table 6-4 Seismic Vibration Limits for Tests Con- ducted In-Situ Values shown are peak velocity, mm/s (inches/s), Filter out. Fan Rigidly | Flext ] Condition | Application | Mounted | Mewni Casgory ‘mms mms (ins) ins) Start-up By. 1400.55) | 1520.60) BV2 176(030) | 12.7 (00) BV 640028) | 880035) Bv-a 4100.16 | 64 (025) Bvs 250.19] 4100.16) Alarm By. 152(0.60) | 19:1(0.78) Bv2 1270039) | 19.1078) v3 10.2(0.40) | 165 (068) Bvt 64 (023) | 102(0.40) Bv-s 520.20) | 7.6030) Shot: pv Nore! Nore. Down BV NOTE! NOTE BY 12.70.50) | 178 (0.70) By. 10.2(0.40) | 152(0.60) BV.S 761030 | 10.2 (0.40) NOTE 1: Shutdown levels for fans in Fan Application Grades BV-1 and BY-2 must be established based on historical data, 7. OTHER ROTATING COMPONENTS Accessory rotating components which may affect fan vibration levels include drive sheaves, belts, coupling, and motor/driver device. When a fan is ordered from the manufacturer in bate condition, (i.e., no drive and/or ‘motor supplied and/or installed by manufacturer), itis not always practical for the manufacturer to perform a final assembly test run for vibration levels. Therefore, though the impeller may have been balanced by the manufacturer, the customer is not assured of a smooth- running assembled fan until drive and/or driver are ‘connected to the fan shaft and unit is tested for start-up vibration levels. It is common for assembled fans t0 require trim balancing to reduce the vibration level to the start-up level. The final assembly test run is recom- ‘mended for all new BV-3, BV-4 and BV-S fan installa- ions BEFORE commissioning for service This will establish a baseline for future predictive maintenance efforts.