Persistent Plant Problems Caused by Vibration, Fatigue & Reduced MTBF
If it has “never run right”, it’s time to stop guessing
Some vibration problems are not commissioning issues and are not solved by replacing components.
When failures repeat for years, capacity is restricted, or multiple fixes have not worked,
vibration is often the symptom of a deeper mechanical mechanism.
This page helps you recognise the escalation point and take the fastest, lowest-risk route to a resolution.
Where mechanical investigation and corrective engineering is required, delivery is provided through
Mechanical Engineering Consultants Ltd (same Director and engineering approach).
Fast recognition: are you in the “persistent failure” category?
If one or more of the following are true, you are unlikely to solve the problem with maintenance alone.
Repeated failures: equipment has been replaced or “upgraded” multiple times, yet failures persist (often faster each time).
Operating restrictions: speed, load or throughput is limited because full-capacity operation is considered too risky.
Variable-speed complexity: failures occur only at certain demand conditions, seasons, or speed ranges.
Years without resolution: the problem has outlived multiple interventions, suppliers, or design changes.
Fatigue indicators: cracking, loosened interfaces, repeated weld repairs, or recurring component damage.
In these cases, the governing issue is often mechanism-related (excitation, response and amplification),
rather than “a bad component”.
Start here: the quickest route to clarity
1) Confirm the pattern
Establish what has failed, how many times, and under what operating conditions. This prevents repeating the same decision with new parts.
2) Capture the right evidence
A short running video plus the speed/load condition is often enough to identify whether you’re looking at a “symptom” or a “mechanism”.
3) Escalate correctly
If the cost of being wrong again is high, bring in specialist mechanical vibration and fatigue expertise early — before the next replacement.
For same-day technical response, send:
A short video of the machine running (10–30 seconds)
Operating speed range (RPM) or VSD frequency range
Load condition (normal / peak / low demand)
What has already been tried (replacements, stiffening, mounts, alignment, balancing, supports)
What has failed (cracks, bearings, frames, pipework, foundations, bolts, couplings)
Use the
Mechanical Engineering Consultants contact form
or call 01908 643 433.
Why vibration keeps returning after “fixes”
Persistent vibration is rarely “just vibration”. When problems persist across suppliers and interventions,
it usually indicates that the underlying mechanical behaviour has never been identified.
Typical reasons include resonance and amplification within the structure, speed-dependent response,
load path sensitivity, or an excitation source interacting with supports, foundations, pipework or connected plant.
If the mechanism is not understood, changes often move the failure rather than remove it.
From vibration to fatigue and MTBF
Vibration is not only a comfort or “condition” issue. It drives cyclic stress.
Higher cyclic stress accelerates fatigue crack initiation and growth, shortens service life,
and reduces MTBF — often long before anyone can clearly explain why.
This is why “it has always run like that” is a warning sign: the system may be accumulating damage
until it fails under a particular speed, demand or transient condition.
What Environmentally Sound provides on this topic
Environmentally Sound helps clients recognise when vibration has moved beyond routine maintenance and into
business-level reliability risk — and ensures the problem is escalated correctly and quickly.
If your plant has been restricted, repeatedly repaired, or repeatedly replaced, the most valuable next step is to obtain
evidence that explains the mechanism and supports a defensible engineering decision.
Authored by: Paul Schmitz MBA CEng MIMechE MIoA — Director
Published: • Last updated:
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