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Mechanical Engineering vocabulary · Maintenance and Reliability

Condition monitoring

Meaning in mechanical engineering, with examples

nounCommon term

In mechanical engineering, condition monitoring means: Regularly measuring signs of a machine's health, such as vibration, temperature or oil quality, to spot problems early and plan repairs before a breakdown.

In Turkish: durum izleme, durum takibi

How it is used

Used in maintenance and reliability engineering. Common techniques are vibration analysis, infrared thermography, oil analysis and ultrasound. Condition monitoring is the basis of predictive maintenance, where work is done when the data shows it is needed.

Example sentences

  1. Our condition monitoring system sends an alarm when the bearing temperature goes above 85 °C.

  2. Online condition monitoring was installed on the main compressors last year.

Common collocations

  • condition monitoring system
  • online condition monitoring
  • condition-based maintenance
  • predictive maintenance
  • oil analysis
  • vibrationA fast back-and-forth movement of a machine or structure. Too much of it can be a sign of a problem such as imbalance, misalignment or a damaged bearing.
  • preventive maintenanceMaintenance done at planned intervals, such as lubricating, inspecting and replacing worn parts, to stop equipment from breaking down unexpectedly.
  • downtimeThe time when a machine or production line is not working because of a breakdown, maintenance, a changeover or a lack of material.
  • failureThe state in which a part or machine can no longer do its job, for example because it has cracked, worn out, leaked or stopped working.
  • bearingA machine element that supports a rotating or sliding part, such as a shaft, and reduces friction between the moving surfaces. Ball and roller bearings are the most common types.

More terms: Maintenance and Reliability

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