Recommendations for a good vibration measuring instrument.

[WARose]

I was looking to buy a instrument to measure vibrations (i.e. amplitude, velocity, and acceleration). I have found some fairly cheap stuff (which is always good ), but I wonder about its quality and I also am concerned that most of them I have been able to find cannot measure frequencies below 10 Hz. Therefore I am looking for recommendations. A recommendation for ground motion measurement is also welcome.

 

[PengStruct]

If your in a pinch you can download an app on your smartphone which uses the phones built-in accelerometer to record the vibrations in a structure. I tested it out once on a steel stair with channel stringers. I set the phone on the stair and jumped while the app was recording the vibrations. Then counted the vibrations per second and compared it to the frequency given by the STAAD model and they matched exactly! Simple I know, but it's great when you can verify what the software tells you.

 

[GeoPaveTraffic]

We often use instruments that are designed to monitor explosions. They have very good low frequency response and are not very expensive. The Instatell? brand is what we have used for years.

If you need higher frequency response, an accelerometer is likely a better option. They are cheap, but require separate dataloggers that can be pricey and difficult to program.

Mike Lambert

 

[DBronson]

WARose:

You might try the Modal Shop in Cincinnati. They also rent equipment.

Link

Regards,

DB