Bearing Tones

(Extract from: http://www.dliengineering.com/vibman/gloss_bearingtones1.htm )

Anti-friction bearings, i.e. bearings containing rolling elements like rollers or balls,
produce vibration excitation forces at specific frequencies dependent on the bearing
geometry and rotation speed. These vibration frequencies are called bearing tones. All
such bearings, regardless of their condition, will produce some level of bearing tones -
- the important fact is that they increase in level as the bearing deteriorates.

Four bearing tones are defined for rolling element bearings:

The Fundamental Train Frequency, abbreviated FTF, is the rotation rate of the cage or
ball retainer. It is usually about 0.4 times the running speed. The FTF itself is seldom
seen in a vibration spectrum because the cage is not very massive and caries
essentially no load. The FTF is seen as a modulating frequency, for instance in the
case of a defective roller being carried in and out of the bearing load zone will
produce bursts of noise amplitude modulated at the FTF rate, causing sidebands in the
spectrum spaced apart by the FTF.

The Ball Spin Frequency (BSF), which is the rotation rate of the balls or rollers. A
defect such as a pit or spall on a ball will introduce the BSF into the vibration
spectrum. The BSF is strongly dependent on bearing geometry.

The Ball Pass Frequency Outer Race (BPFO), is the rate at which a ball passes over a
fault in the outer bearing race. It is very commonly found in bearing signatures. The
BPFO will be about 0.4 x RPM x No. of rollers.

The Ball Pass Frequency Inner Race (BPFI), which is the rate at which a defect in the
inner race encounters a ball. BPFI usually is lower in level than BPFO because the
vibration source is farther from the transducer -- the vibration excitation must pass
through the rolling elements and the outer race before being detected. The BPFI will
be about 0.6 x RPM x No. of rollers.
Data for specific bearings used
NU205E
Harmonic FTF BSF BPFO BPFI
1 0.4039 2.5056 5.2508 7.7492
2 0.8078 5.0112 10.5016 15.4984
3 1.2117 7.5168 15.7524 23.2476
4 1.6156 10.0224 21.0033 30.9967
5 2.0195 12.5280 26.2541 38.7459
6 2.4235 15.0336 31.5049 46.4951
7 2.8274 17.5392 36.7557 54.2443
8 3.2313 20.0448 42.0065 61.9935
9 3.6352 22.5504 47.2573 69.7427
10 4.0391 25.0560 52.5081 77.4919
All Frequencies are expressed in RPM x1.00

UC205
Harmonic FTF BSF BPFO BPFI
1 0.3984 2.3583 3.5853 5.4147
2 0.7967 4.7166 7.1707 10.8293
3 1.1951 7.0749 10.7560 16.2440
4 1.5935 9.4332 14.3414 21.6586
5 1.9919 11.7915 17.9267 27.0733
6 2.3902 14.1498 21.5121 32.4879
7 2.7886 16.5082 25.0974 37.9026
8 3.1870 18.8665 28.6827 43.3173
9 3.5853 21.2248 32.2681 48.7319
10 3.9837 23.5831 35.8534 54.1466
All Frequencies are expressed in RPM x1.00