Understanding Bearing Point Locations

When taking readings with the Auguscope, the Auguscope app will guide you through what bearings to take readings on and the orientation of the sensor. But before we dive into the details, let's talk about how Augury views machines.
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Machines are generally made up of two components, a motor and a driven equipment. These are a few of the common types of machines that we cover.

In each, you can see the motor highlighted in gray and the driven equipment in green. To effectively monitor these machines, we need to collect vibration data on all of the accessible bearings on a machine.

For this chiller, we have highlighted the bearing locations in yellow.

You will need to take readings on each of the bearings to effectively monitor the machine. Because simple machines can have up to four reading locations and complex machines can have eight or more, it's important that we number and label them consistently.

Augury always starts the numbering of bearing locations from the motor non-driving end. So in this example, working our way from right to left, we will have number one, the motor non driving end, number two, the motor driving end.

The chiller above is a simple machine. It only has two bearings. We can also monitor more complex machines like this fan.

For this fan, we would need to take readings in four locations. Again, we start on the motor non-driving end. Number one, the motor non-driving end. Number two the motor driving end. Number three the fan driven end and then, on the flip side of the fan, you will take readings on number four the fan non-driven end.

Both of these example machines were horizontally mounted machines. For vertically mounted machines not much changes when it comes to identifying the bearing locations. We still take readings on all of the accessible bearings and we start at the motor non-driving end.
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For this vertical pump, the motor non driving end is at the top.Then work your way down labeling the bearings. Number one, the motor non-driving end. Number two, the motor driving end. Number three, the pump driven end.

As you get used to using the Augucope and identifying bearings on machines, you will be able to identify where to put the sensor with ease.

As an added layer of support, the Auguscope app really shines in identifying where the bearings are and where to take readings. As you take recordings, the Auguscope app will display a machine rendering image with dots on the bearings to tell you where to place the Auguscope.