Visualization of vibrations in structural diagnoses of technical objects

One of the key methods for diagnosing the structural degradation of technical objects relies on observations of mechanical vibrations that accompany equipment operation and damage. Hardware and software advancements and the development mathematical methods for modelling and inference have increased the popularity of vibroacoustic diagnostics in mechanical systems. Displacement in the time domain of physical points in a vibrating object is the primary diagnostic symptom that undergoes further processing in the measurement system. At present, vibrations are usually registered with the use of accelerometers or optical sensors. Advanced tools for image recording, processing and analysis are deployed in quasi-realistic observations of motion that cannot be perceived by the human senses. This article discusses a method for visualizing vibrations based on deliberate deformation of the registered image through motion magnification. The presented approach is illustrated with selected examples.