Magnetoresistive Sensors and Piezoresistive Accelerometers for Vibration Measurements: A Comparative Study

This experimental study focuses on the comparison between two different sensors for vibration signals: a magnetoresistive sensor and an accelerometer as a calibrated reference. The vibrations are collected from a variable speed inductor motor setup, coupled to a ball bearing load with adjustable misalignments. To evaluate the performance of the magnetoresistive sensor against the accelerometer, several vibration measurements are performed in three different axes: axial, horizontal and vertical. Vibration velocity measurements from both sensors were collected and analyzed based on spectral decomposition of the signals. The high cross-correlation coefficient between spectrum vibration signatures in all experimental measurements shows good agreement between the proposed magnetoresistive sensor and the reference accelerometer performances. The results demonstrate the potential of this type of innovative and non-contact approach to vibration data collection and a prospective use of magnetoresistive sensors for predictive maintenance models for inductive motors in Industry 4.0 applications.