Which condition monitoring technique is used to detect overheating and thermal patterns in equipment?

• A. Vibration analysis
• B. Infrared thermography
• C. Oil analysis
• D. Acoustic emission

Answer: (B)

Infrared thermography visualizes surface temperature and thermal patterns across equipment, making overheating visible as hotspots and abnormal heat distributions. This non-contact method lets you scan live machinery quickly, producing a thermal map that highlights where heat is excessive or behaving oddly, which can signal issues like bearing wear, lubrication problems, misalignment, electrical faults, or insulation faults. Over time, you can track these patterns to catch rising temperatures early and prevent failures. Other techniques focus on different indicators: vibration analysis looks at motion and faults in rotating parts, oil analysis checks lubricant condition, and acoustic emission detects high-frequency signs of material damage; none of these directly map heat distribution like infrared thermography.