{"id":7324,"date":"2023-05-12T09:57:03","date_gmt":"2023-05-12T07:57:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.delphin.de\/?post_type=glossar&#038;p=7324"},"modified":"2026-06-24T12:55:53","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T10:55:53","slug":"frequency-spectrum","status":"publish","type":"glossar","link":"https:\/\/www.delphin.de\/en\/glossar\/frequenzspektrum\/","title":{"rendered":"Frequency spectrum"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <strong>Frequency spectrum<\/strong> describes the composition of a signal in terms of its individual frequency components. It shows which frequencies are present in a signal and at what strength or amplitude they occur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While a signal in the <strong>Time domain<\/strong> While a measurement is typically represented as a time series of values, the frequency spectrum examines the same signal in the <strong>Frequency range<\/strong>. This reveals the periodic oscillations or signal components that make up the overall signal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A frequency spectrum is typically determined using mathematical methods such as the <strong>Fast Fourier Transform <a href=\"https:\/\/www.delphin.de\/en\/glossary\/fft\/\" data-type=\"glossar\" data-id=\"7319\">(FFT)<\/a><\/strong>. In this process, a time signal is decomposed into its frequency components and represented as a spectrum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A frequency spectrum typically contains information about:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Available Frequencies<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Amplitudes of the individual frequency components<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dominant Oscillations<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Harmonics and Overtones<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Interference Frequencies and Resonances<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This often makes it much easier to analyze signal sources, vibration behavior, and causes of faults than by simply examining the time sequence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Applications of the Frequency Spectrum<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Frequency analysis plays an important role in numerous areas of measurement and testing technology. Particularly when monitoring machines and rotating equipment, characteristic faults can be identified based on their frequency components.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Typical areas of application include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.delphin.de\/en\/solutions\/vibration-measurement\/analyzing-vibrations\/\" data-type=\"loesung\" data-id=\"3388\">Vibration analysis<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Machine monitoring<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bearing Diagnosis<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Unbalance and Alignment Analyses<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Condition Monitoring <a href=\"https:\/\/www.delphin.de\/en\/condition-monitoring-system\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"17208\">(Condition Monitoring)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Acoustic and Noise Analyses<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Electrical Signal Analysis<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Research and development<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example, rolling bearings, gearboxes, motors, and pumps often produce characteristic frequency patterns as they wear, which are clearly visible in the frequency spectrum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Advantages of Frequency Analysis<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Easy Identification of Periodic Signal Components<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Early Detection of Faults and Wear<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Analysis of Complex Vibration Processes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Identification of Resonances and Sources of Interference<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Improved diagnostic capabilities compared to a simple time-based representation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Significance in Measurement Technology<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Modern measurement and data acquisition systems enable the automatic calculation and display of frequency spectra directly during the measurement. This allows vibrations, noise, and other dynamic processes to be analyzed and evaluated in real time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The frequency spectrum is therefore one of the most important tools in signal and vibration analysis and provides valuable information about the condition and behavior of technical systems.<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-7324","glossar","type-glossar","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.delphin.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/glossar\/7324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.delphin.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/glossar"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.delphin.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/glossar"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.delphin.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}