What type of averaging is typically used when route testing rotating machinery in a condition monitoring program?

In the context of condition monitoring programs, particularly when route testing rotating machinery, the method of averaging commonly employed is time synchronous averaging. This technique is essential because it accounts for repetitive events that occur in a consistent timing pattern within the machinery's operation cycle.

Time synchronous averaging focuses on capturing specific points in time during a machine's rotation, allowing for the alignment of multiple data sets collected over different passes or operational cycles. By aligning these data points, the repetitive features in the vibration data can be emphasized while random noise is diminished, leading to a clearer representation of the machine’s health and operational characteristics.

The other methods—linear averaging, exponential averaging, and peak hold—do not focus on the correlation of data to a specific time reference in the rotational cycle, which is critical for effective monitoring of rotating machinery. Thus, time synchronous averaging provides more accurate insights and aids in effective diagnosis in condition-based maintenance programs.