In this paper, the effect of the vibration on the stability and settling performance of the coal water slurry (CWS) was systematically investigated using a Turbiscan Lab analyzer. The results showed that the vibration played an important role in affecting the particle motion and enhancing or deteriorating the stability of the CWS was largely dependent upon the vibration strength. The sedimentation analysis implied that the periodic and slight strike could facilitate the settling process of particles on the top and thus deteriorated the stability. However, the strong strike would induce serious particle collision, which could not only put an obstacle to the sedimentation process of particles on the top (i.e., enhancing the stability) but also facilitate the particles in the middle settling to the bottom (i.e., deteriorating the stability). The results can provide a fundamental basis for the understanding of the behavior of particles motion under the vibration conditions. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.