Shaft alignment methods explained bright hub engineering. Reverse alignmentunderstanding centerline measurement by c. Shaft misalignment is responsible for as much as 50 percent of all costs related to rotating machinery breakdowns. Oct 08, 2017 shaft alignment is the process of aligning two or more shafts with each other to within a tolerated margin. Proper alignment of rotating equipment has a long been recognized as a prerequisite to safe, reliable operation. Monitoring and prediction of motor shaft alignment is important for making intelligent decisions when performing alignment maintenance, which plays an essential role in increasing maintenance.
Machinery alignment tolerance tables impact engineering. This video is intended to guide a user through the shaft alignment process for a typical mid engine, direct drive tournament ski boat. The ergonomic display unit with touch screen makes the instrument very easy to use and the builtin machine library helps storing alignment reports for multiple machines. Dec 01, 2002 if the front foot of the motor is left 2 mils high and the back feet are left 2 mils low, the shaft alignment results will be as follows.
Alignment of the shaft is necessary when the motor or driven machinery is new or when it is dismantled due to improper running. Machine type pump motor vertical angle horizontal angle horizontal offset thermal compensation stationary s machine movable m machine vertical offset offset 2. Monitoring and prediction of motor shaft alignment is important for making intelligent decisions when performing alignment maintenance, which plays an. In addition to alignment quality and repeatability problems, it can be a cause of machinery vibration, reduce life in electric motors, and cause internal clearance problems in gearboxes and pumps. To achieve good, repeatable results, pre alignment steps must be done.
The alignment of shaft with the bearing and housing, which is a manufacturing tolerance stackup of the bearing parts and the housing bores and faces. Achieving proper alignment, however, involves much more than merely adjustment the machines so that the shafts are coaxial. It is a major cause of repeatability problems in shaft alignment measurements. Standard industry norms for alignment tolerances are cited in table 1. Moreover, as the name suggests, the main purpose of shaft alignment is to make sure that the center line of the motor rotor shaft coincides with the center line of the driven machinery i. Jun 12, 2010 learn from the very simple sets of pump and motor, the model made out of papers.
The alignment of misaligned shaft are done by using different types of shaft alignment methods which are mention below. Under the indicator position mark the point that is 12 the indicator reading. The primary reasons why machinery is misaligned is lack of proper training, improper tools to do the job, and that people are not given enough time to do it right. If, on the other hand, you update your knowledge of shaft alignment techniques and acceptable alignment tolerances, you might be on the way to becoming more reliabilityfocused.
Motorpump alignment is the process of aligning shaft centerlines between a motor and a pump. The motor is designed to run sat isfactorily within 12 of the mechanical end float. If the face dial contacts the coupling face directly, ensure the plunger of indicator contacts the coupling near its outer edge. This is probably the most common configuration of coupled machines in industry. The intuitive and affordable laser shaft alignment system skf shaft alignment tool tksa 31 the tksa 31 is skf s most affordable solution for easy laser shaft alignment. Includes compass measurement mode to enable flexible, reliable, and repeatable measurements using an activated electronic inclinometer. Ensure fixtures are mounted at a position where rotation is possible.
Mar 15, 2016 this video is intended to guide a user through the shaft alignment process for a typical mid engine, direct drive tournament ski boat. A practical guide to shaft alignment plant services. And you are correcting two angles, one for each coupling. Improper alignment results in excessive vibration, short life of driven equipment compound bearing and coupling clutch parts, and frequent realignment. Shaft alignment status pro maschinenmesstechnik gmbh bochum.
All measurements are taken on the rim of the coupling hubs. Maximize the sweep distance of the face dial indicator for the geometry of the machine being aligned. A modern shaft alignment system can measure all the above types of machine. Tmea2skf laser shaft alignment alignment performed by. Veedrive ski boats require additional steps and instruction.
Misalignment may account for over 50% of malfunctions in rotating machinery, leading to problems such as worn or broken couplers, vibration, and excessive wear of bearings, seals and wear rings. Abstract shaft alignment is a key factor in reducing vibrations and. If the motor is coupled to the compressor using a fixedendplay coupling such as the series 52 coupling and the motor is not properly centered, the additional thrust loads will be. In practice, proper alignment is difficult to achieve without using alignment equipment such as dial indicators or laser alignment tools.
The alignment in this article is typically referred to as coupling alignment. The shaft centerline of a moveable machinetypically a motoris aligned to the shaft centerline of a machine that generally is not moved, such as a pump. Shaft alignment is our business for more than 20 years. Alignment and couplings 3 the reverse indicator method is another shaft alignment method. Alignment simple steps to accurate alignment its a long. The bent shaft affects alignment process by showing improper reading. It also has important functions that aid the user in obtaining faster and better results. Shaft alignment fluke 830 laser shaft alignment tool fluke. Changes in the temperature of machines from off line to running can have a significant impact on the shaft alignment. The book is reference material on rotating machinery basics, pump overhaul, mechanical seals, basic vibration, and shaft alignment.
Compressor engineering corporation in the optical alignment field, until the formation in i985 of bently nevada alignment service corporation. Eugene vogel has worked in the machinery repair industry for more than 30 years, specializing in vibration analysis of rotating equipment. Proper shaft alignment is especially critical when the motor is operated at high speeds. Up to 4 different measurement methods makes it possible to perform shaft alignment in any conditions. For example, the only correct way to express shaft alignment tolerances is in terms of alignment conditions at the coupling, and we will describe several ways to do this. He is a member of asme, the vibration institute, and the pacific energy association. If a manufacturer of a machine or coupling require tighter alignment tolerances, those should be used. It uses two dial indicators, one on each shaft, to measure the parallel and angular misalignment as shown in figure 21.
Here you can download the pdf template of the tksa 20 shaft alignment report, which can be used for documenting of your alignment activities. Alignment in order to obtain optimum service life from a cat engine and its driven equipment, correct alignment between the units is required. Soft footwhat it is and how to minimize it vibralign. This will show you how much you need to move the motor for horizontal alignment. The amount of alignment correction at the motor can seem to be very large. The alignment training is suitable for technicians undertaking machine alignment, coupling alignment, motor alignmnet, pump alignment, etc. These indicator readings mean that you need to move the motor. Shaft alignment training course ppt presentation and machine. Learn from the very simple sets of pump and motor, the model made out of papers.
Alignment of pumps one of the most important parts of pump setup is making sure that the pump and the drive motor are carefully aligned. A preferred approach w ould be to find the mechanical center of the motor by sliding the uncoupled shaft axially in both directions and marking the midpoint of the travel. Before installing the drive however, always verify that the motor meets the standard shaft. The motor is the prime mover, transferring power to the pump by the use of a coupling. Jun 04, 2010 soft foot is a common issue when aligning rotating equipment. In reality, coupling alignment is not about aligning couplings at all. The goal of the alignment process is to create a straight line through the coupling. Machinery alignment tolerance tables the suggested alignment tolerances shown here are general values based upon experience and general industry standards and should not be exceeded. We plan your individual system and offer training programms for installation, trouble shooting and maintenance. The main purpose of shaft alignment is to make sure that the center line of the motor rotor shaft coincides with the center line of the driven machinery i.