Pre-alignment: How 15 Minutes Can Save You $$$$ $$

Stan Riddle

What is cou ling alignment!

Cou ling alignment is sha"t alignment# $" the sha"ts are aligned% the cou lings will normall& go along "or the ride#

'& es o" Cou lings

Rigid ( usuall& must )e aligned to ver& close tolerances# 'hin* o" it as solidl& )olting one sha"t to another#

+le,i)le ( uses one or more elements to connect the sha"ts# Mechanical Elastomeric Metallic 'hese can tolerate slightl& more misalignment% thermal changes% and shoc*#

Sha"t -lignment

.ver& sha"t% )ent or straight% rotates a)out an a,is that "orms a straight line#

Co-linearit& Shafts in this same straight line are considered co-linear, or in the same straight line.

'& es o" Misalignment

Offset, or Parallel the shafts are parallel to each other, but are not coplanar, or in the same plane. This can be both vertical and horizontal.

ngular the shafts are not in the same plane, !hich causes a difference in measurement bet!een measurements made "#$ degrees opposite on the coupling faces.

%t&s almost al!a's a combination of both(

Measurement Conventions

/""set or Parallel Misalignment is measured in thousandths o" an inch 01#11123% also called mils# -ngular Misalignment is measured in thousandths o" an inch 01#11123% or mils% er inch o" cou ling diameter#

Pre-alignment Ste s
") minutes or so of preparation time can save 'ou hours, and dollars, in alignment costs. %t can also save 'ou a lot of unnecessar' !or* The follo!ing slides list some of the most common errors made both before, and during, shaft alignment.

Error +"

-SS4MP'$/5S -56 'H. 7-C8 /+ /9S.R:-'$/5

.,am le

-ssum tions

5.:.R -SS4M. $';S 7/C8.6 -56 '-<<.6= 6on;t assume it;s aligned correctl&% even i" &ou did it the last time# Can the sha"ts )e rotated together! Can the& )e rotated individuall&! You ma& have to modi"& &our alignment techni>ue# $s there a so"t "oot issue! Chec* and minimi?e )e"ore alignment# $s there going to )e thermal growth! How much! Which direction! $s it going to get hotter% or colder! $s the cou ling insert worn! 6oes it need re lacement! $s there ade>uate s acing )etween the sha"ts! 9etween cou lings! Has i e strain )een minimi?ed! $s the um assem)l& sitting on isolators! -re the& "unctioning ro erl&! $s the um assem)l& sitting on an inertia )loc*! $s it ro erl& a""i,ed to the "loor!

-ssum tions

6o &ou notice an& crac*s in the "loor around the )ase! Can &ou "eel vi)ration in the "loor! 6oes the cou ling insert have e,cessive )ac*lash! -re the cou ling "langes tight to the sha"t! -re set screws and )olts tight! -re *e&s in lace! -re the hu)s concentric! You ma& )e a)le to align an eccentric hu)% )ut ma& cause vi)ration% and ma*e &ou loo* )ad% i" &ou miss it# 6oes the cou ling guard clear the cou ling! How clean is the area! So"t "oot is not limited to @ust under the motor "eet# $t can ha en )etween a riser and "rame% and )etween a "rame and a "loor# -re there @ac*)olts! -re the& screwed tight to the motor!

Error +,

You do not *now what &our alignment target% or tolerance% is#

-lignment 'argets

6oes &our com an& have an alignment criteria% or tolerance! 6/5;' </ 9Y 'H. C/4P7$5< M-54+-C'4R.R;S '/7.R-5C.= The coupling manufacturer&s tolerance is based upon the amount of misalignment the coupling !ill tolerate, -OT !hat the bearings and seals !ill tolerate( 'hin* o" it li*e a ru))er )andA

-lignment 'olerances
Alignment tolerances are based on many things, including: Coupling type Running speed Company guidelines Most alignment tool manufacturers also have tolerances. Consult your Engineering department, or your alignment tool representative, for more information.

.ibr lign&s tolerance table

'hermal <rowth 'argets Machines that operate at a considerably hotter or colder condition than the ambient room temperature should be thermally compensated.
hey !ill "gro!# or "shrin$# as they heat up, or cool off

'he machine manu"acturer;s s ecs are a good lace to start

9ut% the machine manu"acturer ro)a)l& does not *now:

/The e0act temperature of the driver and driven machines /.entilation 1ualit' or cooling effects /Piping strain influences /Piping thermal changes

Coe""icient o" 'hermal ., ansion %f 'ou can&t remember this chart, remember this2
1"oot o" steel get 111 degrees hotter% it grows a)out B mils 0 1#11B23

However% this is not a magic "ormula=

Machines do not usuall& heat or cool at the e,act same tem erature to to )ottom# You need to "ind a mean% or average tem erature o" the machine ( "rom the centerline o" the sha"t% to the )ottom o" the "oot#

'he 9est Wa& to 8now 'hermal <rowth ChangesA

Ais to measure them &oursel"# Measure the machine in the cold condition% and re-set it to the manu"acturer;s recommendations# Re-measure in the hot condition% i" ossi)le# Some lasers can do this calculation "or &ou% or &ou can sim l& lot it on a er# $n addition% some laser alignment tool manu"acturers sell e>ui ment that allow &ou to measure the thermal changes#

.rror CD 5ot correcting "or so"t "oot

So"t "ootA
Soft foot occurs when machine feet do not rest flatly on the machine base. Soft foot is caused by deformed machine base plates or by deformed machine feet.

Soft foot can be offset, angular, or both.

Error +6 -ot *no!ing !hen to sa' !hen

3hen the machine is aligned to !ithin 'our alignment tolerance, 'ou are done. 4on&t tr' to get it all the !a' to zero. 5ou ma' cause more problems than 'ou correct. -4, 'ou !ill certainl' !aste time.

.rror C5 ( 5ot roughing in

Straightedge% "lashlight% "eeler gauges% ta er gauge% outside cali er% etcA

- Euic* Comment on ShimsA

Try to use a maximum of 4 or less shims under each foot. Its not always possible, but try to minimize the number of shims per foot. Use pre-cut stainless steel shims. You cant cut them for less than you can buy them. hen you insert shims under the foot, slide them all the way in, then bac! them out "#, so the bolt threads dont bend them. $ont reuse painted, or badly bent shims. %e careful. & '.''(# shim can cut you li!e a !nife. Trust me on this one) *eep them neat.

.rror CF 5ot controlling )ac*lash or unwanted movement

Some alignment s&stems are sensitive to )ac*lash or G la&2 in the cou ling# 5ot onl& lasers% )ut indicators can )e misread due to )ac*lash% es eciall& i" there is an& eccentricit& in the cou ling# 9eware o" )um ing &our indicators or laser detectors# 9eware o" an& )inding or tightness in the machines as the& are rotated#

.rror CH ( $ncorrect se>uence o" moves

-lwa&s correct vertical misalignment "irst# /nce the vertical 0to to )ottom% u and down3 is corrected% &ou can theoreticall& move the machine side to side as "ar as it will go% without changing the vertical alignment# 'hen% correct misalignment in the hori?ontal lane 0side to side3#

5ow we;re read& to align=

You got to ma*e the right moves=

Regardless o" the method &ou use% alignment needs to )e done in "our ste s

-ngular misalignment in the :ertical Plane

Side .ie!

Parallel /""set in the :ertical Plane

Side .ie!

-ngular misalignment in the Hori?ontal Plane

Top .ie!

Parallel /""set in the Hori?ontal Plane

Top .ie!

'H-';S 'H. W-Y $';S S4PP/S.6 '/ H-PP.5=

So what do we do i" it doesn;t!

Chec* "or so"t "oot# Chec* "or )olt or )ase )ound condition# Chec* to ma*e sure &ou haven;t )um ed or moved &our alignment tools Chec* "or cou ling )ac*lash# Chec* "or e,cessive vi)ration in the area Re-measure% and see i" &our results are re eata)le#

Stan;s 'ric*s o" the 'rade

- straightedge% an outside cali er% a Starrett ta er gauge% and a "lashlight are good roughing-in tools# - can o" com ressed air% li*e those used "or cleaning electronics% is good to clean dirt out "rom under motor "eet# - 1-12 micrometer is great "or measuring the thic*ness o" shim stac*s# When aligning% e,cessive )ac*lash can )e com ensated with a "ew rounds o" duct ta e# 'wo dial indicator magnetic )ases ma*e great sto s to rest the laser tool or indicator )rac*ets at the D and I o;cloc* ositions# $t gives &ou an e,tra set o" hands#

Euestions!

Stan Riddle stan.riddle@vibralign.co m