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machinery is kept lubricated and properly aligned. When shafts or belts on rotating equipment are misaligned, the risk of costly, unplanned machine downtime rises dramatically. Misalignment also damages seals and couplings. Lubrication problems often can be traced to seals that have been compromised by shaft or belt misalignment. Simply replacing a seal will not stop future seal failure and associated loss of lubricant only correcting the misalignment will solve the problem. Failure to align the shafts or belts properly will increase the amount of stress on the units, resulting in a range of potential problems that ultimately can seriously impact a companys bottom line: Increased friction, resulting in excessive wear, excessive energy consumption, and the possibility of premature breakdown of equipment. Excessive wear on bearings and seals, leading to premature failure.
Correctly aligned shaft
Premature shaft and coupling failure. Excessive leakage. seal lubricant and
Correct Alignment
Machines need to be aligned in both the horizontal and vertical planes. Misalignment can be due to parallel or angular misalignment, or a combination of both. Basically, there are two types of misalignment: parallel (or offset) misalignment and angular misalignment. With parallel misalignment, the center lines of both shafts run parallel to one another, but they are offset. With angular misalignment, the shafts run at an angle to one other.
Shaft Misalignment
Shaft misalignment is responsible for as much as 50 percent of all costs related to rotating machinery breakdowns. Accurately aligning shafts can prevent a large number of machinery breakdowns and reduce much of the unplanned downtime that results in a loss of production. In todays challenging environment of reducing costs and optimizing assets, the necessity of accurate shaft alignment has never been greater.
Types of Misalignment
Shaft
by Dead Cat
Overview of shaft alignment options -- (from left to right) straightedge, dial indicators, and laser shaft.
Correcting Alignment
Shaft
Traditional alignment methods still in common use today include visual inspection combined with a straightedge or ruler.
The straightedge is positioned on two bearings supporting one or more shafts, while the maintenance inspector visually assesses whether or not the components are properly aligned. While such rough alignment methods have the advantage of being quick and relatively easy, they are also highly inaccurate and do not produce the exacting degree of accuracy required by today's precision machinery.
Dial indicators represent another traditional method of measuring misalignment. But while dial indicators do offer a higher degree of accuracy, they also present certain problems. Not only do they require a high level of technical skill to be used properly, but the effort is also generally quite timeconsuming. Furthermore, dial indicators do not provide real-time values that enable technicians to simultaneously measure and attain correct alignment.
by Dead Cat
Overview of shaft alignment options -- (from left to right) straightedge, dial indicators, and laser shaft
Instead, the dial indicators must be removed and then reinstalled after each alignment adjustment is completed. As a result, the process for obtaining critical measurements, such as feet values and coupling values, can be lengthy. Feet values indicate whether the pedestal or footing on which the machine rests is loose or compromised in some other way. Coupling values attest to the integrity of a coupling connecting two shafts. Laser-guided tools, generally speaking, are quick, accurate, easy-to-use, and require only a single installation. In addition, they deliver consistently better accuracy than dial indicators and they do not require special skills to obtain accurate results virtually every time.
Shaft alignment laser-guided tools typically consist of two units, each capable of emitting a precise laser beam and detecting a laser beam from its mate, plus a handheld control device. The units securely mount to shafts via magnetic brackets and/or a magnetic chain. To run them, the operator activates the instrument via the handheld control device and each unit emits a precise laser line projected onto the other units detector. A display on the handheld device provides real-time coupling and feet values during the alignment process, avoiding the need to remove and reinstall the measuring units after each alignment adjustment.
In addition, the laser system tool documents the values, which can be downloaded to a computer and used as a benchmark for future alignment inspections. More advanced laser-alignment systems come with a built-in step-by-step alignment process, from preparation, inspection and evaluation through correction, reporting and analysis. Some models also offer a unique database to store data regarding visual inspections on oil leakage, oil level, foundation bolt status, and wear indications. Laser-alignment methods represent a marked improvement over traditional methods. A laser-driven shaft alignment device allows one to adjust alignment with far more speed and accuracy than either the straightedge or dial method.
by Dead Cat
Belt alignment or pulley alignment is also an important maintenance task and, when carried out correctly, can prevent unplanned shutdowns and achieve considerable cost savings. Because belt alignment depends on the correct alignment of the pulleys on which the belt operates, belt and pulley alignment are generally considered one process. Belt alignment involves aligning the belts in a manner that results in the least wear on the belts and lowest energy loss for the machine or driver unit. In practice this means the grooves of the pulleys are in line with one another.
Types of misalignment
by Dead Cat
Nature Misalignment
of
As with shaft misalignment, there are various types of belt misalignment. In practice, a combination of different misalignments is often encountered simultaneously. For this reason, it is important that an alignment instrument both diagnoses and details the nature of the machine's misalignment. The following illustrations depict the three different types of belt misalignment.
by Dead Cat
Soft Foot
Soft foot is a condition in which one of the feet of a machine does not sit flat on the baseplate. Soft foot is among the most common causes of misalignment. Accordingly, one of the first steps to take in an alignment check is to assess the equipments foundation and employ a suitable shaft alignment tool to identify and correct potential soft foot conditions.
by Dead Cat