Training program on

Vibration Monitoring, Alignment

and Balancing

TRIVENI RELIABILITY SERVICES

and TRAINING ACADEMY
 Definition of misalignment
• Misalignment is the
deviation of relative shaft
position from a collinear
axis of rotation measured
at the points of power
transmission when
equipment is running at
normal operating
conditions.
 Consequences of Misalignment

 Poor machine performance

 Increased power consumption
 Increased noise and vibration
 Premature bearing wear
 Accelerated deterioration of
gaskets, packing, mech seals
 Higher coupling wear rates.
Identification of misalignment
Hot spot - bearing and couplings
Axial vibration higher than radial
FFT spectrum
Coupling inspection
180 out of phase across driver and driven
Bearing wear pattern
 Commonly used misalignment terms

• Parallel /Radial
misalignment

• Angular / Face
misalignment

• ‘real world’ misalignment

usually exhibits a combina-
tion of both parallel and
angular shaft centerline
positions.
Offset /Radial Misalignment
Increases power
consumption of
the machine.
Angular Misalignment
Effects pin bush
coupling more than
tyre coupling.
Skewed Misalignment
Vibration Spectrum Analysis

Angular - Axial vibration at 1X RPM

Offset - Radial vibration at 2X or 3X RPM

 Steps for alignment
1.Proper tools and fixtures
2.Machine Info
3.Work Permit – Tag off
4.Pre alignment checks
5.Measure alignment
6.Correction
7.Startup and test
 Types Of Couplings

Flexible : Pin bush, Tyre, Love joy,

ESBI Valkan tyre

Semi Flexible : Fluid

Rigid : Geared
 Chain Type Flexible Couplings

• The chain coupling is basically

two identical gear sprockets
with hardened sprocket teeth
connected by a double width
roller or ‘silent’ type of chain.
Packed grease lubrication is
primarily used.
• Capacity: 1000hp,3000hp – 1800
• Max. Speed: 5000 rpm
• Shaft bores 8 in.
 Gear Type Coupling
• The gear coupling consists of two hubs
with external gear teeth that are
attached to the shafts. A hub cover or
sleeve with internal gear teeth engage
with the shaft hubs to provide the
transmission of power. Gear tooth
clearances and tooth profiles allow
misalignment between shafts.
Lubrication of the gear teeth is required
and various designs allow for grease or
oil as the lubricant.
• Capacity: 70,000hp
• Max. Speed 50,000 rpm
• Shaft bores: 30 in
 Elastomeric flexible couplings
• A wide variety of design variations
employ an elastomeric medium to
transmit torque and accommodate
misalignment. Most of these
couplings are torsionally ‘soft’ to
absorb high
starting torques or shock loads.
• Capacity: 67,000hp/100rpm but
varies widely with design.
• Max Speed: approx.5000rpm
• Shaft bores: 30 in
 Metal Ribbon Coupling
• Metal Ribbon Coupling
consists of two hubs with
axial ‘grooves’ on the outer
diameter of the hub where a
continuous ‘S’ shaped grid
meshes into the grooves.
• Capacity: 70,000hp/100rpm
• Max. Speed: 6000rpm
• Shaft bores 20 in.
 Pre-alignment Steps

Few minutes of preparation can save hours, in alignment costs.

It can also save you a lot of unnecessary work

The following slides list some of the most common errors made
both before, and during, shaft alignment
Poor Alignment Methods
Good Alignment Methods, But Poor
Practices
Inaccurate Readings
Poor Tolerances
Machine vibrations
Poor workmanship
 Pre-alignment steps
Pipe Strain
Thermal Growth
Bent Shafts
Cocked Bearings
Poor Shimming Practices
Soft Foot
Corrosion and Erosion of foundation
Poor Bases and Foundations and Improper Grouting
Excessive Coupling Runout, Poor Coupling Condition
Move Limitations…Base Bound or Bolt Bound Conditions
DON’T GO BY THE COUPLING MANUFACTURER’S
TOLERANCE!

The coupling manufacturer’s tolerance is based upon

the amount of misalignment the coupling will
tolerate

NOT what the bearings and seals will tolerate!

Check if hubs are concentric? You may be able to align an
eccentric hub, but may cause vibration.

Does the coupling guard clear (touching) the coupling?

How clean is the area?

Soft foot under the motor feet.

Are there jackbolts? And screwed tight to the motor?

Some alignment systems are sensitive to backlash or “play” in the
coupling.

Not only lasers, but indicators can be misread due to backlash,

especially if there is any eccentricity in the coupling.

Beware of bumping your indicators or laser detectors.

Beware of any binding or tightness in the machines as they are

rotated
 Preliminary checks
• Insure that the face run
out does not exceed
0.05 mm for every six
inches of sheave
diameter.

• Insure that the radial

(rim) run out does not
exceed o.1mm.
•The exact temperature of the driver and driven
machines
•Ventilation quality or cooling effects
•Piping strain influences
•Piping thermal changes
Always correct vertical misalignment first.

Once the vertical (top to bottom, up and down) is corrected,

Then you can theoretically move the machine side to side as far as it
will go, without changing the vertical alignment.

Then, correct misalignment in the horizontal plane (side to side).

Regardless of the method you use,
alignment needs to be done in four steps
Angular misalignment in the Vertical Plane
Parallel misalignment in the
Vertical Plane
Angular misalignment in the
Horizontal Plane
Parallel misalignment in the
Horizontal Plane
A straightedge, an outside caliper, a Starrett taper gauge, and a
flashlight are good roughing-in tools.

A can of compressed air, like those used for cleaning electronics, is

good to clean dirt out from under motor feet.

A 0-1” micrometer is great for measuring the thickness of shim stacks.

When aligning, excessive backlash can be compensated with a few
rounds of duct tape.

Two dial indicator magnetic bases make great stops to rest the laser too
or indicator brackets at the 3 and 9 o’clock positions. It gives you an
extra set of hands
Soft Foot
 Checking shaft &coupling hub ‘run out’

• Rotate this shaft

through 360 degrees.

• The dial indicator can

be mounted like this
also
‘Run out problems fall into one of these three categories…

• Coupling hub bored off

center.

• Bent shaft

• Coupling hub ‘skew’

bored.
 Preliminary checks
• Insure that the face run
out does not exceed
0.05 mm for every six
inches of sheave
diameter.

• Insure that the radial

(rim) run out does not
exceed o.1mm.
 Checking shaft &coupling hub ‘run out’

• Rotate this shaft

through 360 degrees.

• The dial indicator can

be mounted like this
also
Alignment Methods

1. Rough Alignment
(a) Using straight edge
(b) Twin wire method

2. Precision Alignment
(a) Face & Rim
(b) Reverse indicator
 ‘Rough’ alignment methods
• The ‘calibrated eyeball”

• The straightedge method

• The taper or feeler gauge

method.
Rough Alignment
Using straight edge
Face & Rim Method
 Face – Rim Method
Procedure…
• Attach the alignment bracket firmly
to one shaft and position the
indicator(s) on the face and
perimeter of the other shaft.
• Zero the indicators at the 12 o
‘clock position.
• Slowly rotate the shaft and bracket
arrangement through 90 degree
intervals stopping at the 3, 6, and 9
o’clock positions. Record each
reaching (plus or minus).
• Return to the 12 o’clock position to
see if the indicator(s) re-zero.
• Repeat steps 2 through 4 to verify
the first set of readings.
 Rim & Face Method
Alignment Calculation

Radial reading
Radial Misalignment =
2

Face dial Reading

Angular Misalignment =
Distance traveled by the dial
 Face & Rim Method
Advantages:
1. Good for large dia. coupling hubs where the shafts are close together.
2. To be used where one of the shafts can not rotate during alignment.
3. Easy to use.

Disadvantages:
1. Difficult to take face readings, if there is axial float.
2. Requires removal of coupling spool.
3. More complex alignment calculation.
• To determine offset and angularity from the
12:00 TIR.s, use the following rules:

• ♦ Coupling Offset = Rim Dial (DIR) TIR/2

• ♦ Shaft Angularity = Face Dial (DIF) TIR

---------------------
A dimension
•
To determine offset and angularity from the
3:00 TIR.s, use the following rules:

♦ Coupling Offset = Rim Dial (DIR) TIR / 2

♦ Shaft Angularity = Face Dial (DIF) TIR

---------------------
A dimension
•

• Front foot position calculation:

• Positive values mean the foot is high,

shims must be removed.
• Negative values mean the foot is low,
shims must be added.
•

• Rear Foot position calculation:

• Positive values mean the foot is high, shims
must be removed.
• Negative values mean the foot is low, shims
must be added.
Reverse Indicator Method
 Reverse Indicator technique
• Procedure….
• Attach the alignment bracket(s) firmly to
one (both) shaft(S) and position the
indicator(s) on the perimeter of the other
shaft.
• Zero the indicator(s) at the 12 o’clock
position.
• Slowly rotate the shaft and bracket
arrangement through 90 degree intervals
stopping at the 3,6, and 9 o’clock positions.
Record each reading (plus or minus)
• Return to the 12 o’clock position to see if
the indicator(s) re-zero.
• Repeat steps 2 through 4 to verify the first
set of readings.
• If one bracket was used, mount the bracket
onto the other shaft and repeat steps 1
through 5.
 Graphical representation
Example 1
Scale: Y-axis = 10:1
(Reverse Indicator Method) X-axis = 1: 5
SM Dial Reading: -1.50 mm
MM Dial Reading : +0.5 mm
 Graphical representation

Stationery Machine Movable Machine

+
 Reverse Indicator Method
Advantages:
1. More accurate than face & rim method.
2. Readings are not affected by axial float.
3. Possible to keep the coupling spool.

Disadvantages:
1. Both shafts have to be rotated.
2. Should not be used on close coupled shafts.
3. Difficult to take readings on long shaft.
 Alignment Tolerance
Off Set Angular
RPM mm mm / 100 mm
0000 - 1000 0.13 0.10
1000 - 2000 0.10 0.08
2000 - 3000 0.07 0.07
3000 - 4000 0.05 0.06
4000 - 5000 0.03 0.05
 Validity Rule
• The validity rule is
important for two
reasons.
1. To insure that you
are capturing an
accurate setup
readings.
2. You do not have to
rotate all the way
around a shaft to
determine the
position of it
centerline.
 Disadvantages Of Dial
Indicator Method

More time consuming.

Too much manual work.
Indicator sag.
Difficult to perform on long shaft/coupling dia.
Difficult to determine soft foot.
Difficult to perform vertical shaft alignment.
 Aligning V Belt drives
• Preliminary checks
• Insure that the bearings on both machines
are not damaged
• Inspect the condition of the belts insuring
that they are not cracked, glazed,
stretched, etc.
• Check for any ‘soft foot’ conditions
between the machinery feet and the base
plate at all of the hold down bolts.
• Check the wear of the ‘V’ in the sheave
with an appropriate wear indicator.
 Preliminary checks
• Insure that the face run
out does not exceed
0.05 mm for every six
inches of sheave
diameter.

• Insure that the radial

(rim) run out does not
exceed o.1mm.
Typical sheave misalignment
Laser Alignment
 Laser Alignment
Advantages:
1. Easy to use.( Touch Screen, in built inclinometer )
2. Use Reverse Indicator Method.
3. Machine does the calculations.
4. 0 - 10m max. working distance.
5. Selectable high resolution 0.1, 0.01, 0.001mm.
6. No indicator sag.
7. Pre-alignment program( Soft foot, Pipe Strain, Thermal growth
Compensation ).
8. Horizontal shaft alignment with min 600 rotation.
9. Vertical shaft alignment program.
10. Memory & Printer provision
Balancing
Unbalance
As per International Organization for
Standardization (ISO) unbalance or
imbalance is defined by

“that condition which exists in a rotor when a

vibratory force or motion is imparted to its
bearings as a result of centrifugal force.”

Unbalance occurs when a rotor’s mass is

unevenly distributed about the axis of rotation.
This is termed as a “heavy spot” on the rotor
Causes of Unbalance
• Coating on impellers

• Distortion of rotating parts.

• Erosion and wear.

• Corrosion of rotating parts.

• Accumulation of dust / dirt etc.,

• Non-uniform size of fasteners

• Welding repairs to the rotors like fan

impellers.

• Minor breakages in couplings, pulleys, etc.,

• Eccentricity due to mounting inaccuracies.

• Addition of keys and keyways

 Static Unbalance

Detection:
• Highest horizontal vibration
• Amplitude increases as square of speed.
• Dominant frequency at 1x rpm
• Horizontal readings reflect in vertical direction also.
 Correction

It requires two plane balancing

 Couple Unbalance

Detection:
• High horizontal & axial vibration
• Dominant frequency at 1x RPM

Requires two plane balancing

 Overhung Rotor Unbalance

Detection:
• High horizontal & axial vibration
• Dominant frequency at 1x RPM
 Correction

Overhung rotors might be having both

static and couple unbalance and each of
which requires correction.
-- Mass unbalance (heavy spot) cannot be
measured directly
-- High spot (angular location of peak or peak to
peak vibration) is used to determine heavy spot
-- Balancing is an art and science
science in the vector procedures
art in selection of balance planes, speeds,
measurement locations as well as trial weight
sizes and locations
-- Balancing is a method of weight compensation
to minimize vibration
Vibration Transducer
Once-Per-Revolution Sensor
Filter capable of measuring Speed,

Amplitude, and Phase

Marker or Paint Stick
Graph Paper and Triangles
Balance Weights and Scale
When we balance a rotor there are 2
unknown factors which need to be
determined in order to solve a rotor
balance problem.

1)The amount of weight required

2)Angle of weight placement
Trial wt required

TW =56375.5 X W / N2 r
where:
TW = trial weight, oz.
r = eccentricity of trial weight, in.
W = static weight of rotor, lb.
N = speed of rotor, RPM
where:
TW = 56375.5 (1800 #) = 5.3 Oz.
(1785 RPM)2 * 6”

TW = trial weight, oz.

r = eccentricity of trial weight, in. = 6”
W = static weight of rotor, lb. = 1800#
N = speed of rotor, RPM = 1785 RPM
1.Acquire initial set of 1X amplitude and phase
data. Note: Log 1X data in vertical, horizontal,
and axial directions at both bearings.
2.Shut down machine and observe 1X
amplitude and phase during shutdown to
determine proximity of running speed to
resonance.
3.Draw Initial 1X vector on Polar graph paper
4.Lock out machine.
5.Determine trial weight angular placement.
Show trial weight magnitude and placement
on polar graph.
6.Attach trial weight to rotor.
7.Release locks
8.Run machine and log 1X amplitude and
phase at all locations. (Trial Run).
9.Shutdown machine and lock out
equipment.
10.REMOVE TRIAL WEIGHT
11. Draw Trial Weight vector on polar
graph.
12. Perform balance calculations to
determine magnitude and angle of
corrective weight.
13. Attach weight to machine.
14. Release locks and run equipment
Weight Required = Trial weight X Original vib
------------------------------------
Resultant (Vector diagram)