Alignment of Rotating Machinery
LAKSHMANA RAO
Dy. Manager (CME)
What is Alignment?
It is the process of positioning two (or more) machines
that are coupled, so that Center lines of rotating shafts
form a single line, when the machines are working at
normal operating temperature.
Causes Of Misalignment
[Link] expansion - Most machines align cold.
[Link] vibrations.
[Link] transmitted to the machine by pipe or support
structure.
[Link] foot.
[Link] coupled machined are not properly aligned.
[Link] workmanship.
Effects Of Misalignment
More than 50% problems are due to misalignment.
[Link] of vibration on the machine. Vibration destroys critical
parts of machines like bearings, gears, seals, coupling etc.
[Link] lubricant film inside the bearing and increase friction.
[Link] load on the bearing.
[Link] 2 - 17% power consumption.
[Link] heat inside the coupling.
Types Of Misalignment
•1. Off set
• 2. Angular
3. Skew - Combination of offset & angular
Offset Misalignment
If the misaligned shafts centerlines are parallel but not
coincident, then the misalignment is said to be parallel (or
offset) misalignment.
Offset (Parallel) misalignment produces both a shear force
and bending moment on the coupled end of each shaft
Angular Misalignment
If the misaligned shafts meet at a point but are not
parallel, then the misalignment is called angular
misalignment.
Types Of Couplings
Flexible: Pin bush, Tyre , Love joy
Semi Flexible: Fluid
Rigid : Geared, Resilient
Flexible Coupling
Can flexible coupling take misalignment?
Flexible coupling can be used to take minor
Misalignment but it will generate heat and
Flexible members will fail prematurely.
Alignment Methods
1. Rough Alignment
Using straight edge &feeler gauge method
Advantages:
•Simple method
•Direct reading
2. Precision Alignment
(a) Face & Rim :
Advantages:
1. Good for large coupling gap & dissimilar hub diameters.
2. To be used where one of the shafts can not rotate during
alignment.
Disadvantages:
1. Difficult to take face readings, if there is axial float in the shaft.
2. Requires removal of coupling spool.
3. More complex alignment calculation.
4. Indicator sag.
5. Difficult to perform on long shaft.
6. Difficult to determine soft foot.
(b) Reverse indicator
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.
Laser Alignment
Advantages:
1. Easy to use.
2. Use Reverse Indicator Method.
3. Machine does the calculations.
4. 0 - 20m max. working distance.
5. Selectable high resolution 0.1, 0.01, 0.001mm.
6. No indicator sag.
7. Soft foot measurement program.
8. Horizontal shaft alignment with mim 60 degrees rotation.
9. Vertical shaft alignment program.
10. Thermal or offset compensation.
11. Machine train alignment program.
12. Spindle alignment.
13. Continuous monitoring.
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
Rules For Good Alignment
1. Clean the machine base. Remove rust burrs etc.
[Link] steel or brass shims.
[Link] indicator sag.
[Link] soft foot.
[Link] dial gauges before taking readings.
[Link] correct bolt tightening procedure.
[Link]’t lift the machine more than necessary.
[Link] to put the stem of dial gauge perpendicular
to the surface of coupling.
[Link] jack bolts.
Bed problems (adjust stationary machine to sprit level)
Obstruction of bed bolts
Obstruction of jack bolts
sag checking.
Dial gauge
Soft foot
PARALLEL CLEARANCE
ANGULAR CLEARANCE
CHECK THE COUPLING RUN-OUT OF MOTOR AND MECHANISUM
•FIX THE MAGNETIC BASE ON MOTOR COUPLING
•FIX DIAL INDICATOR ON MECHANISUM COUPLING.
•KEEP MOTOR COUPLING STATIONARY AND ROTATE MECHANISUM
COUPLING TO 360 DEGREES
•FIND MAXIMUM READING,THAT IS THE RUN-OUT OF MECHANISUM
COUPLING
THERMAL EFFECT ON PUMP