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alignment and balancing

Shaft Alignment, Soft Foot & Energy Savings

By Alan Luedeking

"Does misalignment waste energy?" is a question often asked. The answer, emphatically, is yes! General Motors Corporation and Ludeca Inc. performed and published a study on this issue in 1993 which showed conclusively that energy savings (Real Power savings) of 2.3 percent could be obtained on loaded machines. On unloaded machines, the savings ranged as high as 9 percent! At ICI Chemicals, a UK chemical plant in the north of England, a carefully controlled doctoral research project revealed even higher savings. Other studies suggest averaged savings of 4 to 5 percent.

Easy-Laser® Announces New US Distributor

Goteborg, Sweden - Damalini AB/Easy-Laser® today announced that effective January 1, 2012, Cascade Machinery Vibration Solutions of Houston, TX will become the authorized US distributor for Easy-Laser products®.

Precision Microshim Simplifies Machinery Adjustments

September, 2011, Peabody, Massachusetts:  Pinpoint Laser Systems is introducing a precision adjustable shim called the Microshim.  This innovation is ideal for production plants, machine shops,  utilities, and other industrial facilities where machinery must be precisely adjusted or leveled.  Typical applications include positioning large machinery, leveling grinding equipment, adjusting roll assemblies, leveling extruders and injection molding equipment, and more.  This simple, compact device is easy to use, highly versatile, and affordable, for large and small plants alike.

New SKF Shaft Alignment Tools and Services Help Improve Equipment Reliability and Reduce Energy Cost

Summary
ARC Advisory Group recently took a look at two new SKF wireless shaft alignment systems for rotating equipment.  According to SKF, use of laser and wireless technologies in the new TKSA 60 and 80,  make these tools easier to operate and more accurate than traditional shaft alignment tools.  Shaft alignment is critical to equipment reliability, but with declining skills at many firms, proper shaft alignment is a challenge.  SKF is trying to address this issue with its new tools and added services.  If help is needed, service is only a phone call away.  SKF services provide comprehensive services staffed by SKF domain experts that resolve, train, and can take over the alignment tasks if needed.

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Determining thermal growth and pipe strain for the alignment process
Asset Condition Management

Determining thermal growth and pipe strain for the alignment process

An hour long presentation by Mr. Ron Newman, Technical Sales & Support Representative, PRUFTECHNIK, Canada

Misalignment has long been recognized as one of the leading causes of vibration in rotating machines. Under ideal conditions, laser shaft alignment is a correction method that is well understood and practiced, however under difficult conditions it can quickly become a major headache. Increasing our understanding of thermal growth, pipe strain and other factors will go a long way in helping to resolve that problem alignment job!

Balancing Weights: Radius Changes & Splitting

By Dennis Shreve

Oftentimes in real-world balancing applications, you will come across a way to get a quick measurement and make and verify an unbalance correction via a temporary solution with clamp-on weights or some type of balancing compound (like modeling clay or bee's wax).

Thermal Growth and Machinery Alignment
Asset Condition Management

Thermal Growth and Machinery Alignment

An hour long presentation by Alan Luedeking, Vice President of Ludeca, Inc.

This presentation deals with the effects of thermal growth on machinery, principally as concerns positional change of the machinery and its impact on the shaft alignment of the machines and how to properly measure and deal with these effects.

Flatness and Leveling Measuring System with Automatic Rotating Laser

LEVALIGN® EXPERT provides an accurate and easy to use method for the measurement of flatness and straightness of machine bases and foundations, split machine casings, as well as flatness and parallelism of circular, rectangular and odd-shaped flanges. The system consists of a self-leveling motorized rotating laser and a sensor which interface wirelessly with a dedicated geometric measurement computer.

New SKF Shaft Alignment systems offer built-in alignment process and wireless modules

Livingston, UK - SKF introduces its TKSA 60 and TKSA 80 Shaft Alignment systems.  Designed for both novices and experienced users, the new SKF Shaft Alignment systems provide a complete built-in alignment process that takes users from preparation and evaluation all the way through to correction and documenting the results achieved.  Each system’s built-in wireless module eliminates the need for additional cables and devices, creating a faster, more efficient tool to collect the necessary alignment data.  Both units cover a complete spectrum of alignment needs for rotating machinery.

Balancing of an FD Fan at a Refinery

Presented by Troy Feese

There are several commercially available software packages, such as SMS Star and ME'Scope, that can be used to perform operating deflection shape (ODS) measurements.

This article provides a case history of a forced draft (FD) fan that experienced high vibration due to unbalance and an impeller resonance near the operating speed. The common balancing method of influence coefficients was unsuccessful due to varying phase data. However, vibration was reduced to an acceptable level using the four-run method without phase data.

Pinpoint Laser Systems Unique Bore Alignment Kit is Easy to Use on all Kinds of Applications!

Peabody, Massachusetts - Pinpoint Laser Systems is introducing a new precision Microgage Bore Alignment Kit for industrial applications.  This newest product is perfectly suited for aligning extrusion presses, rams, precision screws, propeller shafts and stern tubes, bar feeders, and many other demanding applications.  This Microgage Bore Alignment Kit is compact, precise, easy to set up, and most importantly, affordable - for small and large firms alike. 

Precision Alignment Short Course: Soft Foot
Asset Condition Management

Precision Alignment Short Course: Soft Foot

A 42 minute long presentation by Alan Luedeking, Ludeca Inc. Originally filmed at the CBM2011 Condition Based Monitoring Conference at the Reliability Performance Institute in Fort Myers, Florida.

Balancing Out the Root Cause

As anyone who has practiced vibration analysis knows, vibration signatures obtained on routes are often far from the wall chart examples. The reason for this is that the vibration signatures collected and analyzed represent the response of a system due to a variety of different forces that act simultaneously to produce one signature. Unfortunately, vibration analysts are actually interested in determining the individual forces that cause the response. Once the forces are accurately identified, only then can they be reduced or eliminated.

By Chad Wilcox

Stainless Steel Arbor Shims are now available from Precision Brand Products, Inc.

Precision Brand Products, Inc. is introducing Stainless Steel Arbor Shims as an expansion of the current Steel Arbor Shim product line. The new Stainless Steel Arbor Shims are available in 18 thicknesses in 12 different I.D/O.D. combinations.

Understanding unbalance and field balancing - Part 1
Asset Condition Management

Understanding unbalance and field balancing - Part 1

Part one of a two-part recorded webinar playback on demand by Jason Tranter, Managing Director of the Mobius Institute

Precision balancing machines is a key element in any reliability improvement program. Using Mobius 3D animations and software simulators, this webinar will explain what unbalance is, how you can detect it, and how to correct it via field balancing. We will discuss the requirements that must be met before a rotor can be balanced in the field; the difference between single-plane and two-plane balancing; what can go wrong during field balancing jobs; and ISO/ANSI/API balance quality tolerances.

Base Flatness & Machine Alignment
Asset Condition Management

Base Flatness & Machine Alignment

An hour long webinar on demand presented by presented by John Lambert, President and Paul Berberian, National Sales Manager, Alignment Supplies

Stress. If you have it, you need relief. Here's how to get it...

Stress is a killer, not only for people, but also for plant machinery as well. Let's face it; the most important issue in the maintenance process is the machine unit's installation. It comes before vibration, before oil analysis and infra red, even before ultrasonic's. These technologies are used to detect the problems that a poor installation will create. There are many road blocks on the road to a good machinery installation job. This webinar provides information on one of the least known critical problems: Machine stress caused by distorted or twisted bases. We will provide information on how to find it, how to measure it and how to correct it.

Rim & Face Alignment Method

You can use the Rim & Face Method to perform a calculated precision alignment process. You may use a variety of shaft alignment fixtures. We recommend that you use a commercial package designed to accommodate a variety of shaft diameters. The fixtures should include an assortment of rods to span various coupling lengths. These packages expedite the precision alignment process. Also, sag values can be pre-determined for the standard rod
assortment.

Dynamic Movement White Paper

By VibrAlign, Inc.

This paper addresses a vexing problem that has plagued machine reliability professionals for decades. Despite the best efforts to precisely align rotating machinery shafts, dynamic movement (mostly manifested by the thermal growth of the machine casings) has resulted in machines operating at less than optimum alignment conditions.

Vertical Condensate Pump Alignment

By Alan Luedeking
The shaft alignment of large vertical condensate pumps in power plants is a challenging application. The pump shaft and impeller are rigidly coupled to the vertical flange-mounted motor.

The Truth Behind Misalignment Vibration Spectra of Rotating Machinery

By S. Ganeriwala, S. Patel, H. A. Hartung

1. Abstract

Misalignment is probably the most common cause of machinery malfunction. Considering the importance of alignment, the vibration spectra of alignment is not well documented. Various authors have reported different spectra. The goal of this research was to determine the unique vibration signature for misalignment at varying operating and design conditions such as speed, type and level of misalignment, coupling types and machinery dynamic stiffness. The SpectraQuest Machinery Fault Simulator™ was used in the study to create the varying mechanical conditions.

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