Shaft Alignment: Pre-Alignment

Summary
Shaft Alignment: Pre-Alignment is the fourth in a series designed to provide the maintenance professionals with the expert knowledge needed for equipment shaft alignment. Before starting the alignment process, no matter which alignment method you use, there are a number of checks to be made. In many cases it is a necessity to make these checks to obtain precision alignment. It is often impossible to reach the desired alignment results if you do not make any pre-alignment checks. With this article in hand, the reader is better prepared for alignment challenges.

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Shaft Alignment: Pre-Alignment Introduction......................................................................................................................................3 Pre-Alignment..................................................................................................................................3 Preparations ..............................................................................................................................3 On-Site Visual Checks..............................................................................................................4 On-Site Actions ........................................................................................................................4 Pre-Alignment Procedures ...............................................................................................................4 Machine Temperature...............................................................................................................4 Shim Condition.........................................................................................................................5 Coupling Assembly ..................................................................................................................5 Gross Soft Foot .........................................................................................................................5 Mechanical Looseness ..............................................................................................................5 Run-Out ....................................................................................................................................5 Checking Pipe Strain ................................................................................................................6 Soft Foot ...................................................................................................................................6 Repeatability Test .....................................................................................................................7 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................................7 Further Reading ...............................................................................................................................8 Additional Resources .......................................................................................................................8

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Shaft Alignment: Pre-Alignment

Introduction
Before starting the shaft alignment process, no matter which alignment method you use, there are a number of checks to be made. In many cases it is a necessity to make these checks to obtain precision alignment. It is often impossible to reach the desired alignment results if you do not make these pre-alignment checks. In this article, the pre-alignment considerations are discussed.

experienced, can save many hours of headache and frustration. In general, the pre-alignment process can be divided into three major steps: 1. Preparation - before going on-site. 2. On-site visual check - before doing anything. 3. On-site actions - procedures to check if any actions must be done before starting the alignment process. Preparations The preparations to be done before you go out on an alignment job are not many, but can save you a lot of time. They may seem obvious and trivial, but they are based on the experience and consequences of mistakes made in the past. Before going on-site, there are a number of questions to be considered: What kind of safety regulations do you have to follow? Do you have the right working permits? Are there any time limits for the production stop you have to follow? Is the machine electrically isolated? What alignment tolerances are required? Are there any offsets to be considered? What space is available (need for thin chain fixture)? Can you rotate the shafts? What shim size is needed?

Pre-Alignment
Pre-alignment checks have an impact on the task of performing precision alignment in the following way: Quicker: making proper pre-alignment checks speeds up the whole alignment process. Pre-alignment checks made beforehand may eliminate unnecessary rework and minimize the total amount of time for a precision alignment job. Easier: following a certain procedure when doing the alignment checks makes the task of performing precision alignment much easier, even for those who have less experience. Doing things in the right order makes the alignment process more understandable and will not give the impression that it is black magic." More precise: especially when aligning high-speed machines, it is essential to obtain high precision in your alignment process. If you have not done your home work in terms of pre-alignment, you simply cannot meet the required alignment tolerances.

The more experienced engineers may not work through each of these checks before alignment, but if they find a problem later on, they will go back and check these. Doing them at the beginning, especially for the less

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Shaft Alignment: Pre-Alignment Is the alignment equipment complete, what is the battery level? Any required bolt torque values? Any specifications for coupling gap? Check that the machine has the right temperature for alignment? Take away old rusty shims (check that you can remove shims). Check coupling assembly and loosen the coupling bolts. Gross soft-foot. Mechanical looseness. Check coupling and shaft run-out. Pipe work strain. Rough shaft alignment. Check coupling gap (axial alignment).

On-Site Visual Checks The second step consists of an extensive visual inspection. The following items need to be addressed: Is this the right machine? Make sure that the machine is turned off and, if possible, locked in that position. What space is available? Check the foundation condition (cracks or deterioration). Check the bedplate condition (cracks or rust). Check the bolt condition and adjustment capability. Check the present shims. Look for leaks around seals, bearing housing and coupling.

Pre-Alignment Procedures
Below, the procedures for a few of the prealignment actions are discussed. Machine Temperature Before starting the alignment procedure, it is advisable to check the temperature of the machines that are going to be aligned. This is essential if you have to compensate for thermal growth. It is important to have the machine in a cold condition, since the offset values are often calculated and used when the machine is about 20-25 C (65-75 F). To do an alignment of machines during the cool-down process will never result in repeatable values and you have to do the whole process at least once again. Take readings with a temperature probe or instrument at several spots on the machines. Do this both on the casing and on the bearing housings. The variations should not differ more than 10-15%.

On-Site Actions The first thing to be done on-site is to clean the area from debris, rust and all other things that might disturb you in the alignment process. A golden rule in using any measuring equipment is to have a clean environment and good surfaces to attach the instrument onto. After the clean up you can carry on the prealignment procedure. After the visual checks, there are a number of actions to be considered:

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Shaft Alignment: Pre-Alignment Shim Condition Old and rusty shims should be removed and replaced with new ones in stainless steel. Avoid the use of home made shims made from brass, copper, or any other soft material. Never use more than 3-4 shims under each foot, if you have more than this, replace them with new, thicker ones. A pile of shims has the effect of a spring when the bolt is tightened and will definitely create problems during the alignment process. Coupling Assembly Verify that the coupling is properly assembled before starting the alignment process. The assembly should be according to the specification from the supplier in order to work properly. Slightly loosen the bolt on the coupling to minimize the risk of tensions, one of the machines might be hanging in the air if it is not loose. This is especially important when rigid couplings are used. Gross Soft Foot The gross soft foot condition is checked with a feeler gauge or by trying to remove present shims without loosening any of the bolts on the machine. At the same time, it is also advisable to check that the bolts are properly tightened. Mechanical Looseness This check is performed to identify any looseness in the bearings, gears or other mechanical parts in the machine that influence the alignment results. To do this, set up a dial indicator on the shaft and coupling, then try to move the shaft, by hand or with a lever, noting the maximum +/- reading on the dial indicator. Run-Out Run-out may be caused by: Eccentric couplings. 5
Figure 2. Rotate shaft slowly. Figure 1. Mounting of the dial indicator.

Out of round couplings. Bent shafts.

The procedure to check run-out is done by using a dial indicator. 1. Mount the dial indicator on a magnetic base or a clamp. 2. Position the dial indicator on the opposing coupling/shaft as below. If the coupling is assembled, mount it on the machine's base or to an adjacent machine.

3. Rotate the shafts slowly until the indicator reaches the maximum value +/-.

4. Zero the dial indicator.

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Shaft Alignment: Pre-Alignment 5. Rotate the shaft again until the indicator reaches a maximum +/-. Checking Pipe Strain Pipe strain occurs when the pipe and pump, due to misalignment, are forced together. This will introduce a lot of strain on the machine attached to the pipe. The problem seen in the alignment process is that the stationary machine will move when loosening the bolts. Use a dial indicator while the flange is loosened to check the effect of pipe strain: 1. Mount the dial indicator with the magnetic base on the frame or base plate or as described in the run-out" procedure. 2. Zero the indicator. 3. Loosen the bolts on the flange and read the value on the indicator. The pipe strain check can obviously also be done with a laser based shaft alignment system. Soft Foot Soft foot is a condition that could cause many problems obtaining repeatability in the positioning of the machine during the alignment process. A soft foot is caused when the motor feet or the pads on the base plate create a common flat plane. Skew bedplates are often detected when you make a new installation or after a refurbishment. Sometimes this can also occur on existing base plates where cracks appear or the complete base plate moves. Additionally, this could be caused when the machine foot is not resting on its whole surface. Instead, it has contact at just one point, an edge or part of the foot surface. This condition can be illustrated by placing shims only on three feet.

Figure 4. Soft foot example.

Figure 3. Pipe strain check.

The problem of a soft foot condition is that it is impossible to obtain repeatable alignment values in the vertical direction when you try to make corrections. Soft foot causes the motor to move during the correction phase and you are actually moving the axis of rotation. Soft foot can also cause the motor casing to distort when the bolts are tightened. A distortion of the motor casing could result in bearing misalignment and will have a considerable impact on the bearing lifetime.

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Shaft Alignment: Pre-Alignment and tighten the bolts on the machine. If so, this indicates that you have a soft foot condition.

Figure 5. Soft foot causes non-repeatable values.

One type of soft foot is called short foot or parallel soft foot." Adding shims to the "short foot" solves this problem.

Figure 8. Laser alignment equipment.

Repeatability Test
Figure 6. Short foot.

A second type of soft foot occurs as angled foot." Adding shims under the foot, as shown below, can solve it but it is better to correct the angle of the foot or to make a steel wedge.

To reduce the number of actions to be done, it is recommended to set-up the shaft alignment system and perform a repeatability test. The procedure is easily carried out in a couple of minutes and will definitely help you to make an effective precision alignment. If the values in each position do not repeat (within 10-20% of the tolerances) this could be caused by different reasons. To reduce the number of actions mentioned above, check the listed items in the following order to find what causes the problem: 1. Fixtures: check if the fixtures are properly tightened. 2. External sources: check the foundation, bolts, shims, coupling, etc. 3. Internal sources: check for bent shafts and mechanical looseness in bearings and gears.

Figure 7. Angle foot.

Detection Soft Foot Conditions

There are a number of ways to detect the soft foot condition. The method to be used is often chosen by the way you perform the shaft alignment procedure. The equipment used for the alignment procedure is also used to check if there is any soft foot condition. When using a twin laser shaft alignment system, it often provides a built-in function to check if there is a soft foot condition. During the procedure, you will check if the machine's rotating shafts are moving when you loosen

Conclusion
There is a great deal more to shaft alignment than just a straight edge and a sharp eye. Prealignment is one of the most important steps in proper shaft and equipment alignment. 7

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Shaft Alignment: Pre-Alignment Before starting the shaft alignment process, no matter which alignment method you use, there are a number of checks to be made. It is often impossible to reach the desired precision alignment results if you do not make these pre-alignment checks. Fixturlaser AB stergrdsgatan 9 SE-431 21 Mlndal, Sweden Internet: http://www.fixturlaser.se

Machine Support BV - The comprehensive

capabilities of Machine Support include the highest proficiency in the installation support of diesel engines, turbines, and the alignment to generators, pumps, compressors, and shaft lines. Machine Support also specializes in geometric alignments such as measuring the line bore of diesel engines and measuring the straightness of stern tubes onboard marine vessels. Machine Support BV Kaartenmakerstraat 7 NL-2984 CB Ridderkerk, The Netherlands Internet: http://www.machinesupport.com

Further Reading
Consult www.aptitudexchange.com for detailed articles, covering topics such as: "Couplings" Shaft Alignment: Introduction Shaft Alignment: Benefits Horizontal Shaft Alignment Methods of Calculation Rough Alignment Horizontal Shaft Alignment Vertical Shaft Alignment Alignment of Offset Drives Machine Train Alignment Straightness

SKF Maintenance Products - Delivers

various tools for shaft and belt alignment. SKF Maintenance Products Kelvinbaan 16 NL-3439 MT Nieuwegein, The Netherlands Internet: http://mapro.skf.com

Piotrowski, J., Shaft Alignment Handbook, Marcel Dekker, April, 1986.

Additional Resources
Fixturlaser AB - Fixturlaser AB develops,
manufactures, and markets laser based alignment systems globally in a 70+ countries. Fixturlaser was founded in 1980 and the first laser alignment system developed in 1984. Since then the technology has been accepted in mostly every industry. Their mission is to become the leading provider of easy solutions, including equipment and application knowledge for measurement and alignment of machinery in any industry. 2004 SKF Reliability Systems All Rights Reserved