Rotor Balancing

HG 4 (Chapter 8)

INTRO
Mechanical imbalance is one of the most common
causes of machinery vibration
Static, or standing, imbalance is the condition in which
there is more weight on one side of a centerline than
the other
A rotor maybe in perfect static balance, but not be in a
balanced state when rotating at high speed.

SOURCES OF VIBRATION CAUSED BY

MECHANICAL IMBALANCE
Two major sources:
1. Assembly Errors
2. Incorrect key length guesses during balancing

ASSEMBLY ERRORS
Potential errors include:
1. Relative placement of each parts center of rotation
2. Location of the shaft relative to the bore
3. Cocked rotors

ASSEMBLY ERRORS - Center of

Rotation
All rotors should be balanced on a shaft having a
diameter as nearly the same as possible as the shaft on
which it will be assembled
For best results, balance the rotor on its own shaft
rather than on a balancing shaft
This may require some rotors to be balanced in an
overhung position, a procedure the balancing shop often
wishes to avoid

ASSEMBLY ERRORS - Locating Position

of Shaft Relative to Bore
If the operator removes the rotor from the balancing
shaft without marking the point of bore and shaft
contact, it may not be in the same position when
reassembled
This often shifts the rotor by several mils, thus causing
an imbalance

ASSEMBLY ERRORS - Locating Position

of Shaft Relative to Bore
Method:
1. Permanently mark the location of the contact point
between the bore and the shaft during balancing
2. Use the mark when the equipment is reassembled in
the plant
3. For end-clamped rotors, slide the bore on the horizontal
shaft, rotating both until the mark is at the 12 oclock
position, then clamp it in place

ASSEMBLY ERRORS Cocked Rotors

If a rotor is cocked on a shaft in a position different from
the one in which it was originally balanced, an
imbalanced assembly will result
For very narrow rotors, If the rotor is slightly cocked, the
small axial distance between the two very large
centrifugal forces causes an appreciable couple
imbalance

ASSEMBLY ERRORS Cocked Rotors

How to prevent?
1. Tighten each setscrew graduallyfirst one, then the
other, and back againso that the rotor is aligned
evenly
2. On flange-mounted rotors, clean the mating surfaces
and the bolt holes

ASSEMBLY ERRORS Other

Other assembly errors can cause vibration:
1. Variances in bolt weights when one bolt is replaced by
one of a different length or material
2. For setscrews that are 90 degrees apart, the
tightening sequence may not be the same at final
assembly as during balancing mark which was
tightened first

KEY LENGHT
When balancing a keyed-shaft rotor:
One half of the keys weight is assumed to be part of
the shafts male portion
The other half is considered to be part of the female
portion that is coupled to it

KEY LENGHT
To prevent an imbalance:
1. Do not allow the balance operator to guess the key
length
2. It is strongly suggested that the actual key length be
recorded on a tag that is attached to the rotor
3. The tag should be attached in such a way that another
device cannot be attached until the balance operator
removes the tag

THEORY OF IMBALANCE
Imbalance is the condition in which there is more weight
on one side of a centerline than on the other
This condition results in unnecessary vibration can
be corrected by the addition of counterweights

TYPES OF IMBALANCE
1. Static
2. Dynamic
3. Couple
4. Dynamic imbalance combinations of static & couple

TYPES OF IMBALANCE - Static

Static imbalance is single-plane imbalance acting
through the center of gravity of the rotor, perpendicular
to the shaft axis
Also can be separated into two separate single-plane
imbalances, each acting in-phase or at the same
angular relationship to each other
The only force involved is weight
When rotation occurs, static imbalance translates into a
centrifugal force

TYPES OF IMBALANCE - Dynamic

Dynamic imbalance is any imbalance resolved to at
least two correction planes (i.e., planes in which a
balancing correction is made by adding or removing
weight)
The two imbalances do not have to be equal in
magnitude and any particular angular reference to
each other
The primary components of dynamic imbalance include
the number of points of imbalance, the amount of
imbalance, the phase relationships, and the rotor speed

DYNAMIC Points of Imbalance

The number of imbalance points on the rotor can be
more than one point of imbalance within a rotor
assembly
Especially in rotor assemblies with more than one
rotating element, such as a three-rotor fan or multistage pump

DYNAMIC Amount of Imbalance

The amplitude of each point of imbalance must be
known to resolve dynamic balance problems
Most dynamic balancing machines are able to isolate
and define the specific amount of imbalance at each
point on the rotor

DYNAMIC Phase Relationship

Balancing instruments isolate each point of imbalance
and determine their phase relationship
Plotting each point of imbalance on a polar plot - a
circular display of the shaft end - does this
Each point of imbalance is located on the polar plot as a
specific radial, ranging from 0 to 360 degrees

DYNAMIC Rotor Speed

Most rotating elements are balanced at their normal
running speed
They may be out of balance at some speeds that are
not included in the balancing solution

TYPES OF IMBALANCE - Coupled

Coupled imbalance is caused by two equal non-colinear
imbalance forces that oppose each other angularly
Pure couple imbalance occurs if this same rotor is
revolved at an appreciable speed

TYPES OF IMBALANCE - Dynamic

Imbalance Combinations of Static
and Couple
Example of case:

Rotor that has only one imbalance in a single plane and

not at the rotors center of gravity but is off to one side
This force to one side of the rotor causes translation
(parallel motion caused by pure static imbalance) and
also the rotor rotate or wobble end-over-end as from a
couple
Such a force would create a combination of both static
and couple imbalance

BALANCING
Imbalance is the main source in about 40% of the excessive
vibration situations
Before a part can be balanced with the vibration analyzer,
certain conditions must be met:
1. The vibration must be caused by mechanical imbalance, and
2. Weight corrections can be made on the rotating component
.To calculate imbalance units, simply multiply the amount of
imbalance by the radius at which it is acting

BALANCING In-Place Balancing

The process of balancing a part without taking it out of
the machine is called in-place balancing
This technique eliminates costly and time consuming
disassembly
Also prevents the possibility of damage to the rotor

BALANCING Single-Plane Vs. TwoPlane Balancing

Disc-shaped rotating part usually can be balanced in
one correction plane only
Parts that have appreciable width require two-plane
balancing
The narrower the rotor, the less the chance for a large
couple component and therefore the greater the
possibility of getting by with a single-plane balance

BALANCING Precision Balancing

The driving force for providing this service is that many
large mills and refineries have started doing their own
precision balancing to tolerances considerably closer
than those used by the original-equipment manufacturer
Example: ISO for process plant machinery calls for a
G6.3 level of balancing in its balancing guide. This was a
calculated based on a rotor running free in space with a
restraint vibration of 6.3 mm/sec (0.25 in./sec) vibration
velocity

TECHNIQUES USING PHASE SHIFT

Method:
1. Determine how the rotor is vibrating vertically by comparing
vertical only readings with each other
2. Determine how the rotor is vibrating horizontally
3. If the rotor is shaking horizontally and vertically and the phase
differences are relatively similar, then the source of vibration is
likely to be imbalance
4. Be sure that other l x rpm sources (e.g., bent shaft, eccentric
armature, misaligned coupling) are not at fault

BALANCING STANDARDS
The ISO has published standards for acceptable limits for
residual imbalance in various classifications of rotor assemblies
Balancing standards are given in ounce-inches or pound-inches
per pound of rotor weight or the equivalent in metric units
(gram-millimeters per kilogram)
Most balancing standards are based on a residual imbalance
(imbalance of any kind that remains after balancing) and do
not include multi-plane imbalance

BALANCING STANDARDS