Coupling Alignment Fundamentals
Coupling Alignment Fundamentals
Coupling Alignment Fundamentals
Page (1 of 14)
CONTENTS
OFFSET
ANGLE
In
addition,
as
misalignment
can
exist
in
many
directions,
it
is
conventional
to
describe
both
of
these
misalignments
in
two
planes,
the
vertical
and
the
horizontal
to
define
the
complete
alignment
condition
present.
Another
type
of
alignment
that
is
often
overlooked
is
the
axial
misalignment.
The
coupled
shafts
axial
position
can
change
as
a
result
of
many
factors
such
as
thermal
growth,
connected
equipment
thrust
forces,
pump
volute
gap
adjustments
and
sleeve
bearing
motor
end
float.
In
addition
to
this,
some
couplings
may
generate
thrust
forces
as
a
result
of
applied
torque,
speed
and
misalignment.
Be
sure
the
proper
type
of
coupling
for
the
application
is
used
and
that
you
are
within
its
published
axial
operating
limits.
SOFT
FOOT
Soft
foot
occurs
when
a
piece
of
equipment,
such
as
a
motor,
is
not
sitting
flat
on
its
base
or
it
rocks.
The
rocking
can
be
eliminated
by
tightening
down
the
hold
down
bolts;
however,
this
puts
the
motor
bearings
under
undue
strain
and
may
cause
an
increase
in
vibration.
A
soft
foot
condition
may
also
result
in
erroneous
alignment
readings.
Fig.
3
Soft
Foot
Check
THERMAL
GROWTH
Always
consider
if
your
equipment
will
move
in
any
direction
from
the
“cold”
condition
to
the
“hot”
running
condition
when
it
reaches
operating
speed
and
temperature.
If
the
growth
is
significant,
you
must
deliberately
misalign
your
equipment
in
the
cold
condition
so
that
alignment
is
achieved
when
it
is
operating
and
up
to
temperature.
As
you
can
see
from
the
below
example
the
amount
of
vertical
growth
can
be
significant:
To
properly
align
this
equipment
vertically,
in
the
cold
condition
you
would
shim
the
pump
shaft
.048”
high
with
respect
to
the
turbine
shaft.
INDICATOR
SAG
If
using
a
dial
indicator
for
alignment,
you
need
to
determine
the
difference
in
the
dial
indicator
reading
when
it
is
at
the
12:00
o’clock
position
on
top
compared
to
when
it
is
on
the
6:00
o’clock
position
on
the
bottom.
The
difference
in
these
readings
is
a
result
of
gravity
deflecting
the
indicator
bracket
away
from
the
shaft
it
is
reading
in
the
bottom
position.
It
is
not
necessary
to
eliminate
sag
but
rather
to
know
what
it
is
and
adjust
for
it
in
your
final
alignment
readings.
Determining
Indicator
Sag:
Indicator
sag
is
determined
by
rigidly
mounting
the
indicator
bracket
on
a
rigid
piece
of
pipe
with
the
dial
indicator
stem
resting
on
top
in
the
12:00
o’clock
position
as
seen
in
Fig.
4.
In
this
position,
set
the
indicator
at
“0”
(zero)
and
roll
the
pipe
until
the
indicator
is
at
the
bottom
6:00
o’clock
position
on
the
pipe.
In
the
example
shown
in
Fig.
5,
the
indicator
sag
was
measured
at
negative
-‐.005
inch.
Reading=-‐.005
Fig.
4
Fig.
5
Comments
Regarding
Indicator
Sag:
1. The
indicator
sag
reading
will
always
be
a
negative
number.
2. It
is
used
only
to
correct
the
vertical
top
to
bottom
readings
(for
the
horizontal
or
side-‐to-‐side
readings
it
is
ignored
as
they
cancel).
3. The
indicator
bracket
should
be
as
light
and
as
rigid
as
possible.
It
is
general
practice
to
try
and
limit
the
amount
of
indictor
sag
to
not
greater
than
10%
of
your
largest
indicator
reading.
V. Alignment Methods
To
explain
the
3
recommended
alignment
methods
from
Section
III,
we
will
use
a
motor
connected
to
a
pump
as
our
example.
Regardless
of
the
method
used
you
must
correct
the
alignment
in
the
vertical
and
the
horizontal
plane.
§ First,
correct
the
vertical
misalignment
by
shimming
under
the
equipment
feet.
§ Second,
correct
the
horizontal
misalignment
by
moving
the
equipment
side
to
side.
MOTOR
PUMP
15! 25!
FRONT BACK
FOOT FOOT
10!
PUMP MOTOR
15! 25!
DISTANCE TO FRONT FOOT DISTANCE BETWEEN
OF MOTOR MOTOR FEET
Fig.
6
The horizontal scale on the graph used here is one small division equals one inch.
BOTTOM
+ .005
PUMP MOTOR
.005
.005!
A
10!
B
ANGULAR SOLUTION
Fig.
7
Step
5:
Interpret
Face
reading
(Vertical
Solution):
Reading
on
the
face
at
a
10-‐inch
diameter
you
measure
+.005
at
the
bottom,
which
means
the
indicator
stem
was
compressed
.005
inches
for
every
10
inches
of
length.
This
can
only
happen
when
the
motor
shaft
centerline
extension
is
low
with
respect
to
the
pump
shaft
centerline
extension.
Step
6:
Plot
face
reading
(Vertical
solution)
Extend
the
10-‐inch
face-‐measuring
diameter
along
the
dashed
pump
centerline.
Using
a
vertical
scale
of
one
small
square
equals
.001
inch,
plot
the
.005
inches
below
the
pump
centerline.
As
seen
in
Fig.
7,
the
line
drawn
between
the
pump
flange
center
and
through
the
plotted
point,
extended
past
the
plane
of
the
motor
feet.
This
line
represents
the
angular
only
orientation
of
the
motor
shaft
centerline
with
respect
to
the
pump
shaft
centerline.
Step
7:
Shim
to
Correct
Angular
Misalignment
(Vertical
solution)
At
the
location
on
figure
7
of
the
front
motor
feet
(A)
and
the
back
motor
feet
(B)
count
the
number
of
squares
below
the
shaft
centerline
to
the
motor
shaft
centerline
extension.
To
bring
the
motor
shaft
into
angular
alignment
in
the
vertical
plane
you
would
shim
the
front
motor
feet
.0075
inch
and
shim
the
back
feet
.0020
inch.
TOP
0
PUMP MOTOR
NEAR RIM FAR
+ .001 + .016
BOTTOM (CORRECTED)
+ .010 + .015
VERTICAL SOLUTION
.007
.0075! C = .000!
.000
.000!
PUMP MOTOR
TOTAL SOLUTION
D = .0125!
.0125
ANGULAR SOLUTION
Fig.
8
Step
10:
Correct
bottom
rim
reading
(Vertical
solution)
The
bottom
dial
indicator
reading
measured
+.010
inches,
but
this
reading
must
be
corrected
for
the
indicator
sag
discussed
in
section
IV.
To
correct
the
reading
you
subtract
the
indicator
sag
reading
(-‐
.005)
from
the
bottom
dial
indicator
reading
(+.010)
to
give
you
an
actual
reading
of
+.015
[(.010
–
(-‐
.005)
=
+.015
].
Step
11:
Plot
rim
reading
(Vertical
solution)
As
this
is
a
T.I.R.
(Total
Indicator
Reading)
it
is
two
times
the
actual
shaft
to
shaft
relation.
+.015
÷
2
=
+.0075.
.0075
is
where
the
motor
shaft
centerline
extension
is
relative
to
the
pump
shaft
centerline
at
the
pump
hub.
With
the
pump
established
as
the
fixed
piece
of
equipment,
a
corrected
plus
reading
at
the
bottom
means
the
dial
indicator
stem
was
compressed
which
can
only
occur
if
the
motor
shaft
centerline
is
high
with
respect
to
the
pump
shaft
centerline.
Using
a
scale
of
one
small
division
on
the
graph
equal
to
.001
inches,
plot
this
point
as
shown
in
Fig.
8.
The
parallel
offset
or
rim
misalignment
alone
could
be
corrected
by
removing
.0075
inches
of
shims
from
under
both
the
front
and
back
motor
feet.
ALTERNATIVE
By
drawing
a
line
parallel
to
the
angular
(face)
solution
and
thru
the
parallel
offset
point
the
total
solution
can
be
read
off
the
graph
at
“C”
and
“D”.
In
this
example
C=0
and
D=.0125
inch.
The
complete
vertical
alignment
solution
(angular
and
parallel)
is
to
add
.00125-‐inch
shims
to
the
back
motor
feet.
In
this
way,
you
shim
the
equipment
only
once
for
the
full
vertical
solution.
Vertically
the
equipment
is
now
aligned;
let’s
move
to
the
horizontal
solution.
Step
12:
Angular
or
Face
Solution
(Horizontal):
For
the
horizontal
(side-‐to-‐side)
results,
the
same
procedure
is
used.
Zero
one
of
the
side
readings
by
subtracting
this
reading
from
the
“near”
and
“far”
measurements.
Indicator
sag
can
be
ignored
as
it
cancels
out.
Plot
these
readings
and
the
results
can
be
read
off
of
the
graph
as
shown
in
Fig.
9.
TOP TOP
0 0
HORIZONTAL SOLUTION
PUMP .003!
.00 MOTOR
.004!
.00 .0035!
.0035!
.0035
.0085!
.008
TOTAL SOLUTION
(NEAR)
Fig.
9
1. Distance
from
where
the
first
indicator
rides
on
the
pump
hub
to
where
the
second
indicator
rides
on
the
motor
hub.
In
the
example
shown
below,
this
is
10-‐1/2
inches.
2. Distance
from
where
the
second
indicator
rides
on
the
motor
hub
to
the
center
of
the
front
motor
feet.
In
the
example
shown
below,
this
is
2-‐1/2
inches.
3. Distance
from
the
center
of
the
motor
front
feet
to
the
center
of
the
motor
back
feet.
In
the
example
shown
below,
this
is
5-‐1/4
inches.
Fig.
10
Pump Motor
(Corrected)
Fig.
11
From
Motor
to
Pump
Fig.
12
Step
7:
Reverse
the
indicator
to
read
the
motor
hub
and
sweep
readings
Now
reverse
the
indicator
setup
so
the
bracket
is
attached
to
the
pump
hub
and
is
reading
off
the
rim
of
the
motor
hub.
As
before,
zero
the
indicator
on
the
top
and
rotate
shafts
together
in
90°
increments
and
take
readings.
Fig.
13
From
Pump
to
Motor
A
positive
sign
indicates
the
dial
indicator
stem
was
compressed
at
the
bottom.
With
the
pump
being
fixed,
the
only
way
this
can
occur
is
if
the
motor
shaft
is
low
with
respect
to
the
pump
shaft.
Plot
this
point
as
shown
in
Fig.
14.
Fig. 14
Step
10:
Determine
vertical
shimming
required
at
front
and
back
motor
feet
With
the
pump
shaft
fixed,
these
two
points
represent
the
location
of
the
motor
shaft
with
respect
to
the
pump
shaft.
Draw
a
line
thru
these
two
points
extending
past
the
plane
of
the
front
and
back
motor
feet
as
seen
in
Fig.
15.
The
vertical
shim
adjustments
required
to
bring
the
two
shafts
into
alignment
can
be
read
directly
from
the
graph.
In
this
example,
.004
should
be
added
to
the
front
motor
feet
and
.001
should
be
added
to
the
back
motor
feet.
Fig.
15
In
our
example,
the
side
readings
from
the
motor
to
the
pump
in
Fig.
11
were
negative
-‐.005
(“near”
or
9:00
o’clock)
and
negative
-‐.015
(“far”
or
3:00
o’clock).
If
you
choose
to
zero
the
near
and
plot
the
far
readings,
subtract
negative
-‐.005
from
both
sides
and
your
“near”
reading
is
now
zero
and
your
“far”
reading
becomes
-‐
.010
[-‐015
-‐
(-‐.005)
=
-‐.010.]
When
the
distance
between
coupling
flex
elements
is
long,
making
use
of
indicator
brackets
impractical
or
where
lasers
cannot
be
targeted
due
to
obstructions
or
beam
interference,
Across
the
Flex
Element
Alignment
method
can
be
used.
In this method, angular and axial misalignment will be checked as described below respectively:
Angular alignment
Step
1:
Squarely
and
firmly
attach
a
dial
indicator
to
the
center
member
shaft
and
read
across
the
flex
element
to
the
driver
hub
surface
facing
away
from
the
indicator
mounting
as
seen
in
Fig.
16.
Fig. 16
Step
2:
With
the
dial
indicator
set
to
zero,
rotate
the
shaft
one
revolution
and
record
the
maximum
and
minimum
dial
indicator
readings.
Step
3:
If
the
range
between
the
maximum
and
minimum
reading
is
at
or
below
.010
inch,
the
angular
alignment
is
acceptable.
If
the
range
is
greater
than
.010
inch,
the
equipment
should
be
realigned.
Step 4: Repeat steps 1-‐4 on the driven side flex element.
Axial Alignment
To
establish
the
axial
misalignment,
you
will
measure
the
gap
between
the
spacer
flange
and
connected
equipment
hubs,
on
both
flex
points
of
the
coupling,
and
compare
with
published
coupling
limits.
Step
1:
Without
rotating
the
coupling,
take
four
gap
readings
at
3:00,
6:00,
9:00
and
12:00
o’clock
between
the
driver
and
center
member
flanges
as
seen
in
Fig.
17.
Fig.
17
Step
3:
Consult
the
coupling
installation
instructions
for
the
coupling
size
and
style
being
installed
to
be
sure
the
average
reading
are
within
acceptable
axial
installation
limits.
If
the
coupling
being
aligned
is
an
Addax®
coupling,
the
nominal
gap
for
all
sizes
is
.540
inches
and
should
be
between
.530
and
.550
inches.
Step 4: Repeat steps 1-‐3 on the driven side flex element.