Types of Misalignment By Er.Laxman Singh Sankhla B.E.Mech., Chartered Engineer Jodhpur, India Mail ID: laxman9992001@yahoo.co.

in

Types of Misalignment. As already discussed we know that the alignment is measured in the vertical and horizontal planes. However, when we discuss the types of misalignment we are actually referring to Parallel and Angular misalignment Parallel Misalignment Parallel misalignment occurs when the machine centre lines do not coincide, but their respective centre lines are parallel to each other. In the diagrams below we can view parallel misalignment in both the vertical and horizontal planes. The following diagram illustrates parallel misalignment in the vertical plane. In this example the Motor is lower than the Pump. The Motor needs to be raised in order to obtain good alignment in the vertical plane.

The above diagram illustrates parallel misalignment in the horizontal plane. When viewing this diagram, it is clearly observed that the Motor needs to be moved to the West (towards the bottom of the paper) to obtain a good alignment in this plane. In most cases the Motor is the machine that is moved. The Pump is generally constrained within a piping system that is rigid. The Motor does not have these constraints. It is for this reason that the Pump is usually the fixed machine, and the Motor is the machine that is moved.

Angular Misalignment Angular misalignment is when the machine centre lines do not coincide and their respective centre lines are at an angle to each other. In the diagrams below we can view angular misalignment in both the vertical and horizontal planes. The following diagram illustrates Angular Misalignment in the vertical plane. In this example the Motor non-drive end is low and the Motor drive end is high. The Motor non-drive end need to be raised and the Motor drive end need to be lowered in order to obtain good alignment in the vertical plane.

The above diagram illustrates angular misalignment in the horizontal plane. In this example we can see that the Motor non-drive end needs to be moved to the East (towards the top of the paper) and the Motor drive end needs to be moved to the West (towards the bottom of the paper) to obtain a good alignment in this plane. As discussed, we now know that there are 2 types of misalignment, these are Parallel and Angular misalignment. We also now know that these forms of misalignment may be encountered in either the vertical or horizontal planes.

Combination of Parallel and Angular Misalignment. When checking for misalignment, it is quite common to find a combination of both Parallel and Angular misalignment in both the vertical and horizontal planes. The following diagram illustrates Parallel and Angular misalignment in the vertical plane. The Motor non-drive end should be lowered to eliminate the Angular misalignment. Once this has been achieved, the Motor will need to be lowered at equal amounts at both feet to eliminate the Parallel misalignment. When these steps have been completed, the alignment in the vertical plane will be acceptable.

The diagram above illustrates Parallel and Angular misalignment in the Horizontal plane. In this example, the Motor drive end needs to be moved to the West (towards the bottom of this paper) to eliminate the Angular misalignment. Once this has been achieved, the Motor will need to be moved equal amounts at both feet to the West (towards the bottom of the paper) to eliminate the Parallel misalignment. When these steps have been completed, the alignment in the horizontal and vertical planes will be acceptable.