Balance Grades:

Electric Motor Experience

Vibration Institute
Piedmont Chapter 14
12/01/2006

Clay Boyd, PE
CBM Analyst
704-382-3608
chboyd@duke-energy.com

References
Schenck Trebel Corporation
535 Acorn Street
Deer Park, NY 11729
Toll Free: 1-800-873-2352
http://www.schenck-usa.com

http://www.mpta.org/MPTABalancingPrimer.pdf
http://www.irdbalancing.com/downloads/TechPaper1BalQualityReqmts.pdf

Motor Repairs

Motor Repair Specification

Balance Grades
Initial Balance with Shop Balance Machine
Final Balance with Motor Assembled

Motor Repair Specification

Work to be performed
Acceptable Repair Practices
Required Reporting
Acceptance Criteria, including BALANCE GRADE.

Balance Grades

Balance Grades are used to specify the allowable residual

imbalance for rotating machinery.
The ISO 1940 standard defines balance grades for
different classes of machinery. (Rigid Rotors Only*)
Example: Balance Grade G2.5 is recommended for
Steam Turbines, Machine Tools and Small Electric
Armatures.
* ISO 11342 defines the balance quality requirements for rotors in a flexible state

Permissible Residual unbalance per unit rotor

weight (g*mm/g*1000) or Permissible cg
displacement (mm*1000)

Balance Grades: Sample Chart

Service Speed (rpm)

http://www.plant-maintenance.com/articles/balancingqualitylimits.pdf

Balance Grades
A rotor balanced to G2.5 will vibrate at 2.5 mm/sec
(Velocity) if freely suspended while rotating at service
speed. (2.5 mm/sec = 0.10 IPS)
V(mm/sec) = 2pe(mm)*RPM
60sec/min

e(mm) = Residual Imbalance (g-mm)

Rotor weight(g)

Balance Grades

Balance Grade is a function of

Rotor Mass (lbm, Kg, g)

Service speed (rpm)

Residual imbalance (g-in, oz-in, lb-in, g-mm)

Initial Balance with Shop Balance Machine

It is difficult if not impossible to achieve Balance

Grades G1.0 or G0.4 in a balance machine only

Balance Grades G1.0 and G0.4 have special requirements.

G1.0

The rotor must be mounted in its own service bearings

No end drive (for balance machines)

G0.4

The rotor must be mounted in its own housing and bearings

Must be run under normal service conditions: Load,

Temperature..

Self driven

Initial Balance with Shop Balance Machine : Roller Size

the roller diameter should differ from the journal

diameter by at least 10%, and the roller speed should
never differ less than 60 rpm from the journal speed.
p.54 Fundamentals of Balancing, 2nd Ed. 03/1983; Schenk Trebel

Final Balance with Motor Assembled

Motor Setup
Flexible or Rigid Rotor Large 2-pole motors
Effect of startup heating
Interference of 60 Hz electrical vibration on unloaded 2pole Motor phase readings

Final Balance with Motor Assembled

Motor Setup
Motor on Solid Base
Elevate on shims at base bolt locations
Shim to eliminate soft foot
Secure with bolts or clamps
Lubricate bearings
Monitor vibration from the first start

Flexible or Rigid Rotor Large 2-pole motors

In test runs at service speed, moving two test
masses from the end planes to the center plane,
results in a vibration change of less than 20%.
pp.21-22 Fundamentals of Balancing, 2nd Ed. 03/1983; Schenk Trebel

Graphic: http://www.schenck-usa.com/lib_101_types_unbal.asp

Effect of startup heating

60 Hz

Trial 1 (1:25 PM)

Trial 2, 3, 4, 5 6 (9:00 PM)

1X Vibration BC 2C CBPM
mils pk-pk
5.

4.

3.

2.

1.

5.

4.

3.

2.

1.

1.
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Run1(ODE)
Run2(ODE)
Run3(ODE)
Run4(ODE)
Run5(ODE)
Run6(ODE)
Run1(DE)
Run2(DE)
Run3(DE)
Run4(DE)
Run5(DE)
Run6(DE)

As low as reasonably
achievable.

Before and After MOV Spectrum

2 Year Overall Trend

Questions?
Balance Grades:
Electric Motor Experience

Clay Boyd, PE
CBM Analyst