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
 Balance Grades: Sample Chart
Permissible Residual unbalance per unit rotor
weight (g*mm/g*1000) or Permissible cg
displacement (mm*1000)

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 2-

pole 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.

Run1(ODE)
2. Run2(ODE)
Run3(ODE)
Run4(ODE)
1.
Run5(ODE)
Run6(ODE)
Run1(DE)
5. 4. 3. 2. 1. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Run2(DE)
Run3(DE)
1. Run4(DE)
Run5(DE)
Run6(DE)
2.

3.

As low as reasonably
achievable.
4.

5.
Before and After MOV Spectrum
2 Year Overall Trend
Questions?

Balance Grades:

Electric Motor Experience

Clay Boyd, PE
CBM Analyst