Pre-Alignment Procedures – Soft Foot

Soft foot is that it is impossible to obtain

repeatable alignment values in the vertical
direction when you try to make correction.
Soft foot can also cause the motor casing to
distort when the bolts are tightened.

A soft foot is caused when the motor feet or

Soft foot illustrated by placing shims only
the pads on the base plate create a common
on three feet
flat plane. Skew bedplates are often detected
when you make a new installation or after a
refurbishment. Sometimes this can also occur
on existing base plates where cracks appear
or the complete base plate moves.
Additionally, this could be caused when the
machine foot is not resting on its whole
surface. Instead, it has contact at just one
point, an edge or part of the foot surface. Soft foot causes non-repeatable values

2010-09-13 ©SKF Slide 18 [Code]

SKF [Organisation]
Pre-Alignment Procedures – Soft Foot

One type of soft foot is called “short foot” or

“parallel soft foot." Adding shims to the "short
foot" solves this problem.

Short foot

A second type of soft foot occurs as

“angled foot." Adding shims under the foot,
as shown below, can solve it but it is better to
correct the angle of the foot or to make a
steel wedge.

Angle foot

2010-09-13 ©SKF Slide 19 [Code]

SKF [Organisation]
Pre-Alignment Procedures – Soft Foot

Soft foot checking by

Laser Shaft Alignment

Soft foot checking

by Dial Indicator

2010-09-13 ©SKF Slide 20 [Code]

SKF [Organisation]