Shaft Alignment:

Benefits
Summary
“Shaft Alignment: Benefits” is the second in a series designed to
provide maintenance personnel with the solid knowledge needed
for equipment alignment. This article explains in detail the
effects of misalignment, and why shaft alignment is so important.
It also includes information on vibration, energy consumption,
mechanical component wear on bearings, seals, and couplings.

Fixturlaser_02
7 pages
May 2003

SKF Reliability Systems

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 Shaft Alignment: Benefits

Introduction axis of rotation. Energy will be lost in the

coupling and increased loads will be placed on
The application and interest in machinery any mechanical components that provide for
shaft alignment has increased dramatically rotation, seals, bearing housing, etc
since the early 1980’s. The continuously
increasing industry production speeds, a
worldwide phenomenon, have put a higher
demand on machinery performance,
reliability, and time in service. The
introduction of laser based systems and the
new techniques now enables the engineer to
obtain the desired precision alignment quicker
and easier than before, and to consider
alignment as a problem which can be solved.

Why is Shaft Alignment so

Important?
Virtually everything you see or touch made by
man, at some point in its life has to be
processed and transported. Every Figure 1. Misalignment creates forces in the coupling.
manufacturing process requires that power be
transmitted to a machine, pump, roller, axle, Misalignment manifests itself in five
or thousands of other examples as a interrelated problems:
fundamental part of the process of taking a
raw material and turning it into a product. In • Increased vibration
almost all cases, this power is transmitted by a • Increased energy loss
motor or force, which is converted into the
rotation of a shaft and then transmitted to • Increased load on bearings, seals, and
another shaft. Bearings are fitted around the other mechanical components
shaft to ensure that it rotates as freely as
possible. Both shafts must be joined to • Reduced production capacity
transfer the power through a coupling of some • Reduced product quality
sort. Any coupling’s main purpose is to drive
another shaft as efficiently as possible to Even the most conservative surveys carried
reduce the energy loss. Various types of out over the last ten year in a wide variety of
couplings have been used from animal skin, industries indicate that 50% of all machine
rope, and rubber belts through to ingenious breakdowns are directly due to poor
bands, gear couplings, steel, and alloy alignment. Some surveys have shown that as
membranes. much of 90% of machines are running beyond
their recommended tolerances.
In every situation, the most efficient energy
transfer will occur if the two connected shafts
are collinear, the shafts behave as if they were
one structure. When shafts are misaligned,
forces are generated in the coupling. Any
deviation in offset or angle will inevitably
mean that the shaft will try to find a common
© 2004 SKF Reliability Systems All Rights Reserved 2

Figure 2. Machine breakdowns due to poor alignment,
grease problems, and others.
It is not surprising that excessive vibration,
bearing failures, seal damage, couplings
failures, reduced plant time in service, and
increased energy bills are all accepted as part
and parcel of machine maintenance. It is often
only under the very worst condition, i.e. the
risk of injury and equipment damage,
unplanned production stops or the
deterioration of product quality, that much
attention or time is focused on the issue.
Vibrations
Misalignment causes vibrations. As shown
below, misalignment is recognized as the
single largest source of excessive machinery
vibration, and the associated premature failure
that accompanies it. Note that the 50%-70%
includes shaft misalignment, and many
alignment-related problems, such as soft foot,
cocked bearings, etc.
Figure 3. Major sources of machinery vibrations.
© 2004 SKF Reliability Systems All Rights Reserved
Shaft Alignment: Benefits
Today, a lot of industry uses vibration analysis
as a means in its preventive maintenance
programs. Analysis of machinery vibrations
makes it possible to discover misalignment
problems early.
Vibrations are measured horizontally,
vertically, and axially and there are some rules
of thumb in the analysis of the vibrations.
• Horizontal vibrations indicate imbalance
(H).
• Vertical vibrations indicate a weak or
loose foundation (V).
• Axial vibrations indicate misalignment
(A).
Figure 4. Vibration measurement points. Vertical (V),
Horizontal (H), Axial (A).
Energy Consumption
The correct alignment of a plant can reduce
the energy consumption of a motor by
anything up to 15%, and in some cases, a great
deal more. We have notices all over offices
reminding us to switch off lights if they are
not in use but does anyone ask how much
electricity the compressor of the air
conditioning unit motor is consuming? Or a
pump on the factory floor? Poor alignment
accounts for a minimum of 3 % of all
manufacturing energy costs.
The re-alignment of five cooling tower fans at
an acid plant in a petrochemical complex
saved an estimated 8 % per year per fan. The
total cost savings was 2000 USD per fan per
year.
3
 Shaft Alignment: Benefits

The following shows you how to calculate components are more or less accepted as a
savings: normal maintenance routine.

1. Measure before and after alignment Bearings

amperage.
Misalignment generates unnecessary forces,
2. Calculate the difference. which reduce the lifetime of the bearing.

3. Get motor data: voltage and power factor. • Misalignment results in exponential
bearing life reduction.
4. Find the cost of energy for your plant. • Doubling the load will reduce bearing life
to one-eight of its design life.
5. Calculate kW savings using the formula
below: • Rolling element bearing life is decreased
at the cube of increased force.
( volts × amps × pf × 1.732)
kW = • A 20% increase in load on a bearing will
1000
reduce its designed life by 50%
Annual savings = 8400 x kW x cost A paper mill gearbox bearing in Finland failed
due to misalignment. While away for repair its
Energy Savings Example
replacement failed too. To get back on line the
Sample Data: company chartered an aircraft to fly to Finland
to collect the overhauled unit; cost £ 38,000
• 30 hp motor
plus 16 hours downtime at £ 28,000 per hour
• 460 volts in product sales.

• 0.92 pf
• Before: 36 amps
• After: 32 amps
• Difference: 4 amps
( 460 × 4 × .92 × 1.732)
kW = = 2,931
1000

Annual savings = 8400 x 2.931 x 0.065 =

$1,600.33

Wear of Mechanical Components Figure 5. Bearing wear. A cardan shaft in a paper mill
sheared as a bearing seized. It ripped its motor and
Misalignment contributes to premature and gearbox off the foundation, wrecked three other
repeating wear on the mechanical components adjacent shafts and stopped production for three days
in the machinery. The introduction of (cost estimated at $ 2.3 million).
increased friction and loads on bearings, seals,
and couplings is just a result of the actual
problem, caused by misalignment. It is not
seldom that repeated repairs on these types of

© 2004 SKF Reliability Systems All Rights Reserved 4


Bearing Life Example
This simplified calculation indicates reduced
(fatigue) life, once a bearing exceeds its
design capacity.
Figure 6. Bearing life equation.
• For twice the bearing load (P):
3
2 = 2 x 2 x 2 = 8 or one-eighth the life.
• For three times the bearing load (P):
33 = 3 x 3 x 3 = 27 or one twenty-seventh
the life.
Seals
Misaligned shafts in rotating machinery have
a significant impact on the lifetime of seals.
Improper alignment conditions cause
additional forces on the seals, which will
eventually result in leakage of fluids and
problems with lubrication. In many cases,
lubrication problems are just symptoms of
misalignment and could easily be prevented
by introducing regular shaft alignment
procedures on the machines.
Figure 7 Seals. Misaligned seals cause leakage.
© 2004 SKF Reliability Systems All Rights Reserved
Shaft Alignment: Benefits
The effects on seal lifetime differ, of course,
but a lifetime of 30-50% of the calculated life
is not unusual. Considerable cost is often
spent on the replacement of seals, which could
be saved if a proper precision shaft alignment
procedure was introduced.
Couplings
The most common answer to the question “Do
you have a need for precision alignment?” is
“No, we use flexible couplings." Nevertheless,
the forces and the friction introduced by
misalignment will have an effect upon the
lifetime of the coupling. Depending on the
type of coupling the effect of misalignment
appears in different ways.
In flexible couplings, with a rubber or plastic
sleeve between two hubs, the alignment has a
dramatic impact on how often you will need to
replace it. A usual symptom of misalignment
is a small stack of rubber or plastic under the
coupling or coupling guard.
Another symptom of misalignment is that the
coupling will have a significant higher
temperature, which is easy to detect when the
machine is stopped, see Figure 8.
In gear type couplings, the amount of
misalignment directly affects the wear on the
mating teeth. Under excessive misalignment
condition the load on the teeth will be
concentrated to the end of the gear tooth flank.
This will eventually cause the state in which
gouging occurs on the internal gear teeth and
“knife edging” on the external gears.
Misalignment can also cause lubrication
problems in the coupling, which, in the end,
leads to the condition where there is no
lubrication at all between the gear teeth. At
this point, the teeth will have direct metal-to-
metal contact and the wear on the gears will
be rapidly increased.
5

Figure 8. Thermal radiation from couplings, aligned, and misaligned.
Production Capacity
Although the cost involved for replacing
mechanical components and added energy
consumption could be quite considerable, it
is often just a minor effect compared to the
impact shaft alignment has on the
production capacity. Today, modern
production processes are dependent on a
high runability, with as few production stops
as possible. The costs for every hour that the
process is shut off, normally far exceeds the
cost for the replacement of the components.
The figures naturally vary from process to
process, but figures like 5.000-25.00 US$
per hour are not unusual. An increase in
“up-time” by only part of a percentage could
mean a considerable improvement on the
margin when summarizing the financial
effects.
Product Quality
Improvement in product quality is an
additional effect when introducing shaft
alignment to many applications. Decreased
© 2004 SKF Reliability Systems All Rights Reserved
Shaft Alignment: Benefits
vibrations levels, reduced loads on bearings,
and other mechanical components will have
an impact on the product itself. The quality
of paper, steel, and plastic film is improved
when vibration levels are decreased after
implementing alignment on the drives.
Ripples and problems with surface
uniformity are only some examples of
problem areas that could be resolved.
Conclusions
The article explained in detail the negative
effects of misalignment, including vibration,
energy consumption, mechanical component
wear, production and quality effects. Proper
shaft alignment reduces those effects to a
minimum.
Further Reading
Consult htpp://www.aptitudexchange.com
for detailed articles, covering topics such as:
• "Couplings"
6
 Shaft Alignment: Benefits

• “Shaft Alignment: Introduction” the installation support of diesel engines,

turbines, and the alignment to generators,
• “Horizontal Shaft Alignment – Method pumps, compressors, and shaft lines.
of Calculation” Machine Support also specializes in
geometric alignments such as measuring the
• “Pre-Alignment” line bore of diesel engines and measuring
the straightness of stern tubes onboard
• “Rough Alignment” marine vessels.

• “Horizontal Shaft Alignment” Machine Support BV

Kaartenmakerstraat 7
• “Vertical Shaft Alignment” NL-2984 CB Ridderkerk, The Netherlands

• “Alignment of Offset Drives” Internet: http://www.machinesupport.com

• “Machine Train Alignment”
SKF Maintenance Products - Delivers
• “Straightness” various tools for shaft and belt alignment.

A well-known book reference is: SKF Maintenance Products

Kelvinbaan 16
Piotrowski, J., Shaft Alignment Handbook. NL-3439 MT Nieuwegein, The Netherlands
Marcel Dekker, April 1986.
Internet: http://mapro.skf.com
Additional Resources
Fixturlaser AB - Fixturlaser AB develops,
manufactures, and markets laser based
alignment systems globally in a 70+
countries. Fixturlaser was founded in 1980
and the first laser alignment system
developed in 1984. Since then the
technology has been accepted in mostly
every industry. Their mission is to become
the leading provider of easy solutions,
including equipment and application
knowledge for measurement and alignment
of machinery in any industry.

Fixturlaser AB
Östergårdsgatan 9
SE-431 21 Mölndal, Sweden

Internet: http://www.fixturlaser.se

Machine Support BV - The

comprehensive capabilities of Machine
Support include the highest proficiency in

© 2004 SKF Reliability Systems All Rights Reserved 7