LEVELING AND ALIGNING

CONCEPT OF LEVELLING AND ALIGNING PROCEDURE OF LEVELING AND

ALIGNMENT OF DIRECT COUPLE DRIVE
WHAT IS DIRECT COUPLE DRIVE ?

 Direct drives consist of a shaft connecting a motor and pump. They are inexpensive, simple, and eliminate all side
loads on the pump bearings. But direct drives are still only applicable to a small number of applications. That’s because
the pump and motor must be rigidly and accurately mounted to ensure alignment of the pump and motor shafts. The
pump may require a pilot surface to mate with a pilot bore on the mounting pad. Even with piloted surfaces, technicians
must be extremely careful with the alignment during installation. For some applications, a set of matched pumping
elements can be mounted on an overlength motor shaft to ensure proper alignment. The finished setup resembles an
integral pump-motor.
 If there’s a flexible coupling between the shaft and pump, it is called a direct coupled drive. This is one of the most
common ways to drive a pump. It has most of the benefits of a direct drive, but eliminates the need for precise shaft
alignment. Side loads on the bearings are usually low, but proportional to the misalignment with some coupling types,
and the drive is simple.
 Couplings generally used in this type of drive should accommodate the angularity of intersecting shafts, as well as offset
or nonintersecting shafts. Coupling backlash or “windup” is generally not an issue.
WHAT IS LEVELING AND ALIGNING ?

 LEVELING :  ALIGNING :
  Proper machine alignment can be summed up in a simple statement: The
Keeping everything level is crucial when you are working on
shafts are aligned in both the horizontal and vertical planes. Misalignment
machines. In particular, leveling is used on machine tables, rails, and
takes place when the shafts are not parallel or a shaft has an angular
bases. misalignment. Parallel misalignment means that an offset of the shafts has
 Accuracy is everything if you are designing products that follow a occurred.
specific profile. For example, with a machine leveling process, you
make sure that all components are precisely aligned and
straightened out.
 This process occurs during the installation or adjustment of a
machine. To achieve optimal geometric relationships, machine tooling
operators have standards to follow. To do this, they check alignments
using three axes: x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis.
 Moreover, operators use a number of tools and approaches to check
for alignments and correct errors. This will involve aligning work
surfaces with spindles and axes. Through proper alignment, there is
little or no room for error in the production of machine parts.
 The alignment of direct - coupled drives : -

The alignment of direct - coupled drives can be easily made by the following three steps .

1.Axial positioning of the shafts.

2.Paralleling of shaft axis.
3.Centering of the shaft axis.

Fix the motor and driven machine on the bed plate in their final position. Level up the motor driven shaft with proper positioning of
shims. The spirit level can be used to some extent to check the alignment of the shaft. A lining up tool as shown in the Figure A can be
used, which is most useful .
After the shafts have linked properly, the lining up tool is bolted in position as shown in the Figure B. It is so placed that there is a
small gap exists between the two points. The two shafts are now rotated together and if the two points do not diverge then the shafts
are parallel. When the relative positions of the points remain the same throughout one complete revolution of the shaft, then the
alignment of the shaft is correct. It is shown by the following figure.
 The difference in the height of axis of drive shaft and driven shaft can be checked by steel ruler. The straight edge of
the ruler is placed on the two outside flanges of coupling as shown in Figure C. If the centre of heights are the same
the ruler edge touches each flange along its whole length then they are aligned. When steel ruler touches only one
flange, that will mean that one shaft is lower than other. On the other hand, when the couplings are on the same
centre, with the shaft not in line with the edge of ruler touches the flange only one or two points.

To confirm the running true of two coupling halves the gap between two couplings is checked with the help of the filler
gauge. The gap is checked by turning the motor shah through 90°, 180°, 270º, and 360° The readings should remain
unchanged at all the positions of the shaft. By using the above methods the alignment is checked. The adjustment in
driving and driven shaft is carried out packing shims. The foundation bolts are slowly tightened and grouting is carried
out, only after careful alignment of two shafts.
Why Is Machine Leveling Important ?

 Construction and land development make use of leveling. Developers will need to locate elevations so they can level them out
before construction.
 Leveling is also crucial to check if floors, ceilings, and other surfaces are perfectly horizontal. Skipping the leveling procedure results
in poor-quality work, leading to crooked surfaces that are highly vulnerable to earthquake damage.
 Machine leveling also uses the same principle. If you are in the business of metalworking, machining, or tooling, precision has an
important role to play.
 At a machining center, a workpiece needs to be shaped, milled, or ground to fit the application it is used for. For this, every
component needs to be in spec so they can perform as intended. When it comes to leveling workpieces .
 Machine leveling is also important for preventing damage during an application. An end mill, for instance, will need to be properly
perpendicular to the work surface. Otherwise, the work may not turn out accurately, and the machine may get damaged.
 Leveling is crucial to manufacturing high-quality machine parts. It is used on automation systems and additive manufacturing
facilities. It optimizes CNC machining tools and tooling equipment. All in all, machine leveling involves compliance with quality
standards.
 Excessive vibration
EFFECTS OF • Misalignment is one of the leading causes of vibration problems – and as the reliability of the machine corresponds
directly with the level of vibration, excessive radial and axial vibrations will impact negatively on performance.
MISALIGNMENT OF All rotating equipment will produce a certain level of noise, but when the shafts are misaligned and the equipment
vibrates excessively, noise levels will also escalate correspondingly.
SHAFTS ? Premature failure of seals and bearings
• Accelerated failure of seals and other parts is costly – and even the slightest misalignment can result in excessive
force and stress being put onto the bearings and seals. Replacement parts are expensive, plus there’s also the risk
of damage and contamination of other components from the leaking fluid from the stressed seals and bearings.
Increased energy costs
• Misalignment correlates directly to higher power consumption as the machines are less efficient and therefore
draw greater amounts of energy.
Excessive heat
• In the same way that variations in temperature can cause misalignment, misalignment can cause machines to
overheat which results in lubrication issues as well as safety risks.
Broken shafts
• Misalignment can cause the shafts to break or crack – and this can lead to unplanned downtime and production
problems as well as costly equipment repair.
Higher operating costs, loss of production and increased maintenance costs
• Misaligned machinery generally has a shorter service lifespan and this premature failure of capital equipment
adversely affects outputs as well as negatively impacting the operation’s balance sheet. Higher maintenance costs,
costly downtime, unexpected capital costs for equipment replacement, increased inventory for spare parts and even
the potential for catastrophic machinery failures are all consequences of misalignment-induced mechanical
failures.