Misalignment of Sheave and Shaft and Its Consequences

The latest technology Easy-Laser BTA used for Belt Alignment results in reduced pulley, belt, bearing and seal wear. A proper belt alignment increases the bearing life, increase machinery uptime, efficiency and productivity. The belt alignment also reduces the friction, noise and vibration. Also, it reduces the cost of replacing components and machinery downtime.

In machine terminology, a Coupling Alignment refers to a device used to connect two or more machine shafts together. A perfect coupling may decide the performance of the machine and can influence the factors like horsepower, load, specific gravity, head pressure, torque, etc. Couple alignment could be of three types: Rigid Coupling, Flexible Coupling, and Spacer Shaft Coupling. The rigid Coupling is employed when a precise shaft alignment is needed. This type of coupling entertains zero misalignment. The flexible couplings are the one that are designed to reduce the shock impact. These couplings are designed to accommodate misalignment up to a few degrees yet they need to be correctly aligned along the rotational centerline of two coupled shafts. A spacer shaft coupling often incorporates a flexible membrane coupling which enables perfect alignment of shafts.

There is strict need of the Machine Reliability of the couplings since the misalignment of them could lead to forcing the shafts to rotate in an eccentric manner. The shaft misalignment increases the power consumption, creates vibrations, stress on the shafts, and finally contributing to the plant breakdown. The plant health entirely depends on the machine health and this machine is characterized by the belt and couplings alignment.