PLANT ENGINEERING • November 2011 Friction can cause damage, but it also can be an energy hog. Keeping your rotating shafts in alignment is a fundamental—and often overlooked—maintenance project. Alan Luedeking, the manager of technical support for LUDECA Inc., Doral, FL, talked with Plant Engineering (PE) about some of the critical issues in shaft alignment, and how [...]

One hour long presentation by Alan Luedeking , training instructor and field service engineer for alignment of rotating machinery at LUDECA. Originally filmed at the CBM 2011 Condition Based Monitoring Conference at the Reliability Performance Institute in Fort Myers, Florida. This presentation is an in-depth treatment of the subject of soft foot, or machine frame distortion, in directly [...]

When craftsmen are given the task of laser alignment, quite a few assumptions are made. One very common assumption is that now that a laser system is being used, anyone can do alignment. Another is that since a laser is being used, everything is alignable. Put a laser system on an unalignable machine and you [...]

Machinery Lubrication, September • October 2010 In his book “Machinery Vibration: Alignment”, noted author and expert on precision alignment Victor Wowk illustrates the relationship between misalignment and loss of machine life. Of course, some equipment is more or less tolerant to misalignment depending on bearing type and coupling type. Likewise, the effects of misalignment are [...]

Often, maintenance departments invest in good quality Bolts and Nuts (Grade 8), but neglect to do the same with flat washers. The importance of a good washer cannot be overstated. If you use a typically thin Grade 2 (or worse) flat washer under the bolt head of the hold-down bolts of your machine, this washer [...]

POWER-GEN Worldwide, September 2010 The alignment of turbine-generator sets poses unique challenges that only the best laser shaft alignment systems can overcome. Not the least of these is the difficulty of turning the shafts (either coupled or uncoupled) and the methods employed in turning them. The intent of this article is to present a few [...]