We previously discussed types of soft foot in Types of Soft Foot: Part 1 Parallel Air Gap. In this follow-up blog, we will discuss Bent Foot.

What is Bent Foot?

Bent foot: Occurs when a foot of the machine is deflected or in an angle with regard to the base. However, this also applies to when the base is in an angle with respect to the foot.

When a machine has a soft foot condition, the act of tightening the hold-down bolts will put stress on and distort the frame. This will cause the bearings that hold the shaft to misalign internally, which can cause vibration, out-of-roundness in the bearings and stress on the shaft. Minimizing the effect of soft foot will increase your machine’s reliability.

This condition in our soft foot series is a common one.

Condition 2: Bent Foot

• Caused by one (or more) machine feet that are bent or angled to the mounting surface. Can also be caused by a deflected base.
• Feet that are not parallel to the surface will stress the machine when tightened down.
• To correct, re-machine the feet, base or both.
• Step-shimming is also an acceptable solution when pressed for time.

Download our Soft Foot Find-and-Fix Infographic which outlines the of types of Soft Foot including causes and corrections.