We are just completing the replacement of the engine mounts on a couple of Niigata engines and whilst the engine mounts were in vital need of replacing (that’s another story!), one of the critical parts of the work scope was the alignments.
As you’ll be aware, engine alignment is critical in protecting the engine and the equipment it’s driving, with misalignments resulting in vibrations able to cause bearing failures and catastrophic damage.
As a result, for this scope, we used the latest laser alignment equipment.
First up, the coupling specification was checked before our engineers ran a pre align check.
The tolerance figures for this engine at the drive end are set at the distance between the drive hub and the driven hub at 55.5mm + or – 0.1mm. The peripheral deviation is set at a tolerance within 0.1mm and the and the angular deviation is within 0.2mm.
Once these were known, the laser gear was set at the drive end on the large coupling and performed a sweep of the coupling, recording at three points – 9 o’clock 12 o’clock and 3 o’clock.
To gather reliable alignment data, the lasers need to see a 180 degrees sweep allowing information to be saved and recorded.
This procedure was then repeated on the free end of the engine.
With all figures recorded, we had the information to reset the couplings back or improve the alignment after the engine mounts had been changed.
The whole procedure was more efficient and precise and saves valuable time over the traditional clock and dial method (although we still find it a better process in some situations).
Clocks can take longer to set for reliable information, whilst the laser system also displays what is required to correct the level along with concise measurements to adjust the height of the engine.
