Balancing of Rotating

Machines calculations
• The efficient and reliable operation of rotating
machinery is crucial in today’s industrial sector for
increasing productivity and reducing downtime.
• Vibration analysis has become an essential technique
for evaluating the operation and health of such
equipment.
• Engineers and maintenance specialists may
identify and diagnose underlying problems before they
develop into expensive failures thanks to this cutting-
edge method, which goes beyond the conventional
approach.
• Key aspects and techniques used in advanced
vibration analysis
• Vibration sensors:
• The first stage in modern vibration analysis is installing
top-notch vibration sensors on rotating machinery.
These specialized sensors, such as proximity probes and
accelerometers, are essential for precisely identifying
and measuring vibrations.
• Engineers and maintenance specialists can spot
possible problems and implement effective
troubleshooting techniques thanks to these sensors'
ability to capture different vibration signal
characteristics.
• Data acquisition: A crucial stage of sophisticated
vibration analysis is data acquisition.
• Engineers can continually monitor and record sensor
vibration signals using sophisticated data-gathering
systems.
• This data forms the basis for further investigation,
providing thorough insights into the condition and
functionality of rotating machinery.
• By utilizing this, professionals can proactively identify
probable issues, optimize maintenance plans, and
guarantee important equipment's reliable and effective
functioning.
• Signal processing: Applying complex algorithms to the
collected vibration data makes signal processing crucial in
vibration analysis.
• Analyzers improve the signal-to-noise ratio through
filtering, averaging, and other techniques, making it
possible to extract important information from raw data.
• These transformed insights contribute to a greater
comprehension of the dynamic behavior of the
equipment, exposing hidden patterns and assisting in the
early identification of potential defects.
• These cutting-edge processing techniques enable
maintenance specialists to make decisions and perform
precise repair operations to guarantee rotating
machinery's optimum performance and reliability.
• Time-domain analysis:
• Time-Domain Analysis, which involves a detailed evaluation
of vibration signals in the time domain, is a key technique in
vibration analysis.
• Engineers may learn a lot about the temporal behavior of
vibrations by carefully examining patterns, transients, and
anomalies.
• This analysis helps identify particular fault types and enables
the early identification of anomalies in rotating machinery.
• With this information, maintenance specialists can quickly
address possible problems, avoiding expensive downtime
and guaranteeing the efficient running of critical equipment
in various industrial sectors.
• Frequency analysis:
• Frequency analysis is a key component of sophisticated
vibration analysis, which converts vibration signals from the
time domain to the frequency domain using methods like the
Fast Fourier Transform (FFT).
• Engineers can then reveal the harmonics and prominent
frequencies in the vibrations, among other frequency
components.
• These results serve as helpful markers of certain rotating
machinery issues, enabling proactive fault diagnosis and
simplifying prompt maintenance interventions to guarantee
critical equipment performance in industrial operations.
Gearbox vibration analysis is one of the frequency analyses
used to find gear faults.
• Modal analysis:
• ODS and Modal analysis is a vital approach in
advanced vibration analysis to determine rotating
machinery’s inherent frequencies, mode shapes, and
damping characteristics.
• Engineers are given a thorough insight into the system’s
dynamic behavior thanks to this crucial information,
which helps in the early identification and avoidance of
potential resonance problems.
• Maintenance specialists may improve machinery
efficiency, reduce operational risks, and increase the
lifespan of essential equipment in industrial
environments by proactively resolving resonance issues.
•
• Fault diagnosis
• Fault Diagnosis is a comprehensive process in vibration
analysis, where engineers skillfully integrate multiple
techniques to pinpoint specific faults in rotating
machinery.
• One major example is finding the fault through
vibration analysis in centrifugal fans.
• Typical issues addressed through this approach include
unbalance, misalignment, bearing defects, resonance,
and looseness.
• Precise fault identification empowers maintenance
teams to implement targeted solutions, optimizing
equipment performance, reducing downtime, and
enhancing the overall reliability of industrial machinery.
• Advanced Diagnostic Tools:
• Modern vibration analysis is reliant on the use of cutting-
edge diagnostic technologies.
• Engineers need sophisticated software to view, analyze,
and interpret vibration data efficiently.
• The accuracy of defect diagnosis is improved by these
cutting-edge tools’ inclusion of features like trend analysis,
spectrum overlays, and machine learning algorithms.
• By utilizing the capabilities of, these technologies,
maintenance specialists may develop targeted plans and
make decisions to improve the performance and
dependability of rotating machinery in many industrial
applications.
• Advanced vibration analysis is essential to evaluate the
health of rotating machinery and guarantee its
reliability, safety, and effectiveness in diverse
industries.
• Despite how simple it is to measure vibrations, good
data interpretation and root cause analysis require
knowledge of case studies and experience.

• Vibration analysis is a major approach in condition

monitoring services, which is essential for maintaining
machine performance.
• To properly diagnose machine issues, signal extraction
must be effective. Techniques for feature extraction are
used to identify flaws precisely. Due to the risk of leaks,
rotating machinery requires extra safety measures.
Rotor Mass Imbalance
• This is one of the most common reasons for abnormal
vibrations in centrifugal fans. It can be caused by:
1. Manufacturing variations leading to uneven
distribution of mass in the fan’s rotor
2. Being exposed to high temperatures of air streams
that cause uneven fan rotor growth
3. Rapid particle collisions leading to fan rotor damage
4. Workshop balancing procedure not performed
correctly
• Balancing rotating machinery involves minimizing
vibrations caused by uneven mass distribution.
• Calculations often involve determining centrifugal
forces, using vector analysis, and applying balancing
techniques like single-plane or two-plane balancing.
• Balancing rotating machinery is mostly math, with a
bit of common sense and experience thrown in.
• The math is constant, so here are some tips to help with
the common sense and experience part.
Preparing to balance
• Inspect before you balance
• I once balanced a fan by pulling an air filter out of the
fan wheel! Look for clues of where unbalance is coming
from before you balance. In some instances you may fix
the vibration without balancing. Go through the
following questions to inspect your machine:
• Are all of the blades (or elements) in place?
• Do you see where a welded, clipped, or clamped weight
might have come off?
• Is the rotor dirty?
• Are bolts missing?
• Is the rotor loose on the shaft
2. Clean the machine
• A balanced rotating mass, such as a fan, will always be
balanced unless something is added to it or something
is taken away. Something added is usually dirt build-up.
Something taken away is typically throwing a weight or
a blade. I’ve balanced a lot of fans with a wire brush,
shop vac, and a pressure washer, or by replacing a bolt
or nut. Cleaning the machine may balance it.
3. Get out of resonance
• A rotating mass can be balanced practically 100% of the
time unless it is operating in resonance. Since
resonance is an amplification of a force, balancing a
machine in resonance can be difficult. If you are running
at resonance, you will need to change the speed, the
mass, or the stiffness of the machine.
• 4. Pick a reference mark
• Find a keyway, or other reference mark, and place your
reflective tape on, or in line with, this reference.
• This way, if your reflective tape comes off, you know
where to put it back. On fans, pick a blade in line with
the key (or close to it). The reflective tape should also
be placed toward the rotor’s outside edge if possible.
• Set up your equipment
• 5. Reference your laser photo tachometer
• If you use a photo-tachometer, place it in a position you
know such as 3:00, 12:00, or so on. This is beneficial
because if your tach moves, calculating the correction
weight location will be off. By placing the beam in
a position on the rotor you know, you can see if it
moves.
• 6. Mark the blades
• Use a marker, chalk, or something else to number the
blades consecutively. You will also need to know if your
balancer measures with rotation or opposite rotation.
Gather your information
7. Pick a radius
• Balancing a rotor requires you to place weights in a
reference radius. As an example, if you place a weight
close to the center of the rotor’s rotation, it will have
less effect. If the weight is farther out, it will have more
effect. Calculating a balance correction will not work if
you change the radius during the balance job.
• 8. Make a sketch
• Old school, I know. But for me, a quick sketch of the
rotor and a note of the blade counts, sensor location,
and phototach location, helps me keep up with what’s
going on.
9. Determine whether you need a single plane or a
two plane balance
• Typically, if the rotor width is less than half of the
diameter a single plane balance will be sufficient. If the
width is more than half the diameter, a two plane
balance may work best.
10. Balancing by angles or blades
• Historically, balancing was calculated in degrees. But
some balancing tools will allow you to input the number
of blades or locations where weight can be placed. As
an example, if you have a 64 blade fan, you have 64
places to place weights (5.625 degrees apart).
• Balancing the machine
11. Place your vibration sensor where the vibration is
the highest.
• Take a full set of measurements, or at least a quick check of
vibration on the rotor bearings. For the balance job, place
your accelerometer where the vibration is highest.
• On a center hung fan, if the vibration is about equal on
both bearings, placing the weights in the center of the fan
blade may make both ends better. If one side is
considerably higher than the other, you may want to keep
your weights toward the side with the highest vibration.
• On an overhung fan, use the near-near, far-far principle. If
the bearing closest to the fan is highest, place your weights
on the side of the fan closest to that bearing. If the
vibration is highest on the bearing opposite, place your
weight closer to the opposite side.
12. If vibration is really high, try a static balance test
• In some instances, the rotor may be so unbalanced that the
heavy spot will roll to the bottom. If this happens, place your
trial weight on top. On a belt driven unit, you may have to
remove the belts to do this.
13. Be smart with your trial weight
• There are many ways to calculate a trial weight. But all of
them require you to know the rotor weight. If you know the
weight, here’s a simplified formula:
• 56375 x rotor weight /(rpm x 2) x radius of weight placement
= equals trial weight
• If you don’t know the rotor weight, use some common sense.
A 5,000 lb fan turning at 200 rpm may take quite a bit of
weight, while a 10 pound rotor turning at 3,600 rpm may
take a tiny weight.
• A good rule of thumb is a trial weight should make
either a 30% change (up or down), or a 30 degree
change in the phase angle. If you don’t get at least one
of these, either move the trial weight about 90 degrees
or so or change to a bigger weight.
• If you don’t have enough information to calculate a trial
weight start small. If you don’t get a sufficient change
in amplitude of phase, double the weight. Continue this
until you do (within reason).
• Be smart with positioning the weight. If possible, place
the weight where centrifugal force will work in your
favor such as the inside or leading edge of the fan
blade. This way, centrifugal force will tend to hold the
weight on, not throw it off.
• Lastly, on the first start after you’ve placed a trial
weight, make sure to keep your hand close to the E-stop
or disconnect! If the machine starts shaking
dangerously, shut it down and move the trial weight
180 degrees.
• DISCLAIMER: Balancing a rotor can be dangerous or
deadly if proper safety procedures and common sense
are not followed.
14. Remove your trial weight once the trial is over
• The trial weight is just used to make a change in the
vibration amplitude or phase. Once you do your trial
weight run-remove the trial weight (unless you get
lucky, and place the right amount of weight in the right
location!).
Balancing tips
• 15. What ifs
• If the amplitude doubles but the phase angle stays the same, you
have the right amount of weight but are 180 degrees off the light
spot.
• If the amplitude is halved and the phase angle stays the same,
you are in the right spot but only have half the needed correction
weight.
• If you can’t make a change in amplitude or phase even after
doubling the trial weight a time or two, unbalance may not be the
problem. Look for something else.
• If the fan has a large sheave it is possible the sheave is out of
balance as well. It may need balancing separately, or you can do a
two plane balance, with the sheave as one of the planes.
• On fans with multiple fan wheels on one shaft, a two plane
balance is almost always needed. You may also need to try a trial
weight on one fan wheel, then the next, until you find the rotor
that is unbalanced.
16. Correction weights
• Most modern balancing tools can calculate a correction
weight, if you input the trial weight amount and location
correctly. You should have a scale handy to weigh both the
trial weights and correction weight(s).
• Get a good balancing weight set. There are many
commercially available. Select the type(s) of weights you
need based on what you are mounting the weight to.
• Unless you get lucky, you may have to split the correction
across two locations (blades). Most modern balancing tools
will do this as well. If yours will not, you can find formulas
for this called the parallelogram method for splitting
vectors.
• If weights must be welded in place, remember that the tack
weld is a weight too. If the balancing weight has set screws
to lock it on make sure to remove the screws once the weld
• 17. When to quit
• A rotor can typically be balanced to low vibration
levels, if unbalance is the only thing wrong.
Balancing a fan will not fix:
• A bent shaft
• An unbalanced sheave
• Misalignment
• Rubs
• If you continue trying to balance, and everything you
do makes the vibration go up – that’s it. The
remaining vibration is coming from something else.
• You can only correct unbalance by balancing. And you
can only balance down until you don’t have a correction
weight small enough to make the correction.
• Follow the rotor manufacturers instructions, or consult
your engineering department, to know when to stop.
Often the answer will be “as good as you can get it”. An
old rule of thumb is if you can balance the rotor to less
than 0.1 in/sec, you may be able to consider it
balanced.
18. Remeasure vibration after the balance job is
complete
• A before and after vibration test will help justify the
balance job, makes you look good, and is important to
keep up with.
19. Document EVERYTHING!
• Document your reference location for reflective tape,
original unbalance, trial weight amount, correction
weight amounts and locations, and everything else!
• Keep it in a file or folder
• If this rotor goes out of balance in the future, you’ll have a good
reference of:
• How much weight, and where
• It may help you calculate a new correction weight. As as
example:
• Your original unbalance was 0.5 in/sec.
• A 60 gram correction weight got the vibration to 0.05
in/sec (a change of 0.45 in/sec).
• 60 grams /.45 in/sec = 133 grams per 1.0 in/sec
• If the new unbalance vibration is 0.4 in/sec – 133 grams
x .4 = 53.3. A 50 gram trial weight should get you pretty
close to the correction weight amount.
• Key Concepts and Calculations:
• Centrifugal Force:
• Unbalanced masses create centrifugal forces that act
radially outward. These forces are calculated using:
• Metric: F = 0.01 * W * R * (RPM/1000)^2, where F
is force in kg, W is unbalance weight in kg, R is radius in
centimeters, and RPM is rotational speed.
• English: F = 1.77 * W * R * (RPM/1000)^2, where F is
force in pounds, W is unbalance weight in ounces, and R
is radius in inches
• Field Balancing is the process of balancing a rotor in its own
bearings and supporting structure, rather than in a balancing
machine.
• Static Unbalance is defined as the eccentricity of the centre of
gravity of a rotor, caused by a point mass at a certain radius from
the centre of rotation (see Fig. 1). An equal mass, placed at an
angle of 180° to the unbalanced mass and at the same radius, is
required to restore the centre of gravity to the centre of rotation.
Static Balancing involves resolving primary forces into one
plane and adding a correction mass in that plane only. Many
rotating parts which have most of their mass concentrated in or
very near one plane, such as flywheels, grindstones, car wheels,
etc., can be treated as static balancing problems. If a rotor has a
diameter of more than 7 to 10 times its width, it is usually treated
as a single-plane rotor.
• Dynamic Rotor: Unbalance Calculations
• The calculation of the maximum allowable residual specific
unbalance assumes that the mass of the rotor is evenly
distributed about the centre of gravity. If the mass of the
rotor is unevenly distributed, the calculations are a little
more complicated.
• In a perfectly balanced rotor, equal forces act on both ends
of the rotor when it rotates. If the rotor is shaped as in Fig.
8, however, the forces at each end will be equal, but the
allowable residual specific unbalance will be different for
each bearing. The position of the centre of gravity divides
the rotor in the ratio V3 : 2 /3. The sum of the moments
about the centre of gravity must be zero. Therefore the
residual specific unbalance at bearing A is 2 /3 of the total
residual specific unbalance, while at bearing B it is V3 of
the total.
• Selection of Trial Masses
• The specific unbalance is used to calculate the size of trial masses,
which are used during balancing to make temporary alterations to
the mass distribution of the rotor, to determine the relationship
between the specific unbalance and the bearing vibrations.
• A suitable trial mass is five to ten times the value of the Maximum
Residual Mass.
• Maximum Residual Mass (MMR) (g): The maximum allowable
unbalance after balancing, expressed in grammes. It represents the
acceptable level of imbalance that won't cause excessive vibrations
or damage
To estimate the value of a suitable trial mass, the mass oi the rotor
in kg and the radius m mm at which the corrections are to be made
must be determined. The Maximum Residual MMR, in grammes, is
given by:
• Vector Sum of Forces:
• The unbalanced forces from multiple masses are
summed vectorially to find the resultant unbalanced
force. This is crucial for understanding the overall
imbalance.
• Balancing Methods:
• Single-Plane Balancing: Used when the rotor is short
compared to its diameter. Involves adding or removing
weight in a single plane to counteract the imbalance.
• Two-Plane Balancing: Necessary for longer rotors.
Involves adding or removing weights in two separate
planes to correct both the force and couple unbalance.
• Influence Coefficients:
• These coefficients relate changes in vibration readings
to changes in balancing weights. They are used in two-
plane balancing to determine the required weight and
angular position in each correction plane.
• Graphical and Analytical Methods:
• Balancing calculations can be performed using graphical
methods (drawing force polygons) or analytical methods
(using equations and vector analysis).
• Example:
Imagine a rotor with two masses. To balance it, you would:
• Calculate the centrifugal force: for each mass using the formulas
above.
• Represent these forces as vectors, considering their magnitudes
and directions.
• Find the resultant unbalanced force vector: by summing the
individual force vectors.
• Determine a balancing force: equal in magnitude but opposite in
direction to the resultant force.
• Locate the balancing mass: at a specific radius and angle to
counteract the unbalanced force.
• For two-plane balancing, you would repeat this process for a second
correction plane and use influence coefficients to determine the
Single Plane Balancing
• The simple disc rotor illustrated in below Figure could be
crudely balanced on knife edges as discussed earlier. It
is also possible to balance the rotor in a similar fashion
by observing its behavior when mounted in place,
provided that it is able to rotate freely on its own
bearings. A better level of balance is certainly achieved
by employing calculations based on vibration
measurements.
• The rotor is run in its original condition, and the
amplitude and phase of vibration are recorded from one
of the support bearings. For the purposes of this
example, we shall assume that the amplitude is 300
microns with a phase of 300 degrees. This vibration can
be represented on the diagram in Figure 7 as the vector
O (the length of the line is scaled to represent the
amplitude, and it’s angular position to represent the
phase).
• An arbitrary trial weight is added to the rotor. In reality,
of course, we need to ensure that the trial weight used
is not too heavy to cause damage, yet heavy enough to
have a measurable effect.
• For optimum results the trial weight should produce
approximately a thirty percent change in vibration
amplitude, and/or a thirty-degree change in the phase
angle. Most modern balancing software includes a utility
for estimating trial weight size.
• The calculation employed is based on rotor weight and
speed, and the software is designed to ensure the
centrifugal force generated by the trial weight does not
exceed ten percent of the static load on the support
bearings.
• When the trial weight is added to the rotor one of three things
could happen:
• Possibility 1: Purely by chance the trial weight may be placed on
the heavy spot, making it heavier. This results in a vibration
amplitude increase but does not change the phase.
• Possibility 2: Purely by chance the trail weight may be placed
immediately opposite the heavy spot. If the trial weight is heavier
than the heavy spot the vibration phase changes by 180 degrees,
and some new amplitude of vibration results. If the trial weight is
lighter than the heavy spot the phase does not change but the
amplitude is reduced.
• Possibility 3: The most likely occurrence is that the trial weight is
positioned somewhere between these two positions and the
resulting vibration displays a new amplitude and the phase reading
is unrelated to the original data.
• For the purposes of this example, assume the new
readings give an amplitude of 250 microns displaying a
phase of 210 degrees.
• This vibration results from the cumulative effect of the
original rotor unbalance, plus the effect of the trial
weight.
• This data can be plotted on the diagram in Figure 7 as
the vector O+T. Joining the ends of the two vectors O
and O+T gives the vector T, which represents the effect
of the trial weight used.
• In practice, we look for a correction weight that is equal
in magnitude but opposite to the original unbalance O.
Scaling the value of vector T from the diagram and
using this value in the formula below, enables the
correct weight to be calculated.
• Correct Weight = Trial Weight x (O/T)
• In this example, the value of vector T is 390 microns.
Thus, the required balance weight is the trial weight x
(300/390), or 0.77 times the trial weight.
• The trial weight readout is in terms of multiples of the
trial weight. For this reason, it does not usually matter
what units of weight are used. If weighing scales are not
available to support the balancing operation then it
makes little difference to the balancing instrument.
• For example, if a washer is used as a trial weight, a trial
weight value of one unit is entered into the balancing
program. The balancing system’s ultimate readout of
the required correction of 0.77 (weight units irrelevant)
simply means the required correction is 0.77 washers.
• The included angle b between vectors O and T is
measured from the diagram.
• This represents the location of the required correction
relative to the location of the trial weight.
• For this example, the included angle β is 40 degrees.
Therefore, the result of our balancing exercise instructs
us to replace the trial weight with a weight 0.77 times
as heavy, and position it 40 degrees away from the
location of the trial weight.
• The direction of movement for the correct weight
location (with shaft rotation or against shaft rotation)
depends upon the method employed for measuring the
vibration phase.
• Modern software balancing systems usually present this
information clearly.
• The vector calculation outlined above provides the basis
for today’s software-driven field balancing systems.
Instruments store the data from original and trial weight
runs and automatically compute the required correction.
• Two-Plane Balancing
• The single-plane solution outlined above holds well for
narrow rotors operating at less than approximately 1000
RPM. Balancing needs to be carried out using more than
one correction plane for wider rotors operating at higher
speeds. Some guidelines are offered:
• If the rotor operates above 70% of its first critical speed, it
should be treated as a flexible rotor that requires
multiple-plane balancing (outside the scope of this
document).
• A rotor requires two-plane balancing if its ratio of length to
diameter is greater than 0.5 and it operate above 150
RPM.
• Long rotors (i.e. paper machine rolls) with a
length/diameter ratio greater than 2 and a service speed
above 100 RPM, require two plane balancing
Wireless Balancer – Dynamic
Balancing
• Wireless Balancer is an advanced wireless solution
designed for the single- and dual-plane balancing of
rotating machinery with rigid rotors.
• Offering precision up to 0.5° accuracy at 3000 RPM, it
ensures reliable and efficient balancing for industrial
applications.
• Fully integrated into Acoem’s customizable, connected,
app-driven ecosystem.
• With no wires near rotating
parts and the freedom to step
back from machines, users
can perform balance jobs
safely and comfortably - made
possible by Methodology of
wireless synchronous
measurement for one- or two-
plane balancing.
• Reduce machine stops and
starts by capturing data
from multiple directions at
once using 6-channel
wireless sensors, saving
time and streamlining the
entire balancing process.
• Minimize room for human
error with graphical
interface, making the
balancing easy to follow
and accessible to a
broader range of users.