Balancing Rotors

Balancing Rotors: The Basic Principles

Balancing requirements

Unbalance control and measurement of rotating bodies is becoming more important for different reasons: 

1) Higher operating speeds (more production) 

2) Lighter construction (lower production costs) 

3) Service speeds near to critical speeds (technical or space reduction does not allow more rigid construction) 

4) Longer component life (bearings for instance) 

5) Lower maintenance costs (for repair and component exchange)  

6) Longer machine availability (fewer production stoppages)

 

It is important to point out that the measurement of unbalance is a quality control process at the end of manufacture or production line. It reveals errors on dimension tolerances, casting faults, uneven parts and is an index for the quality of the final product. 

A Definition Of Unbalance

None uniform mass distribution around the axis of rotation 

A Rotor is unbalanced when its mass is not evenly distributed around the axis of rotation

From definition it is clear that it makes no sense to speak of unbalance without defining the axis of rotation, that is the ideal line around which the mass distribution is considered.

 

Every rotor can be divided into different sections (perpendicular to the axis of rotation) each one having its own unbalance. 

I will be blogging with more information about couple, static and dynamic unbalance over the next few weeks so please feel free to ask any questions in the meantime - if you are experiencing a particular aspect of ubalance then Cemb Hofmann UK can most certainly be of service.

 

If you want to find out more about any aspect of balancing just visit our site!