The aim of our project was to upgrade a balancing machine. By making suitable external arrangements in the existing balancing machine, the operation time of the machine is curtailed, which in turn increases the productivity of the machine as well as dwindle human effort. It took minimum of a few hours to align the base of the motor bed in the balancing machine. L-angle plate, with a guide, key and disc brake are the extraneous arrangements in balancing machine.

1. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR TRENDS IN ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY
VOLUME 5 ISSUE 2 – MAY 2015 - ISSN: 2349 - 9303
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Time Reduction and Upgrading of Balancing
Machine for Impeller
M.I.Mohamed Asif1
Z.Mohamed Jameer2
1
K.Ramakrishnan College of Engineering, 2
K.Ramakrishnan College of Engineering,
Trichy, Trichy,
Mechanical Department, Mechanical Department,
asifmechengg8@gmail.com jameermohamed.93@gmail.com
Abstract—The aim of our project was to upgrade a balancing machine. By making suitable external arrangements
in the existing balancing machine, the operation time of the machine is curtailed, which in turn increases the
productivity of the machine as well as dwindle human effort. It took minimum of a few hours to align the base of the
motor bed in the balancing machine. L-angle plate, with a guide, key and disc brake are the extraneous arrangements
in balancing machine.
Keywords—Alignment, balancing machine, impeller, l-angle plate.
——————————  ——————————
INTRODUCTION
Balancing is the process of attempting to rotate
the rotor with equal mass without any uncompensated
centrifugal forces, which is placed on the bearings. This
is usually done by adding or removing compensating
masses to the rotor in prescribed locations.
The rotor tends to vibrate if an uneven mass is
distributed. The vibration is produced by the interaction
of an unbalanced mass component with the radial
acceleration, due to rotation, which together generates a
centrifugal force and so the rotor rotates along the line
of action of the force.
Excessive vibration in rotating machinery can
cause unacceptable level of noise and further
substantially diminish the life of the shaft bearings.
The entire procedure takes approximately
sixteen hours per impeller.
BALANCING MACHINE
A balancing machine is a measuring tool used
for balance the rotating machine parts such as impeller
rotor for electric motors, fans, turbines, disc brakes, disc
drives, propellers, crankshafts, wheel rims, and pumps.
The machine usually consists of two rigid pedestals,
with suspension and bearings on top supporting a
mounting platform. The unit under test is bolted to the
platform and is rotated either with a belt-, air-, or end-
drive. As the rotor is rotated, the vibration in the
suspension is detected with sensors and that information
is used to determine the amount of unbalance in the
rotor. Along with phase information, the machine can
determine how much and where to add weights to
balance the rotor.
The parts of the balancing machine are motor,
gearbox, universal joint, bearing supports, and abro
balancing software. In this balancing machine, the
impeller is to be balanced.

2. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR TRENDS IN ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY
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Fig.1 Balancing machine
The impellers are used in the mining operation.
L-ANGLE PLATE
L-angle plate is a work holding device, which
is used as a fixture.
The l-angle plate is made of high-quality
material that has been stabilized to prevent further
movement or distortion. Slotted holes are machined into
the surface to enable the secure attachment of four l-
angle plates to the base of the motor setup with bolting
joints, so that motor setup can be correctly aligned in the
keyway, which save the machine calibration time.
Four l-angle plates are used at the four corners
of the machine. A single l-angle plate has eight drilled
holes.
Fig.2 L-Angle plate
The plate has made on A36 steel has the
following characteristics.
Physical Properties
Table i
Physical
Properties
Content
Density 7.85 g/cm3
Chemical Composition
Table ii
Element Content
Carbon, C 0.25 - 0.290 %
Copper, Cu 0.20 %
Iron, Fe 98.0 %
Manganese, Mn 1.03 %
Phosphorous, P 0.040 %
Silicon, Si 0.280 %
Sulfur, S 0.050 %
Mechanical Properties
Table iii
Mechanical
Properties
Composition
Tensile Strength,
Ultimate
400 - 550 MPa
Tensile Strength, Yield 250 MPa
Elongation at Break (in
200 mm)
20.0 %
Elongation at Break (in
50 mm)
23.0 %
Modulus of
Elasticity
200 GPa
Bulk Modulus
(typically for steel)
140 GPa
Poissons Ratio 0.260
Shear Modulus 79.3 GPa
GUIDE KEY
Guide key is a machine element that moves
along the keyway path. The guide, key prevents relative
side movement of the balancing machine’s motor base
setup. To function the guide, key the machine element

3. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR TRENDS IN ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY
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must have a keyway, which is a slot in which the guide,
key is fitted to.
Fig.3 Guide key
Chemical composition of EN 19 steel alloy
Table iv
Element Content
Carbon 0.35-0.45%
Mangenese 0.50-0.80%
Chromium 0.90-1.50%
Molybdenum 0.20-0.40%
Silicon 0.10-0.35%
Sulphur 0.050%max
Phosphrous 0.035%max
The guide, key is made of EN19 alloy steel; it
is case hardened, and a thin layer of harder metal forms
on its surface, but the core of the guide, key remains
softer. The outer surface of the guide, key makes contact
with the keyway, so that guide, key has to subsist case
hardened. As a result of case hardening, the guide, key
will not get fractured (because of the soft core that can
absorb the stresses without cracking) and provides
adequate wear resistance over the surface.
Case hardening or surface hardening is the
process of hardening the surface of a metal object, thus
forming a thin layer of harder metal inthe surface. The
case hardening process involves infusing additional
carbon into the case. It is usually done after the part has
been formed into its final shape.
L-angle plate with guide key
Fig.4 L-angle plate with guide key
2D view of L-angle plate with guide key
Fig.5 2D view of L-angle plate with guide key

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Problem description
Before making these extraneous arrangements,
the balancing machine’s motor base setup is
maneuvered forward or backward by clasping it upward
with the help of crane hoists. After placing it in the
correct position, the alignment of motor base setup has
changed because it has no fixtures to locate in the
correct position, so that the motor base setup has to be
aligned manually by using a dial gauge. This calibration
is done with reference to bearing setup support.
Fig.6 Before implementation
Implementation of l-angle plate
Initially, the setup has to be in correct aligned
position. Now, the L-angle plate with guide, key is
bolted to the four corners of the motor base setup, so
that the base setup is placed in the correct position.
There is no need of alignment afterwards.
Fig.7 After implementation
Balancing Machine
Fig.8 Balancing machine
DISC BRAKE
The disc brake arrangement setup has to be
fitted betwixt the motor and gearbox by replacing the
tyre coupling in the existing balancing machine.
Fig. 8 Disc brake
Working
While balance the impeller in the balancing
machine, it took more time for it to become idle. The
impeller is running at a speed of 100 RPM during the
balancing process. Due to the disc brake arrangement,
the impeller rotation can be stopped in a reduced time
using a mechanical actuating lever.
CONCLUSION
By making these external arrangements, the
operation time of the balancing machine is reduced so
that more number of impeller can be balanced. The
productivity of the impeller increases without affecting
its accuracy, along with it took minimum hours per
impeller balance compared to already existing time.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The authors thank Prof. Saravanavel M.E. and
Mr.Anilappukuttan M.E. for their contribution.
REFERENCES
[1] Steel Construction Manual, 8th Edition, second
revised edition, American Institute of Steel
Construction, 1986, ch. 1 pages 1–5.
[2] "MatWeb A36 steel bar". MatWeb. Retrieved 21
January 2012.
[3] Degarmo, E. Paul; Black, J T.; Kohser, Ronald
A. (2007), Materials and Processes in
Manufacturing (10th ed.), Wiley, ISBN 978-0-
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[4] Groover, M. P., 2007, p. 105-106, Fundamentals
of Modern Manufacturing: Materials, Processes
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[5] Smith, William F.; Hashemi, Javad
(2001), Foundations of Material Science and
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