Effects of Mis-Alignment

 Leads to excessive vibration & noise, which results in premature failure of the components

The loading conditions of the bearing can be such that part of the contact ellipse is no longer
supported by the raceway. This phenomenon is called ellipse truncation, which leads to stress
concentrations in the contact area. This may be detrimental for both bearing fatigue life and
noise levels.

 Misaligned bearings can increase the torque for a rotating machine, which makes it consume
more power during operation

 Standard L10 calculations assume that the bearing is well-aligned, additional calculations must
be made to determine the effect of misalignment on the bearing’s fatigue life.

According to SKF:
“SKF units incorporating tapered roller bearings can only accommodate minute misalignment.
If misalignment cannot be avoided, contact the SKF application engineering service. Any
misalignment increases bearing noise and reduces bearing service life”

Ball bearing Roller bearing

 Increased friction is another major problem associated with mis-alignment. Increased friction is
the basis for the other problems that arise due to misalignment.
 Excessive overhung load is one of the main causes of misalignment in rotating equipment.
Overhung load is when force is exerted at a vertical angle to the shaft’s support point. This
causes misalignment of the couplings, and thermal expansion and contraction of support
housings. Evidence of excessive overhung load is signs of wearing at high stress  points such as
notched or fretted surfaces, shaft grooves, or in keyways.