Soft Foot Diagnosis

&
The Soft Foot Wizard
Detection vs. Correction

The amount of Soft Foot detected

does not equate
to the required Soft Foot correction!
Some Types of Soft Foot

 Rocking (Highest values diagonally

opposed.)

 Angled (Bent foot; bowed baseplate,

angled soleplate.)

 Squishy (Too many shims, dirt, etc.)

 Induced (External forces:

Pipe strain.)
Some Types of Soft Foot

Rocking Soft Foot (highest values diagonally opposed)

Three types:
 Short foot rocking soft foot:
 Parallel airgap under foot with largest soft foot reading.
 Tapered airgap (inwards) under diagonally opposite foot.
 Even Rocking soft foot:
 Inward tapers under both diagonally opposite soft feet.

 High Foot rocking soft foot:

 Outward tapers under both diagonally opposite soft feet.
 Larger soft foot value on foot nearest the high foot.
Soft Foot Diagnosis

 The type of soft foot can usually be determined by comparing

the measured values.

 Different types of Soft Foot yield different combinations of

values.

 Diagnosis and correction is expedited by recognizing the type

of soft foot problem, then seeking appropriate additional data
required to solve it.
 Diagnostic Process
Number inside circle Number in parentheses
represents a laser soft represents a shimming
foot reading. correction to make.
20 (Step Shim)
25 25
3 12
0 0
Numbers in the
8 8 corners of each foot
6 10 represent feeler
16 16 gauge value of the
air gap measured.
Arrow represents direction
of taper of airgap, from
highest to lowest.
 Rocking Soft Foot

Imagine this condition on your machine. The front right foot is short. If you
tighten the anchor bolt, the foot will bend until it can’t bend any more.
Then, if you continue tightening the anchor bolt, you’ll either break the foot
off, or distort the rest of the machine frame. If the foot does not break off...
 Rocking Soft Foot

Suppose the short foot is now tight to the base. The frame is distorted and
under stress. How will that stress relieve itself as you loosen each of the
anchor bolts in turn, always with the others tight? Obviously, the short foot
will come up as fast and as much as you allow it to, if you loosen its bolt.
 Rocking Soft Foot

On the other hand, if the short foot is tight, the opposite corner (the back
left foot) will also come up if you let it. So the machine “rocks” diagonally.
Now imagine for a moment what the air gaps under each of these feet will
look like, if you loosen these feet...
Rocking Soft Foot

 Laser system indicates Soft Foot values greater

than 2 mils at diagonally opposite corners.

15
15 15
14 1
15 15

9 12
2 12
12 15
Short Foot Rocking Soft Foot

Please view our QuickTime video on rocking soft foot in action...

Available as a separate download from our Learning Center page.
Induced Soft Foot

 Laser tools will show soft foot

values on two, three or even all
four feet of the machine. The two
highest values tend to be along
the same side or the same end of
the machine frame.

 The distribution pattern of

the values does not match
any angled soft foot patterns.
Induced Soft Foot

 Laser tools will show soft foot

values on two, three or even all
four feet of the machine. The two
If you suspect pipehighest
strain,values
the tend to be along
Optalign Smart will let
the you
samecheck
side or the same end of
for that and quantifythe
itsmachine
impact frame.
on
the shaft alignment, so you can
take this information to the pipe
fitters as proof of the problem...

 The distribution pattern of

the values does not match
any angled soft foot patterns.
The Soft Foot
Wizard
Laser Alignment Systems

Rotalign Ultra is ideal for

soft foot because:
 It has a high resolution
sensor for accurate detection.

 It will diagnose the problem

and suggest a solution for it.
Diagnosis: Example with Laser
Example Diagnosis
Example Diagnosis:
Rocking Soft Foot found
Diagnosing the Solution
Diagnosing the Solution
Diagnosis & Solution Finished
Diagnosing the Solution

 An Angled Soft Foot Problem

Diagnosing the Solution

 An Angled Soft Foot Problem, cont.

Conclusions

 Soft Foot diagnosis & correction is always a challenge.

 Consistently accurate Soft Foot diagnosis is possible.

 Rotalign® Ultra makes this a breeze!

Thank you!

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