Engineering Article (1)

Misalignment Basic Knowledge

Misalignment is the condition when there is deviation of shaft position from its collinear axis or from the reference shaft position.

Misalignment can occur in two basic forms: parallel and angular misalignment. In parallel misalignment, the deviation of shaft position from the reference shaft position is called as offset. For angular misalignment, the deviation is called as gap.

In industrial world, misalignment usually occurs as the combination of the two previous basic forms, i.e., parallel and angular misalignment.

Source : Piotrowski, John, Shaft Alignment Handbook, 3^rd edition., CRC Press, USA, 2007.