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Electrical runout?

Cuda

Hot Rolled
Joined
May 21, 2005
Location
Alabama
I'm working on a 97" long 6" dia. shaft made out of 4150 steel for a big electric fan, one of the specs is for the bearing areas to have no more than .00025 Mechanical and Electrical runout, what is electrical runout and how is it measured, some kind of special instrument we don't have I imagine.
 
Could they mean axial displacement between fan shaft and motor shaft? Works out to slightly less than one hundreths of a millimeter which I find an exaggerated demand. Is there a coupling of some sort to allow displacement or is it just a very stiff connection? Just my .02 Euros.

When you find out, please post. I'm intrigued!
Regards, fusker
 
I can think of several possible meanings, but none of them apply to the shaft alone. They would only apply to the shaft plus the rotor.

I am supposing they refer to mechanical and electrical/magnetic balance, not just specifically runout.
 
I suppose it is possible that they don't know what they are talking about. Or don't know how to properly specify what they want. Or is that the same thing??

Dave
 
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I deal with this every day - it sounds like you are looking at an API requirement as that tolerance is common in many of their rotating equipment specs. It's hard to meet. Or rather, it's hard to meet if you have to guarantee it. Sometimes you'll hit it, sometimes you won't.

Generally the tolerance is applied to the area of the shaft where the Bently Nevada (or other type) proximity probes will read - any imperfections in this area will be picked up as vibration.

Mechanical runout is just what it sounds like - non-concentricity of the shaft. Electrical runout is caused by irregularities in the shaft steel that will be 'seen' as non-concentricity.
 
Mechanical runout is just what it sounds like - non-concentricity of the shaft. Electrical runout is caused by irregularities in the shaft steel that will be 'seen' as non-concentricity.

Thank you, that's the answer I needed, so in other words there isn't really anything I can do about it, the print did show the areas where it would be checked and it said something about burnishing it there, would that improve the electrical run out? We have no burnishing tools. But then again this is an emergency replacement shaft, so they may not be so picky about it!!!
 
Who in the world dreams up these outlandist terms? Other than to drive you nuts figuring it out, does it really mean anything different than the normal terms of trueness or tolerance would mean?

The term "Electrical Runout" for machining sounds ridiculous to me and after gregsy's explanation it still sounds ridiculous.
 
One possibility is that they're referring to use of an electrical (electronic) profiling system.

A device that measures capacitance can perform dimensional measurements with extremely high resolution and accuracy. The probe is placed very close to the work being measured, then the work is rotated on axis.

Any change in the distance between the probe and the work is easily measured.

- Leigh
 
Electrical runout is caused by irregularities in the shaft steel that will be 'seen' as non-concentricity.

After reading that, it made perfect sense to me, and why the terminology is used.
I'm interpreting it that the part may be subject to an electrical measurement for run-out/vibration. If the steel is non-uniform ( electrically) then the gauge will not readout correctly, and will not indicate run-out correctly.

If the steel had various inconsistencies floating in it, it might be mechanically true, but will not readout correctly when measured electrically.

But then again, I could be wrong.
 
If the steel is non-uniform ( electrically) then the gauge will not readout correctly, and will not indicate run-out correctly.
If the steel had various inconsistencies floating in it, it might be mechanically true, but will not readout correctly when measured electrically.
Sorry... not true.

The capacitance between two conductive plates is solely a function of the overlapping area divided by the separation. No other factors are involved.

In particular, the composition and homogeneity of the materials do not enter into the calculation, provided of course that they can conduct electricity.

- Leigh
 
Yep, google it here www.freepatentsonline.com/3986380.html

After reading the whole looooong page I still don't know what purpose or effect electrical runout does or has but I know how it's found and corrected.

I guess instead of the electric pencil you could use a chisel and hammer:cheers:

After reading the article it sounds like something Rube Goldberg would come up with.
 








 
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