DEFORMATION, ALIGNMENT, AND VIBRATION IN LARGE TURBINE-GENERATOR SET

Within the Industrial Alignment Project (1990-93) and the Dynamic Alig nment Project (1993-96), collaborative research and development effort s involving the Department of Geomatics Engineering at The University of Calgary, the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and a number of industrial partners in western Canada, many hi gh-precision machinery surveys have been carried out. In a project for one of the industrial partners, a number of epochs of deformation, al ignment, and vibration measurements were made on a large turbine-gener ator set. Measurements were made in order to identify the root cause o f high vibration levels. Analysis of these measurements reveals that h igh vibration levels are a result of a ''soft foot'' condition caused by structural weakness in the reinforced concrete table that supports the turbine-generator set. It was recommended that the owner consider stiffening the table by making solid (i.e. moment resisting)connection s between the table and all supporting columns.