Proper mounting of a top-entry mixer is a combination of fit, alignment, and rigidity.  While many customers and tank manufacturers are skilled in handling fit and alignment of a mixer, rigidity is sometimes overlooked.

Beyond the obvious load of mixer weight and operating torque, top-entry mixers can exert significant bending loads on their mounts.  The hydraulic forces around the missing impellers push side-to-side on the shaft, which becomes a bending load on the mixer mount.  The mount design must meet both stress and deflection requirements to ensure smooth operation of the mixer.  In fact, deflection limits should drive the design of mixer mounts more often than stress limits.

The next time you are mounting a mixer, ensure you have the total mixing loads and deflection limits from your mixer manufacturer and that your tank or support can meet them.

About the author: Mr. Geesaman has been engineering rotating equipment for 8 years and with Philadelphia Mixing Solutions for 4 years. He holds a Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Tags: alignment, deflection

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