Learn · 101
Track 03 · Advanced Vibration & CM

Balancing & Alignment 101

Two faults — unbalance and misalignment — cause most of the shake.

20 lessons Self-paced 25-question exam Badge: Advanced Vibration & CM
Releasing 16 Aug 2026 Back to catalog

Releasing 16 Aug 2026 — the lesson opens on release day.

What you'll leave knowing

Outcomes for this primer.

Short, interactive and self-paced. Every idea is shown with a live instrument, then checked in the exam.

Recognise unbalance (1×) and misalignment (2×, axial) at a glance.

Use phase to locate the heavy spot and correct it 180° opposite.

Run a single-plane trial-weight balance in the field.

Sequence it right — soft foot → align → balance.

The curriculum

20 lessons, in order.

Each lesson is one focused screen — a concept, an interactive graphic, and a plain-language read. Climb the chain, then sit the exam.

01
Re-anchor: spectrum & order
The spectrum, in orders — how we name a fault.
02
Fault one — the heavy spot
Unbalance: a little too much mass on one side.
03
Unbalance's fingerprint
A tall, lonely 1× — mostly in the radial direction.
04
Re-anchor the phasor
A phasor is a spinning arrow — and it IS the 1× shake.
05
The heavy-spot vector
Its angle is the phase — and it points at the heavy spot.
06
The key to fixing it
Phase locates it — the fix goes 180° opposite.
07
Fixing it — the field method
Single-plane balancing: add a known trial weight.
08
What the rotor just told you
The influence: how this rotor answers a weight.
09
Why it works
Knowing the influence, the correction cancels O.
10
How good is good enough?
Balance quality grades — the ISO 21940 idea.
11
Case study 1
A boiler fan, balanced in two runs.
12
Fault two — coupling strain
Misalignment: two shafts that don't share one line.
13
Misalignment's fingerprint
A strong 2× — and high axial vibration.
14
The sneaky one
Soft foot: a rocking base that fakes misalignment.
15
Why hot is different
Thermal growth: you align cold for a hot target.
16
Doing the alignment
Dial vs laser — and how close is close enough.
17
Case study 2
A pump 'bad bearing' that was really misalignment.
18
The right order
Soft foot → align → balance. Never the reverse.
19
Practise safely
Build the skill without risking a live machine.
20
Recap
Tell them apart, then fix them.
Finish all 20 lessons and pass the 25-question exam to earn your completion certificate — issued on the spot.
Where it fits

Part of the Advanced Vibration & CM badge.

Advanced Vibration & CM badge
Badge 03 of 03

Advanced Vibration & CM

1Vibration FoundationsEarn first
2Machinery DiagnosticsEarn first
3Advanced Vibration & CMYou are here

Unlocks after you earn the Machinery Diagnostics badge.

See how badges work

A primer — not ISO 18436 certification

TIERA 101 gives you working fundamentals. It is not equivalent to, nor a substitute for, ISO 18436 Category I–IV vibration-analyst certification.

TIERA's formal ISO 18436 Category I–IV programme is separate and paid. Ask us about the certified track when you're ready to go pro.