You should have concrete with a minimum tensile strength of 350 psi. This recommendation would be considered a “best practice” when using Escoweld, chockfast or most other epoxy grout brands.
Tensile strength is approximately 10% of concrete’s compressive strength.
When you add new concrete to existing concrete the interface will result in a cold joint and vibration will not transfer across a cold joint. In this situation, special materials will need to be considered in order to bond with the existing concrete. A foundation or mass can be extended with Escoweld or Chockfast materials if the correct concrete preparation is done.
Escoweld and Chockfast epoxy grout has twenty-six times greater damping capabilities compared to concrete.
Concrete has six-time greater damping capabilities compared to steel.
A foundation should be at least 6 inches wider than the base plate for motors up to 500 HP and should be 10 inches wider for 501 HP and up.
You need to consider the weight of the equipment, driver and base plate weight and make sure the soil is strong enough to support this weight (3 to 5 times mass) in both static and dynamic loads.
ypically, OEM foundation drawings locate anchor bolts within a foundation while the rest of the foundation should be suited to the site conditions for proper support and vibration transfer.
Equipment creates vibration when in operation. Most vibration can be dissipated from the equipment, if installed properly. A good installation would include a properly sized foundation mass, specific to the equipment being installed. Epoxy equipment grout is important to the success of the installation. A good epoxy equipment grout will form a positive bond between the equipment and the foundation, providing a pathway for vibration to travel.
Grout is the effective conduit transferring unwanted vibrations form the equipment to the foundation. A good epoxy grout is a vital component for vibration transfer.
A cement gout is good for static loads only. Cement will not resist any lateral or horizontal forces.
Epoxy grout has excellent adhesion properties to both concrete and steel. Epoxy grout is the only equipment setting material with the ability to resist vertical, horizontal, and axial forces.
Vibration in equipment causes premature wear on bearings, seals and other components causing increased down time. Vibration will make the equipment less reliable and decrease its overall lifespan.
You can reduce vibration in the equipment by properly transferring the vibration out of the machine to a properly sized foundation. This should be done through use of epoxy grout material.
A monolithic structure is one that operates as a whole. When epoxy grout is placed between concrete and a steel base plate, a monolithic structure is formed.
Vibration cannot jump or be transferred across an air gap. It is important to have a positive bond between the foundation and the baseplate. This can only be done with epoxy grout systems.
Vibration cannot jump or transfer across a cold joint in concrete.
If you don’t get the vibration transferred out of the rotating equipment, the result is premature bearing and seal failures. This will result in an unreliable piece of equipment.
If you properly get the vibration out of the equipment, its reliability will increase by a factor of 8 to 10 times.
The means of transmitting vibration is the epoxy grout. Epoxy grout acts as the conduit to transfer vibration from the equipment to the foundation where it can be dissipated.
