On marine vessels, offshore platforms and heavy industrial sites, foundations rarely stay perfect for long.
Common problems include:
- Minor gaps between baseplates and foundations after installation,
- Uneven surfaces resulting from inadequate preparation or settlement, and
- Foundation deterioration in the form of cracked grout, spalled concrete or corroded soleplates.
These issues can result in misalignment, increased vibration, stress concentrations and ultimately premature equipment failure.
Modern chocking and shimming technologies, particularly polymeric systems such as Belzona 7111 and Belzona 7211 can restore long-term stability and reliability.
Precision alignment affects the entire life of your equipment.
In marine and offshore environments where access is restricted and maintenance opportunities are limited, such failures can have serious safety implications and result in substantial financial consequences. Critical assets like main propulsion engines, gearboxes, thrusters, shaft lines, generators and large pumps all have to run within very tight alignment tolerances.
CASE STUDY
CUTLASS BEARINGS CHOCKING
Installation of catamaran propeller shaft bearings
The same goes for compressors, turbines and blowers in refineries and process plants, large electric motors driving fans, crushers and conveyors, as well as power generation and auxiliary machinery in industrial facilities.
Even small alignment errors can significantly increase the loads on bearings and couplings, which speeds up wear and pushes vibration levels higher. And if that equipment is mounted on an uneven, corroded or only partially supported foundation, keeping everything in alignment becomes an uphill battle.
That’s where shimming and chocking come in.
Shimming refers to the process of inserting material into a gap or space between two objects. This is done to provide support, adjust for a better fit, align components, or create a level surface.
Chocking, on the other hand, is about creating a solid, continuous load-bearing layer between the equipment and its foundation, eliminating gaps and spreading the load evenly.
For long-term reliability, you really need both: precise shimming to get the equipment exactly where it should be, and robust chocking to hold it there under real-world operating conditions.
Chocking Application
Belzona 7111
A cost-effective, 2-part, 100% solids chocking/grouting material designed to endure the physical and thermal shock common to marine environments.
- Pressure, impact and vibration resistant
- Provides precise equipment alignment
- Dampens machine noise and vibration
- Prevents loosening of threaded bolts
- High load-bearing capacity is achieved for the structure
- Reduced installation times
- Does not require heat or special tools
Belzona 7211
Belzona 7211 is a three-component, 100% solids, VOC free epoxy system suitable for deep pour grouting of large machine bases, setting large levelling wedges and sole plates.
- High compressive strength
- Rapid strength development, superior creep resistance, minimal shrinkage
- Easy to apply regardless of the scale of the application
- Application and cure at room temperature – no hot work involved
- Excellent adhesion to a variety of substrates: concrete, brick, and steel
- Provides a cost-effective solution for filling large machine bases, deep repairs in foundations, critical machine settings
Chocking and Shimming with Belzona
Chocking and shimming are proven techniques that ensure equipment remains correctly supported throughout its service life.
Belzona Shimming and Chocking Systems Protect Assets Against Corrosion
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