Misalignment (poor coaxiality) between the brake, coupling, motor, and gearbox can cause uneven contact, vibration, and premature wear—leading to unstable braking torque on overhead and gantry cranes. In disc brakes, misalignment can create uneven pad loading and disc runout effects, increasing air gap variation and delaying engagement. In drum/block brakes, skewed geometry can cause one shoe to carry more load, accelerating lining wear and reducing effective torque.
Symptoms include noise, judder, hot spots on discs/brake wheels, frequent adjustment needs, and inconsistent stopping behavior. Misalignment also increases side loads on bearings and couplings, reducing drivetrain life and raising maintenance cost.
Best practice is to verify mounting surfaces, shaft runout, and coupling alignment during installation and after major service. If alignment errors persist, no friction material upgrade will “fix” the system. Correct alignment is foundational for predictable fail-safe brake performance and safe load handling.