sioa017 ‘Tho 50 Fluo Modes of Elocre Motors
Lunes, 16 Mayo 2015 13:40
The 50 Failure Modes of Electric Motors
Electric motors are essential to numerous plants operations, no matter the industry, which is
why understanding their 50 failure modes can help you develop a better maintenance
program in your plant.
Electric motors are essential for making sure that plants are running smoothly and effectively. If one fails, it
can mean costly downtime for the plant and create a variety of safety hazards. There are a number of,
different failure modes out there, so by understanding them, the lifespan of a motor can extend from two to
15 years.
The key is moving from the reactive category of the PF curve to the predictive phase. By using ultrasound
technology, such as the Ultraprobe 15,000, you can detect problems before they start to create serious
damage in the motor. Because there are so many different components within a motor, a failure mode can
emerge in a variety of places, There are between 8 and 10 components within a motor, each with its own
failure modes, bringing the total to around 50, so by properly addressing them, you can greatly extend the
life of your motor.
Motor housing
Failures in motor housing can crop up from improper installation, physical damage, corrosion and material
buildup. While motor housing may not seem like a true performance component, these shortcomings can
ultimately affect the way others perform.
hitpshwwwimpic-esndex php?opton= com _K2Bview=item8id=35:he-50allure-modes-of-lectric-metorsihemid=3688tmpl=componentsrint=1
ry‘reset? Tho 50 Fale Modes of Elocric Motors
For instance, a soft foot could lead to bearing failures, shaft bending and broken or cracked feet. This
emerges if a motor, when placed in a flat surface, does not have all its feet flat on the surface. Material
buildup can heat up the operating temperature of the motor, ultimately leading to damage on other parts of
the motor, such as bearings.
Motor stator
Motor stator failure modes emerge from physical damage, contamination, corrosion, high temperature,
voltage imbalance, broken supports and rewind bumout procedures. A lot of times, these can emerge from
motor repair shops.
Stator failures occur due to the rewind burnout of the windings. This often happens before the motor ean be
rewound requiring emergency repairs. But because the plant will need the motor returned as soon as
possible, hasty repairs can end up damaging the stators by improperly heating the housing and the
stator. This can also lead to motor inefficiencies.
Motor rotors
Rotors are composed of numerous layers of laminated steel and the rotor windings are composed of bars of
copper or aluminum alloy that is shorted on both sides with shorting rings. These components can then fail
through thermal stress, physical damage, imbalance, broken rotor bar, contamination and improper
installation.
Physical damage on rotors can develop after certain emergency maintenance tasks including bearing
replacement, motor rebuilds and during a disassembly and reassembly process. Generally speaking, motor
bearings should not be changed at plant locations and especially on critical equipment.
Imbalanced motor rotors are common, but this can put a lot of strain on bearings. This will ultimately lead
to a rotor making contact with a stator and creating another point of failure. Again, improper rebuilding
tactics, such as overheating, can damage rotor components as well.
By establishing precision balance standards, you can be sure you are preventing these kinds of imbalance
failures.
Motor bearings
Motor bearings within an electric motor can emerge from improper handling and storage, improper
installation, misalignment, improper lubrication, start/stop processes, contamination, overhung loads and
motor fan imbalance.
Contamination is one of the biggest reasons for bearing failure modes. This occurs when foreign
contaminants or moisture enter the bearings, usually during the lubrication process. You can take steps to
prevent contamination during the regreasing process to ensure that they are kept out.
Itis also important that your motor is properly outfitted for the task for which it was selected. This means
using the right bearings for its application. Motors that are using sheaves or sprockets that are mounted on
the shaft will need roller bearings in the motor, which are common among most standard motors.
Lubrication can always be a major cause of failure because there are so many different places where one
can improperly apply lubrication. Too much or too little lubrication, along with the improper form of
lubrication, can lead to premature wear and tear. All motor greases should be polyurea-based, and not all
purpose greases, One should always take the plug out of the bottom so that old grease can be drained
properly. Also, release valves can help prevent over greasing
‘The UE Systems Grease Caddy can be a great tool for listening to when lubricating a motor.
Motor bearing seal failures tend to emerge from improper lubrication or installation.
hitpshwwwimpic-esndex php?opton= com _K2Bview=item8id=35:he-50allure-modes-of-lectric-metorsihemid=3688tmpl=componentsrint=1
218‘reset? Tho 50 Fale Modes of Elocric Motors
Motor fans
Motor fans tend to fail from physical damage, ice buildup, foreign materials and corrosion. Fans help keep
the temperature down on a motor, which is essential to making sure that the rest of the components are
performing well
‘The motor fan guard failures can also lead to a larger motor failure. This tends to happen through physical
damage and plugging. By taking the time to keep them clean, you can go a long way in preventing fan
guard failures,
Motor insulation and windings
When it comes to motor insulation and windings, there are a number of potential issues. Contamination and
moisture can lead to winding failures. Often times, this is because they are not stored in ambient areas.
Overheating is another issue that can cause a motor failure. Insulation breakdown, cycling and flexing,
along with AC drive stress, round out the possible failure modes for this category.
The life of the insulation in a standard electric motor is based on the temperature at which the motor
operates. This means for an electric motor that is operating at a particularly high temperature, you could be
cutting back on its lifespan, In fact, for every 18 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit, the insulation life is cut in half.
While better insulation can extend the lifespan, temperature is easily one of the biggest factors in this
instance. This means bringing in cooler outside air.
Insulation breakdown can be a big problem, as it will cause windings to short out. These problems can be
detected through MCE testing and thermography. Winding shorts from turn to turn ean erop up from
contaminants abrasion, vibration or voltage surges.
Cycling and flexing is another problem that typically occurs from frequent start and stop operations from
the motor. This kind of an operation cycle can lead to the frequent heating and cooling of windings and
insulation, which can lead to wear and tear, such as holes, ultimately leading the motor to short and fail
Motor shaft
Motor shaft failure modes occur due to physical damage, improper manufacturing, improper installation
and corrosion. For instance, installing a motor improperly can cause certain components, such as the motor
casing, to corrode and create imbalan
How to make your motor last
Now that we are aware of the various types of motor failure modes, we can take better steps toward
creating a preventive maintenance plan.
Many maintenance tasks can be addressed through a weekly hands on inspection. Make sure to grease the
motors as needed with the proper motor rated grease. Add grease or oil only when needed. Incorporating an
ultrasound assisted lubrication program can go a long way in preventing bearing failure.
‘There are a number of ongoing tasks you can do to ensure that motors are in their best performance
conditions, Keep your motors clean and at the proper temperature with consistent airflow, and store motors
properly to keep moisture from contaminating them. Also, keep moisture and chemicals away from the
‘motor so as to prevent contamination.
There are also a number of precision maintenance steps you can take in order to enhance the performance
of your motors and reduce wear and tear. Always align your motors to under .003 in all three planes, while
also taking care to eliminate soft feet. Specify the precision balance of the rotor to .05 in per second.
Finally, only use certified motor rebuild shops, because as we discussed earlier, improper repairs can lead to
greater damage down the line.
In terms of predictive maintenance measures, use motor circuit evaluation to detect all motor failures.
Vibration analysis can be used for a number of other motor failures while mechanical ultrasound can be
hitpshwwwimpic-esndex php?opton= com _K2Bview=item8id=35:he-50allure-modes-of-lectric-metorsihemid=3688tmpl=componentsrint=1 3sioa017 ‘Tho 50 Fluo Modes of Elocre Motors
used for bearings, rotor bars and electrical failures — also use oil analysis on sleeve be:
reservoirs.
ings with oil
There are a number of other ultrasound applications as well. Failures tend to first appear in bearings,
‘meaning that the Ultraprobe 15,000 can be a great way to detect Stage | failures. The device is also great at
detecting over or under lubrication. As ultrasound becomes an increasingly integral part of maintenance
operations, so too are its applications. It can be used to detect electrical failures like arcing, rotor bar
problems and rotor imbalance, along with alignment and soft foot issues.
Generally speaking, when a motor fails, you need to decide if itis worth rebuilding or buying a new motor.
Using a motor decision flowchart can help guide this decision. Talk with a CMRP to find a decision flow
chart for your operations.
Finally, you can get a lot more out of your motors by taking proactive maintenance steps, Purchase
precision motors for all of your critical applications and always use precision maintenance for installation,
alignment, balance and lubrication.
By adhering to these steps, you can extend the lifespan of your motors and limit downtime in your plant,
effectively speeding up operations, limiting cost and improving performance.
Want to learn more about this topic? Feel free to contact UE Systems,
hitpshwwwimpic-esndex php?opton= com _K2Bview=item8id=35:he-50allure-modes-of-lectric-metorsihemid=3688tmpl=componentsrint=1
ae