Scientific Bulletin of the Electrical Engineering Faculty Year 11 No.

3 (17)

ISSN 1843-6188

BROKEN ROTOR BARS DETECTION IN SQUIRREL-CAGE INDUCTION

MACHINES BY MOTOR CURRENT SIGNATURE ANALYSIS METHOD
C. HARLICA1, R.P. HANGIU1, L. SZAB1, H. SILAGHI2
1

Department of Electrical Machines and Drives, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca

400114, Cluj-Napoca, 28 Memorandumului str., Romania
2
Department of Control Systems Engineering and Management, University of Oradea
Oradea, 1 University str., Romania
E-mail: Ciprian.Harlisca@mae.utcluj.ro

Most of the diagnostic methods require expensive sensors

or specialized tools. The current monitoring methods
have an advantage over the methods mentioned above:
they require only (in most cases already existing) simple
and cheap current sensors.
The current monitoring based techniques can be used to
detect almost all of the faults of a squirrel cage induction
machine:
bearing faults,
rotor bar faults,
air-gap eccentricity faults,
shorted winding fault,
load faults, etc.
These methods are non-intrusive and can be applied both
on-line and in a remotely controlled way.
The condition monitoring of induction machines is a vital
component of preventative and predictive maintenance
programs that seek to reduce cost and avoid unplanned
downtime of industrial processes. Condition monitoring
systems include both measurement hardware and
software that acquire and process signals generated by the
machine being monitored [3], [4].

Abstract Condition monitoring is an important issue in the

maintenance of electrical machines. In the last years
several methods for fault diagnosis of the squirrel-cage
induction motors were cited in the literature. Among these
methods the Motor Current Signature Analysis (MCSA) is
considered the most effective non-invasive fault detection
method, because it can easily detect all the common
electrical machine's faults. The method in discussion uses
the harmonic content of the line current of the induction
machine to detect diverse faults of the analyzed electrical
machine. In the paper experimental results on detecting
broken rotor bars in squirrel cage induction motors by
using MCSA are given.
Keywords: induction machine, rotor faults, fault diagnosis,
condition monitoring, Motor Current Signature Analysis.

1.

INTRODUCTION

Due to their robustness, low cost, and easy maintenance

the squirrel cage induction machines are widely used in
modern industry applications. Many of its basic
components are susceptible to failure. About 40% of the
faults that occur in induction machines are in the
bearings, 30 to 40% in the stator, 10% in the rotor and
the remaining ones in the auxiliary devices of the
machine [1]. An interruption of a manufacturing process
due to a mechanical or electrical problem induces a
significant financial loss. In order to avoid such
problems these faults has to be detected, so they not to
lead to major failures of the machine [2].
Numerous fault detection methods have been proposed in the
literature. The most frequent used detection methods are [2]:
Motor current signature analysis (MCSA),
acoustic noise measurements,
artificial intelligence and neural network based
techniques,
noise and vibration monitoring,
electromagnetic field monitoring using search coils,
temperature measurements,
infrared recognition,
radio frequency (RF),
emissions monitoring, chemical analysis, etc.

2.

THE MOTOR CURRENT SIGNATURE

ANALYSIS METHOD (MCSA)

The MCSA is a reliable method for fault detection that

provides a precise analysis based on the detection of
specific current sideband harmonics by means of Fast
Fourier Transform (FFT), with frequencies that are
characteristic to each type of fault [5].
In a working electrical machine fault indicators can
be chosen from a wide range of parameters that
influence the condition of the machine, like: flux,
stator current, stator line voltage, impedance, power,
electromagnetic torque, etc. Among these the easiest
to analyze is the stator current, as it is very easy to
measure [6], [7].
In an induction machine, depending of the type of fault,
the detected sideband harmonic components of the line
current may differ. To determine the existence of a
certain fault the measured data has to be analyzed in the

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Scientific Bulletin of the Electrical Engineering Faculty Year 11 No. 3 (17)

frequency domain. This is done by verifying and

comparing certain parts of the analyzed signal's harmonic
content with those of the signal measured for a healthy
machine [8], [9].
Although the broken rotor bars of a squirrel-cage
induction machine do not initially cause the motor to
fail, they can have serious secondary effects. The
breakings or cracks of a rotor bar can easily extend to
the neighboring bars. This type of fault progresses
slowly in time and can be easily detected by using
MCSA technique [10].
When a rotor bar fault occurs, it induces in the current
spectrum two frequency sidebands that appear at 2sf1
around the supply frequency [11]:
f b = (1 2 s ) f1
(1)
The lower sideband is induced due to broken bar, and the
upper sideband is due to consequent speed oscillation.
Several authors have shown that broken rotor bars create
additional sideband components in the current spectrum
at frequencies given by [11]:
f b = (1 2ks ) f1 , k = 2, 3, 4...
(2)
An idealized current spectrum is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 2. The laboratory setup

The laboratory test bench consists of two coupled

electrical machines: the squirrel cage induction machine
to be tested and a disc rotor type dc machine for braking
and loading purposes.
The rated data of the tested three-phase squirrel cage
induction machine is:
Rated power: 1.5 kW
Rated voltage: 220/380 V (/Y)
Rated current: 6.18/3.56 A (/Y)
Rated speed: 1500 1/min.
The measurement part of the test bench uses voltage and
current sensors. The measured data is acquired by a PC
having a National Instruments PCI-MIO-16E-4 12-Bit
Multifunction DAQ type data acquisition board.
For the data acquisition several virtual instruments (VIs)
were built up in LabVIEW. Besides data acquisition the VIs
can also perform the real time graphical processing of the
tested induction machine's measured currents and voltages.
These VIs can be easily transformed and used also for the
data processing if it should be required [16], [17].
The VI developed for the data acquisition and the
analyzing of the acquired data is given in Figure 3.

Figure 1. The idealized current spectrum

The two slip frequency sidebands due to broken rotor

bars near the main harmonic can be clearly observed in
the figure [12].
The amplitude of these sideband harmonics dependents
of three factors [13]:
Motor's load inertia
Motor's load torque (current in the rotor bars)
Severity of the rotor fault
3.

LABORATORY SETUP FOR FAULT

DETECTION

In order to perform the required measurements for the

detection of broken rotor bars a test bench was set up (see
Figure 2).

Figure 3. The data acquisition

virtual instruments block diagram

The sample frequency for data acquisition was set to a

high value (216=65.536 samples/seconds). One second
long measurements were performed, which means that on
each channel 65.536 values were saved.

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Scientific Bulletin of the Electrical Engineering Faculty Year 11 No. 3 (17)

4.

ISSN 1843-6188

The measured data was processed using the National

Instruments DIAdem software.
DIAdem is software specifically designed to help
engineers and scientists quickly locate, inspect, analyze,
and report on measurement data using a single
easy-to-use comprehensive software tool.
By using this program it is very easy to perform FFT
based spectral analysis of the data acquired by means of
NI's advanced data acquisition boards [19], [20].

RESULTS OF THE MEASUREMENTS

The tests were carried out for four different loads for two
conditions of the motor in study: healthy and having 3
broken rotor bars. Two similar rotors were used during
the tests. In one of the rotors 3 bars were interrupted by
drilling holes into the rotor near the end rings, as shown
in Figure 4.

NI DIAdem is a software tool that is used to quickly

locate, load, visualize, analyze, and report measurement
data collected during data acquisition and/or generated
during simulations.
The acquired data also can be stored in simple ASCIItype text files in order to be easy imported in any other
programming environment.
The measured line currents for the healthy and faulty
rotors of the induction machine at no-load and full load
are given in the Figures 5 and 6.

Figure 4. The rotor with 3 broken bars

During the measurements the three line currents and three

line voltages were acquired.

a) no-load

b) full load
Figure 5. The line current for a healthy motor

a) no-load

b) full load
Figure 6. The line current for 3 broken rotor bars

As it can be seen in Figures 5 and 6 the amplitude of the

currents is intensifying with the increase of the load.
Also a pronounced fluctuation of the line currents can

also be observed in the case of the induction motor

having rotor faults.
Several measurements were performed by using the above
mentioned test bench and the virtual instruments developed.

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Scientific Bulletin of the Electrical Engineering Faculty Year 11 No. 3 (17)

The obtained results of the measurements were

compared. The sideband components' frequencies due to
the broken rotor bars given by equations (1) or (2) were
searched in the spectrum of the measured line currents.
Due to the limited space in the paper only the most
significant results will be presented and discussed in details.
The main results of the line current's spectral analysis
performed by using the DIAdem software tool for the
healthy condition and for 3 broken rotor bars of the
squirrel cage induction machine in study are given in the
next figures.
In Figure 7 the spectrums of the line current for the
healthy condition and for the case of the rotor having 3
broken bars are given at the rated (full) loading of the
tested induction machine.

The qualitative analysis of the sideband harmonics should

be joined with a more precise quantitative study.
As the speed of the machine was measured during all the
laboratory tests performed for all the cases taken into
study the frequencies of the sideband components can be
easily computed by using equations (1) and (2).
The sideband frequencies of the main interest, computed
for k = 1 and k = 2 for different loads of the squirrel cage
induction machine in study having 3 broken rotor bars are
given in Table 1.

Figure 7. The line current's spectrum at full load

speed [1/rot]

slip

full load

1426l

0.049

75 % of
load

1450

0.033

50 % of
load

Table 1. The analytically computed frequencies of

the sideband harmonics for the induction
machine having 3 broken rotor bars

1476

0.016

25 % of
load

ISSN 1843-6188

1488

0.08

frequency [Hz]
40.13
45.06
54.93
59.86
43.33
46.66
53.33
56.66
46.80
48.40
51.60
53.20
48.40
49.20
50.60
51.60

Next it should be checked if the sideband components

from Table 1 can be identified in the spectrums of the
measured line current.
In Figure 9 the main sideband components of the line
current in the case of the induction motor having 3
broken rotor bars at full load are given.

For a better view of the harmonic content of the line

currents a zoom taken on the previous picture is given in
Figure 8.

Figure 8. A zoomed view of the

line current's spectrum at full load

In the figure, the above mentioned sideband components

can be very clearly distinguished in the case of the
induction machine having broken rotor bars. The existence
of these harmonic components is the clear evidence of the
existence of broken rotor bars in the machine.

Figure 9. The main sideband components of the

line current in the case of the induction motor
having 3 broken rotor bars at full load

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Scientific Bulletin of the Electrical Engineering Faculty Year 11 No. 3 (17)

ISSN 1843-6188

diagnostics program in order to give a complete view of

motor system health.
A way forward is for the technology and intelligent
diagnosis to be integrated into a technologically advanced
hand-held instrument that is applicable to a diverse range
of induction motor derives.
All the given results show that the method in study is a
suitable fault diagnosis method in the field of fault
detection of electrical machines.
The LabVIEW and DIAdem software used for data
acquisition and processing purposes can be successfully
used also in fault detection of electrical machines in
industrial environment.

In the figure the sideband harmonic components

indicating the existence of rotor bar faults are marked
with circles.
The four sideband harmonic components corresponding
to the given condition and load of the induction machine
from Table 1 (40.13 Hz, 45.06 Hz, 54.93 Hz and
59.86 Hz) are clearly observable in Figure 9.
All these emphasize both the effectiveness of the selected
fault detection method and the correctness of the
measurements and of the following data processing
(spectral analysis).
As the load of the machine is greater also the magnitude
of the typical, fault type dependent sideband harmonic
components are higher, as it can be seen in Figure 10,
where the spectral contents of the line currents for the
faulty machine at different loads are plotted.

6.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

This paper was supported by the project "Improvement of the

doctoral studies quality in engineering science for
development of the knowledge based society-QDOC"
contract number POSDRU/107/1.5/S/78534, project
co-funded by the European Social Fund through the Sectorial
Operational Program Human Resources 2007-2013.

7.

Figure 10. The line current's spectrum

at different loads in the case of the
induction machine having 3 broken bars

As it can be seen in the figure at no load the typical

sideband components are not evidenced although the
induction machine's rotor is faulty. At the half of the rated
load these components already can be seen, but they are
clearly detectable only in the case of the full load of the
machine.
This is the main drawback of the motor current signature
analysis: the sideband harmonic components indicating
diverse machine faults can be hardly observed at lower
loads of the monitored electrical machines.
But in industrial environment in most of the cases the
electrical machines are working mainly near they rated
load, hence the fault diagnosis methods studied in this
paper can be widely applied

5.

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CONCLUSIONS

The motor current signature analysis fault detection

method provides a highly sensitive, selective, and
cost-effective means for non-invasive and on-line
monitoring of a wide variety of electric machinery. This
technique can be used also combined with other methods,
such as motor circuit analysis, as part of motor

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Scientific Bulletin of the Electrical Engineering Faculty Year 11 No. 3 (17)

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