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Don Taft
Plant Superintendent R.A. Reed Electric Co.
Los Angeles, California

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Recently there has been much concern over vibration levels at the 120 hertz frequency band
on large two pole electric motors. Much of the cause for this vibration is inherent to motor
design the difficulty being in building an electro-mechanical device that turns at the same
frequency as the electrical forces that drive it. Eccentricities, no matter how slight, excite
the ever present electrical/magnetic frequencies making designing these units difficult at
best. Tolerances must be held tightly without making the unit economically unattainable.
On many occasions this problem does not manifest itself until the unit has been overhauled.
It is the intent of this paper to give the reader a better understanding of the cause for this
phenomena and suggest possible solutions for amplitude reduction.



Being from a large repair facility I have had the opportunity to take spectral data on literally
hundreds of motors. The large two pole units, however, proved to be the most interesting
and the source of most controversy regarding our ability as motor repair experts, it is these
units that are to be studied. Twenty sample motors were selected to study, however only the
three most interesting cases will be presented. Sample motors were of varying size and
make. Because I was primarily concerned with electrical frequencies I chose only sleeve
bearing motors this eliminated unwanted anti-friction bearing noise. Terminology and basic
construction will be first then we will go into the different design types and their purpose,
case studies are next and we will finish up with setting acceptable standards for re-builders
and manufacturers.

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All of our case studies were standard induction motors which consist of a rotor assembly ,
stator assembly, end-brackets, sleeve bearings, oil rings and a variety of enclosures and
cooling fans.
Stator - An assembled unit consisting of a pressed and welded stack of stamped or laser cut,
slotted, steel plates anywhere from .020" to .040" in thickness called laminations. The
pressed stack is called the core. Insulation and a winding are installed in this core to
complete the stator assembly.

Rotor - A stack of similar laminations pressed onto a shaft in which rotor bars are cast
(called a cast rotor) or pressed (called a fabricated rotor) into the slots formed into the rotor
stack.

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Bearing - All motors referred to in this paper are babbitt sleeve bearings consisting of a
brass or cast iron shell with a poured babbitt lining that is machine bored for a standard
clearance to the shaft journal. Some of the units tested had split bearings, however bearing
to shaft tolerances are the same and have no effect on test results.

Housing - The bearing support which is registered to the stator assembly to align the rotor
in the stator bore. All sample motors have sump type housings which provide an oil
reservoir directly beneath the bearing assembly.

Oil Ring- A brass ring which hangs on the bearing journal through a slot in the bearing
assembly and hangs into the oil sump. When the shaft turns the ring dips into the reservoir
bringing oil back up to the journal surface.




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Twenty motors which exhibited high levels of vibration at the 120 hertz frequency band
were tested before and after repair. Although some motors had more than one problem the
most predominant cause is listed.

Primary Cause Number of Units Effected

Internal Misalignment 9
Loose Stator Core/Laminations 4
Rotor or Cage Thermal Bow 3
Uneven Feet/Base Forcing Internal Misalign. 2
Cracked Shaft 1
Broken Rotor Bar 1


   


This is the most common cause for 120 hertz vibration that we have found, in fact it is has
become standard procedure for Reed Electric to measure and record the air gap on these
motors before and after repair. It is important to remember that there are many causes of
internal misalignment most of which are caused by poor repair procedures. This is the
reason why the problem is so prevalent after a unit has been sent to a repair facility.
The best indicator of good internal alignment is the a
aa

Some
manufacturers had the foresight to install access holes in the bearing housings for checking
air gap with the unit completely assembled.



 


All motors tested had what

are considered, by definition, a flexible rotor design which
means that the full load RPM is above the REED critical frequency or resonant frequency,
but this does not mean that the rotor actually flexes. Or does it? There are at least three
different metals that make up a modern rotor. Manufacturers in their quest for more
efficient, less expensive motors have chose to reduce rotor diameter and increase their
length because of the different expansion coefficients involved the rotors can and do
change under load and varying thermal conditions. Bar to slot fit and core to shaft fit must
allow for this expansion, the manufacturers design these rotors for particular metals and the
changing of rotor bar material or even shaft material is not recommended.

Not all bowing problems are design flaws in fact most are from external causes. Frequent
starting or starting under excessive load can cause a temperature differential by heating the
rotor bars unequally through induction. Hot spots on the rotor or stator causing uneven
thermal expansion. Poor shaft to core fit, too tight axial growth is limited, too loose and it is
subject to magnetic pullover.







  
   


Most motors have mounting pads or feet which are used to fasten the motor to it's base.
These feet are, in most motors, an intricate part of the stator assembly. If the feet or the
base that they bolt to is uneven then by tightening the hold down bolts the stator can
become distorted causing an uneven air gap. This is one of the easier problems to
troubleshoot in the field. By using your CSI analyzer in monitor mode you can loosen the
feet one at a time while observing the 120 hertz peak. This problem can sometimes be
identified using a soft foot test or by the use of feeler gauges, however on many occasions
such as an angular soft foot or tweaked base using the analyzer is much faster and far more
accurate.

Again repair shops can cause a stator frame to warp if they do not have a method of
controlling burn temperature.


   


However in most cases the top half of the housing must be removed allowing access to only
three points and in some cases the housings are a one piece construction which leaves only
time consuming and tedious mechanical measurements. Most manufacturers specify no
more than a ten percent deviation of half the total air gap.

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d = Allowable air gap differential

ag = Total air gap

So a measured air gaps of .035 TDC .032 at 90 degrees and .028 at 270 degrees would not
be acceptable as vertically misaligned.


 
   

This problem commonly occurs in motors that have been rewound primarily due to lack of
temperature control during the burn cycle causing the laminations to distort and also
breaking down the fine coating on the lamination plates. Another common cause for this
problem occurs when the burnt winding is pulled from the slots in a sloppy manner causing
the teeth to bend or mushroom. Other problems related to the burn process are stator shell
or support warpage and case expansion.

This problem may not be detected with an air gap check and if not caught by the repair
facility before assembly can cause endless hours of frustration.

There is also a phenomena known as lamination arcing. This is caused by eddy currents in
shorted plate teeth causing electrical arcing and with it 120 hertz vibration, It also creates
hot spots and flux deflection fields which in turn can cause rotor thermal bow.

 




These problems cause similar results so they have been consolidated. There has been an
abundance of papers, articles and studies on identification of broken rotor bars, however the
problem of broken or cracked rotor bars occur in less than one half of one percent of the
motors we test. Cracked shafts are-even less common and are usually caused by mechanical
or thermal stress. Rotor bar detection is still an important tool in troubleshooting elect,
electrical problems and

should always be identified by the analyst if a rotor is being forced off it's magnetic center a
definite increase becomes apparent at bar pass frequency. Other possible causes for
increased rotor bar vibration are loose bars, eccentric rotor, weakened end-ring and
unbalanced current.

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Reliance
400HP
2:Pole, 2300VAC, Fr.501Oz. Mod. 2XXQ11830 Cast Iron, TEFC, Exp.
Prf.

Complaint: New motor did not meet customer vibration standards for 120 hertz amplitude
of .03 In/Sec.

Initial test at full voltage showed a predominant peak at 120 hertz. Units rotor was tested by
the single phase method and determined to be good. The winding was then surge tested and
also found good. Other standard testing was acceptable and the unit was then dismantled.
Because this unit had one piece bearing brackets we had to verify air gap by mechanical
measurements and checking rotor run-outs and register fits.
It was determined that the sleeve bearing register was cut off center by .0075". A new
bearing and housing were installed solving the problem.

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Siemens-Allis: 17§0HP, 2 Pole, 4160VAC, Fr. 6810, Mod. 125 Steel, WPII.

Complaint: Ever since motor had been rewound the unit had developed a noticeable
vibration. Subsequent testing by analyst indicated an electrical fault and motor was sent to
us to try and determine the cause¦

This unit was a split case design with the stator assembly fastened to the bottom half of the
case with eight 1.250" bolts and steel shims between the stator and case.

The air gap measurement was easy to attain and showed the stator was sitting at a twelve
degree incline. The proper shims were installed and the units vibration was reduced by over
sixty percent.
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In keeping with the spirit of this years conference here are some suggestions to help you
establish a good working relationship with repair facilities as well as motor manufacturers.
With the advanced equipment in your possession you can set realistic standards for
acceptability saving your company time and money. Also by letting your vendors know of
your standards they can save the wasted effort of trying to sell you something you don't
want.



 


* Establish repair standards for each type of motor at your facility. You can use many
different sources for setting these standards some of which are EASA, IEEE, API, NEMA
and even your competition. Your motor shop should be able to assist you in acquiring these
publications. Ê 
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* Insist on copies of all test results including air gap measurements.

* Ask for rotor bar and stator slot count also any bearing numbers and make.

* Have motor feet checked for flatness and record amount of any soft feet.

* On large motors ask for shaft voltage and current test results.

* On large motors you should always invest the time to witness final test run. Make sure
that full voltage is applied and unit is bolted down.

* Make sure that bearing temperatures stabilize and are balanced.

* If unit requires rewinding insist that exact, factory winding data is used.
* Make certain that proper stripping procedures are used and that ovens are equipped with
temperature l imitation, core should never reach a temperature above 660 degrees.

* Get core loss test results before and after burn.

* If any machine work is required insist on approving all materials and procedures. Again,
use factory tolerances on all fits.

* Have results of final balance recorded.

 


Many times your input on new motor purchases is limited by national contracts or low bid
policies, however on the larger motor purchases technical as well as financial audits are in
order. An apparent savings could cost your company tens of thousands of dollars in lost
production if technical standards are not maintained.

* Set acceptance standards for all new motor purchases using previously mentioned
method.

* Ask for manufacturers written quality standards.

* Try to get as much engineering data as possible for future reference. At minimum make
them give you the rotor bar and stator slot count and useable bearing numbers.

* Request to witness test run and bring your analyzer to verify conformance to your
standards.

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1. Electric Motor Repair, Robert Rosenberg Holt, Rinehart, Winston - Long Beach, New
York

2. The Simplified Handbook of Vibration Analysis, Arthur R. Crawford Computational

Systems Inc. - Knoxville, TN

3. Rotor Failures in Squirrel Cage Induction Motors, Austin H. Bonnett, George C. Soukup
U.S. Electrical Motors - Prescott, AZ Paper No. PCIC-85-24, IEEE

4. Analysis of Rotor Failures in Squirrel Cage Induction Motors, Austin H. Bonnett,

George C. Soukup U.S. Electrical Motors-Prescott, AZ Paper No. PCIC-87-2, IEEE

5. Physics for Technical Students - Mechanics and Heat, William Ballantyne Anderson,
Ph.D. McGraw-Hill - New York, NY

6. EASA

Technical Manual Electrical Apparatus Service Association - St. Louis, MI
7. NEMA

Motors and Generators, MG 1 National Electric Manufacturers Association -
Washington, D.C.

8. Electric Motor Repair Shop Problems and Solutions, Samuel Heller, P.E. Datarule
Publishing Co., Inc. - New Canaan, CT

9. Induction Motor Electrical Noise and Vibration and Case Problems, Cletus A. Corey
MagneTek - Louis Allis

10. Some Aspects of Magnetic Centering Effects on Sleeve Bearing Induction Motors, Bob
Brozek, M.E.E. EASA - Tech Note No. 15 Electrical Apparatus Repair Association, St.
Louis, MI

11. Induction Motor Magnetic Vibration, J. Howard Maxwell Arizona Public Service Co. -
Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station - Phoenix, AZ

12. Winding Alternating - Current Machines, Michael Liwschitz-Garik, Dr-Ing., Asst.

Celso Gentilini,B.E.E. D. Van Nostrand Co., Inc. - New York, NY

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