Electric Motor Bearing Failure And What To Do About It

The following five variables can generate its own certain kind of damages as well as leave its very own unique imprint on the bearing. By examining a broken bearing it is feasible to establish the origin cause of the damage so that the requisite activities can be taken to stop a reappearance.

Electrical Erosion
Electric disintegration or arcing can take place when a current passes from one ring to the various other with the rolling elements. The level of the damages depends upon the quantity of power and also its period. The outcome is generally the exact same: pitting damages to the moving elements as well as raceways, fast destruction of the lube and early bearing failing. To stop damage from the electrical existing flow, an electrically protected bearing at the non-drive end is normally used. There are 2 types of protected bearings offered from SKF: INSOCOAT bearings as well as hybrid bearings.

Insufficient Lubrication and Also Contamination
If the lubricant film between the moving elements as well as raceways is as well thin because of inadequate viscosity or contamination, metal-to-metal contact takes place. Examine initially whether the appropriate lube is being made use of which re-greasing periods as well as amount suffice for the application. If the lube contains contaminants, examine the seals to establish if they should be replaced or updated. In some cases, depending on the application, a lubricating substance with a greater viscosity may be required to increase the oil thickness.

Vibration Damage
Motors that are moved without the rotor shaft held securely in place can be based on resonances within the bearing clearance that might damage the bearings. In a similar way, if an electric motor is at a dead stop as well as based on outside resonances over a time period, the bearings can additionally come to be harmed. Safeguard the bearings throughout transportation in the adhering to manner: lock the shaft axially utilizing a flat steel bent in a U-shape, while carefully preloading the ball bearing at the nondrive end. Radially fill the bearing at the drive end with a band. In case of extended durations of dead stop, transform the shaft every now and then.

Damage Brought on by Inappropriate Installment and Set-up
Typical mistakes in installment include using a hammer or other comparable device to mount a coupling half or belt pulley-block onto a shaft, imbalance, inequality, excessive belt stress, as well as incorrect mounting leading to overwhelming. To avoid this, utilize precision instruments such as the SKF shaft positioning tool and also Microlog resonance analyzer to inspect positioning as well as resonance, and also the suitable devices and approaches when mounting bearings.

Not Enough Bearing Tons
Bearings always need to have a minimum load to operate well. The damages will look like smearing on the rolling components as well as raceways. In order to stop this, see to it to use an adequately big external lots to the bearings. It is most important to keep in mind this when utilizing cylindrical roller bearings since they are usually made use of to accommodate much heavier tons. This does not put on preloaded bearings.