Regular Motor Maintenance To Avoid Failure

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Regular Motor Maintenance To Avoid Failure

(and Prolong Its Lifespan)
Regular Motor Maintenance To Avoid Failure and Prolong Its Lifespan (photo credit: multivu.com)
Motor maintenance //
A well and carefully designed motor maintenance program, when correctly used, can be summed up as //
1. Preventive maintenance,
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2. Predictive maintenance and

3. Reactive maintenance
Inspection cycles depend upon the type of motor and the conditions under which it operates.
Motors need maintenance regularly in order to avoid failure and prolong their lifespan. Generally speaking,
motors and motor parts should be maintained and tested at least every 6 months. Only then is it possible to
maintain a motor’s life and its efficiency.
Factors which affect the life span of the motor due to lack
of maintenance
1. Preventive motor maintenance
The objective of this kind of maintenance is to prevent operating problems and make sure that the motor
continuously provides a reliable operation Usually, preventive maintenance is a scheduled part of maintaining a
whole system.
Motor preventive maintenance (photo credit: en-us.fluke.com)
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2. Predictive motor
maintenance
The objective of this kind of

motor maintenance is to
ensure that the right kind of
maintenance is carried out at
the right time. In order to
define these two parameters,
it is necessary to monitor
the motor operation
regularly and thereby detect
problems before they actually
occur.
By keeping a log-book it is possible to compare historical data on a wide range of parameters and thereby anticipate
potential problems.
3. Reactive motor maintenance
The main objective of this kind of maintenance is to repair and replace the motor when a failure occurs. Reactive
maintenance or breakdown maintenance as it is referred to as well, does not imply any regular service or tests.
What to know about PREVENTIVE maintenance
Unexpected downtimes are costly because they often imply that a whole manufacturing process or parts of it is
put to a stop. Preventive motor maintenance on a regular basis can help prevent motors to fail and thus, prevent
unexpected production stops.
On the following paragraphs, I’ll present some of the important elements that preventive maintenance includes.
Motor preventive testing (photo credit: ips.us)
Motor ventilation
If the motor is installed and operates in an area with limited ventilation, the motor temperature may reach high
temperatures that can damage the motor’s insulation and bearing grease, and cause it to fail Dust and dirt often
block the ventilating passages.
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Therefore, in order to prevent the motor from

overheating, it is important to blow away the dirt
on a regular basis.
Even though motors are protected, it is important

to install them in areas with constant ventilation so
that high temperatures do not damage insulation
and bearings. The cooler a motor operates, the
longer lifetime it has. Therefore, the fan cover and
the cooling fin always have to be as clean as
possible.
Dust and dirt often block the

ventilating passages
Humidity
and
condensation
In IP55 closed motors, water vapour may condense and consequently reach the motor windings and the bearings.
Therefore, in this kind of motor, the motor temperature must always be warmer than the surrounding temperature
during stand still. This can be done by using another solution is to remove the drain plugs allowing condensed
water to escape.
Removing the drain plugs will change the motor enclosure from IP55 to IP44.
Stator equiped with heating element to prevent condensation problems
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Loose
connections
All electrical
connections
must be kept
tight and
torqued according
to the
recommended
values Cold or
creep flow during load cycles often cause joint failure. Fuses, cable connections, contactors and circuit breakers are
often subject to loose connections and should thus be checked regularly as well.
All electrical connections must be kept tight and torqued
Voltage and current imbalance
Voltage and current imbalance is certainly an area of concern and the values should be checked regularly in
order to avoid problems with the motor. Voltage imbalance occurs when the voltage of three phases differs from
one another. Voltage imbalance causes line currents to be unequal as well.
This results in different kinds of problems // Vibrations, torque pulsations and overheating of one or more of the phase
windings. The voltage imbalance leads to a decrease in the motor’s efficiency and shortens its life.
Undervoltage and overvoltage
Undervoltage and overvoltage wear out the motor’s stator insulation. Undervoltage stresses the temperature in the
insulation
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At lower voltages, motors run at a reduced

full-load efficiency, run hotter, have a
larger slip, produce less torque, and may
have a shorter lifespan.
Usually, induction motors are capable of

handling overvoltage situations. However,
severe overvoltage may cause turn-to- turn,
phase-to-phase or phase-to-ground short
circuiting. That is a short-circuit between the
phases or between the phases and the frame.
The major causes of motor failure, according to the

Electrical Research Association, USA
Bearings
Today, bearings are the components in the motor that are most exposed to wear. The reason is that the
insulation system is no longer subject to high temperatures because the efficiency of motors has improved over the
years. The most common error is no longer short circuit but noise from the bearings and bearing damage.
Therefore, when carrying out preventive maintenance on the motor, replacement and maintenance of bearings are indeed
important factors!!
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Causes of failure in rolling bearings. Only about 1% of all rolling bearings

reach expected life.
Some bearings are referred to as greased-for-life bearings or maintenance free bearings. However, these terms
are misleading. They do not imply that the bearings do not need maintenance at all.
Greased-for-life bearings or maintenance-free bearings have to be replaced eventually. When, depends on either the
lifespan of the bearings (L10h) or on the lifespan of the grease that is used as lubrication (F10h). The lifespan of
the bearing varies between 16,000 – 40,000 hours or more.
As to the lifespan of the grease it is normally at least 40,000 hours under normal operating conditions.
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Bearing life
It is possible to calculate the lifespan of bearings based on the material fatigue if we know the motor’s operating
load and speed. To make these calculations it is essential that the bearings are mounted and lubricated correctly.
The calculations do not take the effect of adverse operating conditions into account.
Bearing lubrication
Bearings in standard motors are always lubricated with grease either once and for all (greased-for-life) or they
may be relubricated via lubrication nipples. Actually, only a small amount of bearings reach their optimum
lifespan. The explanation is linked to maintenance.
The major reasons for premature bearing failure are //
Wrong mounting
Contamination
Incorrect handling
Incorrect maintenance
Incorrect or no lubricant, (too old lubricant, wrong amount of lubricant, dirt in lubrication etc )
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Cleanliness
Motors should be kept clean, free of dust, debris and oil. Soft brushes or clean cotton rags should be used for
cleaning. A jet of compressed air should be used to remove non-abrasive dust from the fan cover and any
accumulated grime from the fan and cooling fins.
Terminal boxes fitted to motors with IP-55 protection should be cleaned. Their terminals should be free of
oxidation, in perfect mechanical condition, and all unused space dust-free.
Motors with IP(W) 55 protection are recommended for use under unfavourable ambient conditions.
References //
Grundfos Motor Book

Installation and Maintenance Manual for Electric Motors by WEG
Related electrical guides & articles //
Share with engineers //
About Author //
Edvard Csanyi
Edvard - Electrical engineer, programmer and founder of EEP. Highly specialized for design of LV high power
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busbar trunking (<6300A) in power substations, buildings and industry fascilities.

Designing of LV/MV switchgears.Professional in AutoCAD programming and
web-design.Present on Google+
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Regular Motor Maintenance To Avoid Failure | EEP http://electrical-engineering-portal.com/regular-motor-maintenance-to-av...

2. Predictive maintenance and

1. Preventive motor maintenance

Motor preventive maintenance (photo credit: en-us.fluke.com)

The objective of this kind of

3. Reactive motor maintenance

What to know about PREVENTIVE maintenance

Motor preventive testing (photo credit: ips.us)

Therefore, in order to prevent the motor from

Even though motors are protected, it is important

Dust and dirt often block the

Stator equiped with heating element to prevent condensation problems

All electrical connections must be kept tight and torqued

Voltage and current imbalance

Undervoltage and overvoltage

At lower voltages, motors run at a reduced

Usually, induction motors are capable of

The major causes of motor failure, according to the

Causes of failure in rolling bearings. Only about 1% of all rolling bearings

Your connection is not secure

The major reasons for premature bearing failure are //

Your connection is not secure

Grundfos Motor Book

Related electrical guides & articles //

Share with engineers //

busbar trunking (<6300A) in power substations, buildings and industry fascilities.

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