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    EASA Root Cause Failure Section 7

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    Download as pdf
    10 views25 pages

    EASA Root Cause Failure Section 7

    Uploaded by

    Don Freeman
    EASA Root Cause Failure Section 7

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
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    Reliable Solutions foday! ection 7 DC Motor Failures Root Cause Failure Analysis Copyright © 2002, Electrical Apparatus Service Associaton, Inc. Root Cause Fallure Analysis DC Wotor Failures — Section 7 DC Motor Failures Section Outline Introduction to DC motors ‘Armatures Thermal stress... Electrical stress .. Mechanical stress. Dynamic stress Commutators rnnsesnnn : Siot bar marking: Causes and cures Brushes and brushholders Carbon brushes: Causes of unusual wear rates... Brush pressure and spring tension... Field coils (shunt fields) Thermal stress... Mechanical stress... Importance of symmetry Interpoles and series fields ‘Compensating windings DC motor ventilation... Shatts currents and tachometers Copyright ©2002, Electcal Apparatus Service Association, Inc. (Version 5021-502) 7-4 Section 7 — DC Motor Failures Root Cause Failure Analysis INTRODUCTION TO DC MOTORS While many of the components of a DC machine are ‘common to AC machines (shaft, bearings, frame), there are parts that are unique to DC machines, This section will laddress those components, describe test methods and failure modes, and failure analysis, The same methodology Used throughout the book is continued here, with adapta: tions. Itis assumed, for the purpose of this discussion, that the reader already understands how a DC motor works. FIGURE 1: EARLY DC MOTOR This 1889 Edison Electric DC motoris a 1.5 kW (2hp) bipolar design. With no interpoles, the brush neutral had to be shifted for every load change. ‘The DC motor has been around since the 1880s, (See Figure 1) Although come have been sounding its death knoll since as far back as the 1950s, there seems to bbe no shortage of DC repair work. The windings of a DC machine diffe from those of AC motors, so the evaluation process diffs from tnat described earlier inthis book. Many problems associated with DC machines are elated to their ability 1 cissipate heat. Thermal stress Is therefore ‘emphasized. Conductor size (circular mils/amp), volume of airiow, commutator diameter, ambient temperature and load are factors that affect temperature rise. The section is divided into the major pans of the DC machine, with discussion following the sequence astad- lished eatler in this book. Ventlation is addressed in detail under the thermal heading, The stresses, as they pertain to DC machinery, can be grouped as follows: Armature + Thermal stress -Overioad Stalled condition ~ Hot spots ~ Poor ventiaton + Electrical stress + Mechanical stress ~ Loose lamination to shat ft + Dynamic stress ~ Vibration + Transient torque = Centrifugal force + Environmental stress = Contamination (carbon) ~ Abrasion ~ Obstructed ventlation Field colls,interpoles, series fields and ‘compensating windings + Thermal stress = Overioad + Biowariventiaton + Heat transfer inhibited + Mechanical sess ~ Loose cols, fasteners + Material deviation + Improper design or manufacturing process + Dynamic stress + Vibration + Environmental svess + Contamination (carbon) = Abrasion ARMATURES The armature is the heart of the DC machine, subject to the stresses associated with AC windings In Section 3 and the stresses associated with the AC rotor in Section 5. (See Figure 2.) The armature is comprised of calls inserted Inslots, connected to individual commutator bars. The coils, are retained in the slots by wedges, and the coil extensions Dee ke ged oat se rd Armature. ‘Commutator... o Brushes and brushholders se FAB 716 748 7-20 Field coils (shunt fields) Interpoles and series fields Compensating windings 7-2 Copyright © 2002, Electrical Apparatus Service Agsaciation, ino. (Version 602C1-502) Root Cause Failure Analysis DC Motor Failures — Section 7 FIGURE 2: A DC ARMATURE This armature failed when the banding material daterio- fated. Humid salt air weakens fiberglass banding. A high resin-content banding works best in humid cond! tions. secured by banding with resin-rich flberglass banding tape fr steel wire. Both wedges and banding material must be capable of winstanding the centrifugal forces af rotation, Voltage reaches the armature through carbon brushes riding against the commutator, so the commutator must be round and smooth, Eccentricity or high bars can cause the brushes to bounce, losing contact with the commutator and causing arcing. The armature windings are retained by banding, and must withstand elevated temperatures, volt- age stresses and resist centitugal forces. ‘THERMAL STRESS ‘Thermal stess on the armature winding may be caused by load (current), elevated temperature or from the laminated core. ‘A comparison ofthe thermal appearance may be helpful; if the evidence of heat is greater at the wedges and coils, within the siot, the laminations may be shorted, Ifthe coll ‘extensions appear to have been hotter, the thermal stress is more likely o be related to load or ventilation. Thermal overload may leave the armature discolored, ‘accelerate the end of insulation life, and soften the varnish thereby reducing bond strength Causes include excess current, restricted ventilation, shorted laminations, commu: tatorbelow minimum diameter, orhigh amilant temperature. Stall conditions for a DC armature are distinctive in appearance. Current passes through the brushes to the bars they are in contact with, leaving a teltale pattarn spaced at regula intervals coincicing with the brush spac- ing. A single episode will result in the footprint of the full ‘complement of brushes. If there are multiole patterns, that indicates mutipie stalls and may Indicate a machinery problem, an untrained operator or a chronic overload situ- ation. (One problem with stall condition is that most commuta tor bars are an alloy of copper and silver. As with most FIGURE ;OMMUTATOR: Triscommutator hasbeen machined, emphasizing the depth ofthe flat spots caused by a stall condition, alloys, they can become heat treated, Temperatures above ‘550° Fcan temper or anneal the bars. A stall condition may soften the affected bars, changing their rate of wear and resulting in the development of fiat spots. (See Figure 3.) Even after machining to restore the roundness of the ‘commutator, the bars may continue to wear at a faster rate, causing fatspotsto return, Use aspring-loaded certerpunch as a hardness tester: Press the centerpunch against the affected bar and then against a “good” bar. Compare the indentation size to. assess the relative hardness of the bars, While DC machinery operates on DC voltage, and eddy ‘currentiosses ara associated with frequency, the armature ‘ofa DC machine actually is exposed to AC as the polarity in teach collreverses each time itpassesa field pole. Armature frequency can be calculated as: Poles Armature frequency = ras) x60 He Since eddy-current losses are proportional te the square ofthe frequency, the higher the frequency, the more ertcal ‘shorted laminations become. It has long been comman [Practice to heat armatures with a torch in order to remove the windings. Shorted laminations in armatures resulting from this method are a very real problem. The preferred ‘method is cold stripping as shown in Figure 4. When the thermal damage is not caused by shorted armature laminations, the load shouldbe evaluated, andthe entre ventilation system inspected. ELECTRICAL STRESS Armature insulationis subjectto similar stressesas those ‘described in the AC stator section, with the addition of ‘centrifugal forces rom rotational speeds, Caroon andmois- ‘ure penetration are problematic because of the inherent ‘exposure of the back of the risers. Winding treatment, i properly done, seals the windings from the knuckles to the risers. Commutator design requires that the commutator ‘ot be immersed in varnish, which would interfera with the function of the V-rings. That leaves portions of bare bars ‘exposed to conductive contaminants. The underside and back of the bars are sheltered by the windings, restricting Copyright © 2002, Electrical Apparatus Service Associaton, Inc. (Version 502Ci-802) 7-3 Section 7 — DC Motor Failures ventilation and making cleaning difficult Centrifugal force traps carbon beneath the banding and beneath coils. Some armature designs are further compll- ‘ated by vent ducts. MECHANICAL STRESS Shatttitto the laminated armature core, lke that ofthe AC rotor, Is necessary to transmit torque to the shatt and prevent movement that could cause vibration. In addition, the commutator fit to the shaft must be considered. Both armature core and commutator are often keyed tothe shaft, Mechanical stressesto the windings are concentratedatthe slot ends, support rings and banding. Not oniy are the cals, retained by wedges and banding, but centrifugal force ‘exerts pressure n the opposite direction tothe force exerted when the wadges and banding are installed, DYNAMIC STRESS Vibration can cause brushes to briefly lose contact with the commutator, resulting in arcing under the brushes. This generates heat, may intermittently increase currentin indi- Vidual bars and coils, and increases armature temperature, Severe vibration can cause coils to flex, increasing the stress on each coil where it exits the slot. While commutator designs vary, high vibration levels accelerate loosening of bars, making it more important to tighten commutator bolts at regular intervals. Transient torques may be caused by rapid acceleration’ deceleration of the armature. The tangential movement of coll extensions increase, although the armature designs most susceptible to this strass are those with heavy coils and tal free-standing risers, Centritugal force is proportional to Went; where W is ‘extension weight, ris the raciusto the coil andnnis rpm. That means that centritugal force is more likely to affect longer armature coil extensions, those with a relatively wide coil pitch (@.g.; 2 pole armatures), large diameters or heavy Z Root Cause Failure Analysis FIGURE 4: STRIPPING AN ARMATURE Cold stripping an armature is popular with service centers that do traction motor repair. coils. The higher the rpm, the greater the centritugal force, (Note that centritugal force is proportional to the square of the speed. If the speed doubles, the centrifugal force is ‘multiplied four times.) Evidenca of coll movement includes ‘cracked insulation a the banding or where the col exits the slot, Bowed or distorted cals indicate dangerous move- ment. If an overspeed occurs, the windings and/or ‘commutator bars may separate from the armature with

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