Table of Contents

Electric Motors
Section

Page #

1. Introduction

2. Basic Design

3. Malfunction Behavior

4. Process Effects

16

5. Mechanical Effects

18

6. Information Required

19

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Introduction
In this section, we will examine the electric motors typically found in
a power plant. We will confine our discussion to induction motors because
they are used almost exclusively in power plants where the cost of
electricity and lower maintenance requirements dictate the choice of motors.
Specifically, we want to examine the vibration signal characteristics of a
motor experiencing either a mechanical or an electrical fault. Also, we will
put forth some ideas on how to separate driver (motor) vibration from
driven equipment vibration in order to aid in the vibration analysis.

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Basic Design
Electric motors usually have only two bearings, one at each end. Smaller motors
(less than 500 hp) typically use rolling element bearings, while larger motors will use
journal bearings. Lubrication methods vary from greased/grease pack, to built-in lube oil
reservoir with oil slinger, to pumped-filtered-heated oil supply systems usually found on
the largest, most expensive motors.
2000 Hp Induction Motor
Rotor Bars

Shorting
Ring

Rotor

Stator Iron
Stator
Windings

Rotor Iron

Figure 1 2000 HP Induction Motor

Journal bearings are usually mounted in the bottom half of the motor endbells. The
end bells are usually two piece. In smaller motors, the endbells are one piece with the
rolling element bearing sliding into the endbell. Some very old and some very large
motors use bearings mounted on separate pedestals, but this in not something we are
going to talk about here. Endbells typically employ a lap or rabbet fit and may be
doweled to assure the proper rotor to stator alignment (air gap) is maintained. The stator
in most motors is not removable; it is usually solidly welded into the motor frame.
Squirrel cage induction motors are the motor of choice for power plants mostly because
of initial cost, maintenance and operational considerations. The "squirrel cage" in the
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name refers to the bar arrangement in the rotor which, if the rotor iron is removed forms
something that looks like a ladder bent into a circle or a pet squirrel's exercise wheel,
hence the name "squirrel cage." Synchronous motors are not typically used in power
plants so they won't be discussed here. Almost universally the motors used in power
plants will have barred rotors meaning that the rotor conductors will be long rectangular
bars that slide into the rotor iron and are soldered together to form the squirrel cage.
Stators will still be wound using individual conductors that are formed and insulated
prior to their insertion into the stator. Usually, once wound, the stator will be dipped or
vacuum-pressure impregnated with an insulating varnish which gives the stator windings
added rigidity.
Lifting Eye

Oil Ring
Sight Glass
Air Seal

Bearing Cap
Labyrinth Seal
Carrier

Stationary
Baffle

Labyrinth Seal

Bearing Liner
(bottom half)

Oil Ring

Oil Drain
Plug

Oil Level
Sight Gauge

Figure 2 Electric Motor Endbell Bearing Assembly

Electric motors are primarily an electric device with only one moving part, the
rotor. Still, electric motors are made up from many pieces and parts all put together.
Normally, electric motors are very reliable and don't often fail. However, when they do,
it is wise to remember that they are built up from many parts that can break and come
apart, causing electrical and mechanical malfunctions.

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Oil Groove

Bearing

Rabbet Joint

Figure 3 Graphic of Endbell Showing Rabbet Fit and Bearing Location

The synchronous speed of a motor, as well as the number of poles in the motor,
can be determined with the following formula:
P=fline120
fsync
Where:
P= Number of poles
fline= Line frequency
fsync= Synchronous Speed
An induction motor will rotate at a speed less than the synchronous speed (fsync). The
difference between the line frequency and the actual motor speed(Hz) is called the slip
frequency.

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Malfunction Behavior--Motors
When investigating malfunctions with motors, it is important to separate the
mechanical malfunctions from electrical malfunctions. The following tests can be
conducted to help determine if the problem is mechanical or electrical in nature:
1.

Cut power with the motor operating solo. An electrical

problem will go away when the power is cut.

2.

Compare solo operation to coupled operation. Often times the

machine the motor is driving can be the source of the problem.

3.

Watch for changes during machine warmup, when operating

solo, coupled and loaded.

The following malfunctions will refer to these tests to help determine the source of the
problem.
1.

Starting Current

When an induction motor first starts, that is, when the breaker closes the
inrush current is something close to that of a short. During this time, the stator is
undergoing enormous stress that is bending it out of shape. The rotor is being bent
and twisted as it comes up to speed and finds its magnetic center. The starting
currents flowing in the rotor and stator are heating them and causing them to grow
and stretch. This is why, if a motor is going to fail, it will probably fail on startup.
Fortunately, this action is all over in a matter of seconds and the motor is up to
speed. (Very large motors can take in excess of thirty seconds to come up to speed.
Large motors usually have start limitations because of the heating that occurs
during startup and can only be started a limited number of times per hour or day.)
Once up to speed the motor draws only the power equal to the shaft output
requirements divided by the motor efficiency. All of the action that happens
during startup should be repeatable. The motor magnetic center should not vary.
The time it takes the motor to come up to speed should remain fairly constant over
time. The peak inrush current, the starting current curve, and the running speed
should all remain the same with time if the motor is running properly. Expect
changes in these parameters if the condition of the motor changes.
If the motor experiences a serious electrical fault (usually they let go on
startup) there is the potential (not all that uncommon) that the lead box can be
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blown right off the side of the motor with lots of flash, sparks and molten metal
flying around. Or if the rotor is faulted (having a bad magnetic field problem), it
can come right out of the outboard end of the motor, breaking the bolts that hold
on the endbells and do some very exciting things. There is nothing to see when a
motor starts, so it is really a good idea not to be too close, especially not on the
leadbox side or the outboard end of the motor.
2.

Rubs

The motor rotor and stator shouldn't touch; there should be no rub behavior
evidenced in an electric motor--ever. Therefore when the breaker closes, the rotor
and stator get pulled out of shape, and sometimes the rotor will hit the stator and
will exhibit classic rub behavior. This usually doesn't last long and usually doesn't
do much more than rub the insulating varnish off. This certainly is not good
behavior, but it is not terribly uncommon in this minor form. Heavier rubs are
uncommon and identifiable by more severe rub activity and possibly smoke and
sparks coming out of a ventilated motor. Sometimes increased load will pull a
stator into the rotor and cause a rub to occur at operating speed. If the motor is
equipped with XY proximity probes, the orbits will clearly indicate this rub. In
this situation, the stator is no longer round, so the air gap is no longer symmetrical;
therefore, the individual phase currents will probably be out of balance and
modulating up and down noticeably. The motor will probably be noisy, the sound
modulating with the current. If ever a motor is seen to rub heavily internally
during a steady state run or even a startup the motor should be closely examined at
the first opportunity because there is the possibility that either some of the stator
supports have come loose, the motor design is bad, the motor is seriously
overloaded or the rotor has cracked. If the rotor is cracked, expect to see the 1X
and possibly 2X amplitude and phase to start changing. Depending on the percent
of crack, the rotor may last long enough for the crack to be detected and the motor
shut down. If the crack is deep enough to cause drastic amplitude and phase angle
changes, the rotor may not survive a startup.
3.

Unbalance

Electric motors should not need to be re-balanced. This is because they run
in a "clean" environment where nothing is likely to deposit on the rotor or break
off in a lump. Whenever any machine needs to be re-balanced (a motor is a good
candidate for this because it should not need re-balancing), think about
fundamental synchronous rotor response. If the rotor response has changed (needs
to be re-balanced, synchronous vibration has increased), either the system has
gotten less stiff or the (unbalance) mass has changed. This is a good time to stop
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and ask some questions. How long has this increased vibration been present?
How did it come about-fast or slowly? What is the character of the vibration, is it
predominantly 1X? The reason to ask these questions is simple, first be sure that
there really is a problem. Second, if the vibration changed suddenly, something in
the motor probably broke or came loose. Third, if the vibration changed slowly,
that could be a result of bearings wearing, foundation or alignment problems, or a
shaft crack developing. If the malfunction is mechanically related (e.g.
unbalance), the vibration will not change dramatically when power is cut for a
power-cut test.
Electric motors can also experience unbalance due to a rotor bow caused by
an electrical fault in the rotor. The electrical fault, a shorted turn, circulating
current or broken bar creates a hot spot. The heated area expands and caused the
rotor to bow. The shift of the rotor mass center off of geometric center causes an
unbalance. In this case, the motor would probably be sensitive to load increases
and starts, all the things that make the hot spot worse. There is no direct
connection between the rotor and stator, any magnetic field disturbance caused by
a rotor fault has to be severe enough to cause excessive stator currents before the
motor will trip on overcurrent. In the case or a severe rotor fault, the stator current
indication would indicate the increase in current draw before the motor breaker
tripped and the individual phase current meters would indicate something more
than normal. Stator temperature indications should also show the heating caused
by the increase in current draw.
4.

Broken Rotor Bars

If a rotor bar breaks, the magnetic field around the rotor and stator will not
be symmetric (due to the broken rotor bar), and this can cause a rotating magnetic
unbalance. The magnetic unbalance will act like a mechanical unbalance, so be
sure that a mechanical unbalance is present before re-balancing. There are tests
commonly performed that can detect broken rotor bars; and these tests can help in
the diagnosis of a motor electrical fault. Two tests which are helpful are the cutpower test and observing vibration behavior while changing load.
In normal functioning rotor bars, current is induced when the magnetic flux
lines of the stator cross the bars. If a rotor bar is broken, no current is induced in
the bar; therefore, no torque is produced by the broken bar. When a bar is broken
in a rotor, the rotor can bow as a result. The reason is as follows: when a bar is
broken, there is no current being carried in the bar, so it is not being heated by the
current flow. Therefore, a cooler area is formed on the rotor. When a bar is
broken there is no magnetic field created around the bar, therefore, no force of
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magnetic attraction is produced in the area of this bar. In concert, these two
effects work in the same direction to cause the rotor to bow away from the broken
bar. The rotor bar 180 degrees opposite the broken bar is still producing torque.
This means that there is an unbalanced force on the rotor. This unbalanced force
on the rotor manifests itself as a 1X vibration modulated at a beat rate equal to the
number of poles times the slip frequency (slip frequency is the difference between
line frequency (60 or 50 Hz) and the actual rotor speed). This vibration
modulation is caused by the high flux zone (North and South pole for a two pole
motor) passing the broken rotor bar twice per slip revolution. A two pole motor
with one broken rotor bar, operating at full load with a speed of 3575 rpm, would
produce a beat rate of (2 poles) x (3600 rpm - 3575 rpm) x (Number of broken
bars) or 50 beats per minute. The 1X amplitude would rise and fall at a rate of 50
beats per minute.
A rotor with a broken rotor bar will run smoothly when operated solo. This
is because a motor operating solo under no load conditions has very little current
flowing in the bars that are not broken, therefore, there is not a major torque
differential between the broken bar and the bar 180 degrees opposite. A motor
with increasing load and a broken rotor bar will have the amplitude of the beats
increase as well as the frequency of the beats increase.
5.

Eccentric Rotor Iron

A rotor with eccentric rotor iron results in a point of tight air gap between
the rotor and the stator. This point of tight air gap rotates with the rotor at 1X.
Whenever the stator field poles cross over the point of tight air gap the magnetic
field is not symmetrical and is intensified, pulling on the rotor. This pulling on the
rotor due to the rotating non-symmetric tight air gap manifests itself in a 1X
vibration modulated at a beat rate equal to the number of poles times the slip
frequency. This vibration modulation is caused by the high flux zone (North and
South pole for a two pole motor) passing the point of tight air gap twice per slip
revolution.

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Figure 5 Eccentric Rotor Iron

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Figure 4 Beat Frequency Sidebands

In a rotor with eccentric rotor iron, you can expect to see the beat rate increase for
increasing load. Under solo conditions, the beat rate will be very slow, possibly
not noticeable, due to the small slip frequency. When operating solo, a cut power
test may be effective in detecting eccentric rotor iron because the stator magnetic
field, which was pulling on the rotor unsymmetrically, goes away when the power
is cut, causing the vibration to go away. A motor with eccentric rotor iron will be
generally rough running. In Figure 5, the beat frequency is noticed by sidebands
on either side of the rotor speed frequency. The difference between the rotor
speed and the sideband frequency is the pole pass frequency.
6. Uneven Air Gap
Any misalignment of the rotor that moves the rotor off the center of the stator will
cause two times line frequency to occur due to the rotor poles being drawn toward
the stator in the area of the close air gap. This occurs twice per revolution of the
stator field on a 2 pole motor or 7200 cpm (60Hz line) and 6000 cpm (50 Hz line).
A four pole motor with an uneven air gap also generates a 7200cpm (60Hz line)
or 6000 cpm vibration (50Hz line), again two times line frequency. This is
because, although the field is only rotating at

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Figure 6 Motor with an Uneven Air Gap

1800 rpm (60Hz line) or 1500 rpm (50Hz line), there are four poles, which means
four areas of high magnetic flux. The vibration gets worse as the rotor moves
further off center and is inversely proportional to the square of the change in the
minimum air gap. Badly worn bearings have been known to cause this vibration
because the rotor was allowed to drop far enough that these effects became
detectable. The 2 times line frequency vibration caused by uneven air gap will
stop immediately when the power is cut to the motor.
There are many ways to generate two times vibration or frequency in an
electric motor. This "two times" behavior can usually be found in any electric
motor, so when do you worry about it? A rule of thumb is to say that if the "two
times" is less than 20% of the "one times," then it is acceptable. When in doubt,
check with the original equipment manufacturer.
7.

Magnetic Center

All induction motors have a position called "magnetic center" where the
rotor will position itself axially when the power is turned on. This is the axial
position where the stator and rotor fields are magnetically aligned. Normally, on
any new installation or on a rewind, the position of the magnetic center is
determined, and, if necessary, the coupling is adjusted, so the motor will not be
pulled off it's magnetic center when coupled. If a motor is run off magnetic center
this will cause higher than normal rotor currents and rotor heating. The end
affected field caused by the winding geometry at the end of the rotor will be
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Figure 7 Motor Magnetic Center

located differently and will probably affect the motor efficiency. Running a motor
a little off of magnetic center normally won't hurt the motor but this can put an
extra axial load on the coupling and the driven equipment, causing problems there.
Physically, there is not enough axial freeplay available in a motor to get it very
far off of magnetic center, and if somehow this was to happen, the growling noise
alone would indicate that something is not right.
8.

Fluid-induced Instability

Electric motors with journal bearings can and do experience fluidinduced instabilities. Most motors are not very well monitored, so this is
probably happening more than anyone knows. A motor with XY proximity
probes on the shaft and a Keyphasor transducer has the monitoring needed
to detect a fluid-induced instability. In power plants, many of the motors
are outside in the cold, so the oil systems or bearings have lube oil heaters
to keep the oil warm, so it stays in the proper
viscosity range. There is not much chance (based on the normal internal
clearances in a motor) for whip/whirl activity to cause much of a rub problem
under normal circumstances-but it does happen. If fluid-induced instabilities are
seen on a motor, check the oil temperature and check the oil to be sure that it is the
correct oil. If the problem is not there, check the bearing clearances. Check to see
if the correct bearings are in the motor, it may have been experiencing instability
since it was new.
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9. Shorted Rotor Iron

Rotor iron is laminated, with the laminations being insulated from each
other. Rotors are built this way to prevent eddy currents from circulating within
the iron and creating hot spots. A hot spot in the rotor iron will cause the rotor to
bow and become unbalanced. When the rotor iron is shorted it means that
laminations are touching each other, so a hot spot will be formed and the rotor will
probably bow as a result. Rotor iron can get shorted for many reasons, insulation
breakdown, corrosion and mechanical damage. When a rotor is removed from a
motor, there is the possibility of the iron being smeared if the rotor is not properly
supported and protected as it is being withdrawn from the stator. Rotor iron can
also get shorted as a result of damage caused by a bearing failure where the rotor
was allowed to come in contact with the stator. A motor with shorted rotor iron
will typically exhibit unbalance after startup and will run smoothly once the motor
has run long enough to come to thermal equilibrium. The reason for this is that on
startup rotor current reaches its maximum value, and, subsequently, the heating
that occurs as a result of shorted rotor iron also is at a maximum and causes the
rotor to bow quickly. Once the motor is run for a short period of time (1/2 to 1
hour), the temperatures within the rotor stabilize and the rotor bow is almost
removed.
10. Stator Deflection
When a motor is first assembled, the rotor is placed in the stator so that the
air gap (the distance from the rotor to the stator) is uniform all the way around the
rotor and is the same at both ends of the rotor. Once the rotor is set in the stator
and the air gap is uniform, the endbells will be doweled so they can be removed
and replaced exactly where they came from. This assures that the air gap is always
uniform. Sometimes stators deflect (warp); as a result the air gap is no longer
uniform. Stators deflect as a result of the magnetic forces within the motor that try
to pull the rotor and the stator together. If the motor is not designed with adequate
supports (restraints) or a stator support(s) breaks, then the stator will probably
deflect and cause an uneven air gap situation. The effects of this will usually be
worse on startup when the stator current, and, therefore, the magnetic force is at a
maximum. Occasionally, stators will warp as they heat up and expand. This is
usually a result of an improper stator support design.

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A motor quick reference diagram and motor malfunction summary follows on the
next three pages.

Motors - A Quick Reference

Induction Motor Frequency Relationships
Symbol

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Description

Relationship

Number of Stator Poles

---

Number of Rotor Bars

---

fline

Line Frequency, Hz

---

fsync

Synchronous Frequency, Hz

2 fline / P

1X

Rotational speed, rpm

---

fshaft

Rotational speed, Hz

1X / 60seconds

fslip

Slip frequency, Hz

fsync - fshaft

Slip Ratio

fslip / fsync

fp

Pole Passage Frequency, Hz

Pfslip = 2Sfline

fbar current

Rotor Bar Current Frequency, Hz Sfline

fbar pass

Rotor Bar Passage Frequency, Hz Bfshaft

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Induction Motor Malfunctions

Malfunction

Analysis

Mechanical
Unbalance

Steady 1X amplitude and phase. Orbits will be oval to elliptical with forward
precession. Response does not vary significantly when power is shut off.

Electrical
Unbalance

Will appear similar to mechanical unbalance, with steady 1X amplitude and phase,
with minor variations with load. Will change significantly when power is cut to the
motor.

External
Affects the 1X and 2X amplitude and phase. Orbits will indicate lateral preloads and
Misalignment may be reverse precessed. Shaft average centerline data from coastdowns may
indicate abnormal operating positions. Caution: many large induction motors will
often show flat, horizontally oriented orbits, regardless of alignment state, due to low
horizontal housing stiffness.
Stator
Problems

Stator problems such as stator eccentricity, shorted laminations and loose iron
generally produce high seismic vibration (> 0.05 - 0.10 in/sec pk) at 2 times line
frequency (2fline). Stator eccentricity results in an uneven stationary air gap and can
be caused by soft foot conditions that distort the casing. Air gap variances exceeding
5% usually warrant inspection.
Note: high resolution or zoom spectra, in conjunction with logarithmic amplitude
scaling, may be necessary to accurately diagnose stator and rotor-related problems
other than the above. Also, high frequency ranges, up to 120 times fshaft may be
required to analyze rotor bar passage frequency information.

Eccentric
Rotor

Eccentric rotors produce an uneven variable air gap. Typical responses are seen at 2
times line frequency (2fline),with sidebands of pole pass frequency (fp).
2fline seismic vibration levels exceeding 0.05 to 0.10 in/sec warrant concern.
Sidebands at 2fp indicate a more serious condition. Pole pass frequency sidebands
may also be seen around rotational speed, 1X.

Rotor
Problems

In general, rotor problems, such as eccentric rotor iron, broken or cracked rotor bars
and shorting rings, bad rotor bar to shorting ring connections and shorted rotor
laminations, typically produce 1X vibration with sidebands at pole pass frequency
(fp).

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Induction Motor Malfunctions (continued)

Malfunction

Analysis

Cracked Rotor In addition to 1X with fp sidebands, may also demonstrate fp sidebands about running
Bars & Rings speed harmonics, i.e., 2X, 3X, etc. Advanced damage may be indicated by rotor bar
passage frequency (fbar pass) with line frequency (fline) sidebands.
Loose
Rotor
Bars

In addition to 1X with fp sidebands, may also demonstrate 2 times line frequency

sidebands (2fline) about rotor bar passage frequency (fbar pass) and its harmonics, with
high vibration seen at 2 fbar pass also possible. Seismic vibration levels exceeding 0.05
in/sec peak in the fbar pass region warrant concern.

Phasing
Problems

Phasing problems resulting from loose or intermittent connections typically result in

vibration at 2 times line frequency (2fline) with sidebands at one-third line frequency
(_fline).

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Process Effects
The "process" affects an electric motor in terms of the mechanical load on the
motor, the power supplied to the motor and the alignment of the motor to the driven
machine. The power supplied to the motor and the applied load primarily affect the
motor electro-magnetically, while alignment affects the motor mechanically and electromagnetically. In power plants, the equipment is not always perfect and it is likely to
encounter machines with multiple malfunctions at play, so this possibility must always
be considered. Also, how the malfunction was generated, or at least how the malfunction
was thought to have been generated, should be considered. A motor that had
experienced bearing failure may now be thermally sensitive. The thermal sensitivity
could be due to the rotor iron being shorted due to rubbing or the laminations could have
been smeared when the bearings failed. If the rotor was removed it could have been
damaged. The history of the machine is always important information.
Process changes also affect the driven equipment and can cause a change in the
load required or the axial position of the rotor within the motor. When properly set up,
the rotor within an electric motor runs on magnetic center axially; this is the place where
the axial effects of the magnetic forces are balanced. Running a motor off of magnetic
center generates a high axial force trying to pull the rotor back to center. Large
temperature and pressure changes that can cause the driven equipment axial position to
change will affect the motor. Motors don't work independently, so knowing how the
machine on the other side of the coupling responds to a process change is very important.
The load on the motor is sometimes overlooked when examining a motor's
vibration response. Thinking simplistically, the more power that is required out the shaft
the more electrical power is needed in the input terminals. More electrical power means
more stator current, which means higher radial magnetic forces acting on the rotor
(magnetic forces increase by the square of the current increase) and, therefore, higher
rotor current. Higher rotor current means higher rotor and stator temperatures and the
more likely that small problems, like a slightly out of round rotor or stator, shorted rotor
iron, uneven air gap and the like, will have an affect on the motor's vibration response.
When diagnosing a motor problem remember: 1) When trying to determine if a
motor is really running poorly, make sure that the load on the motor is the same as when
the comparison data was taken. Looking at motor current draw is important, but without
some indication of the shaft load there is no way to gauge the motor's relative efficiency.
2) A change in the mechanical load will have to be detectable in process parameters like
pressure and flow. This will correspond to changes in motor parameters; like current,
stator temperature and vibration response (overall and 1X, 2X, 2X-line, slip and 2X-slip)
components. These changes should happen with a change in motor loading by virtue of
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the motor design. If you can't detect these changes, then possibly the load hasn't really
changed. Finally, the effects of changing load should be fairly repeatable, after any
thermal effects settle out. Vibration response changes that do not relate to load or
current changes in a fairly repeatable manner are either not electro-magnetically caused,
are indicative of a rapidly progressing motor problem, or are a manifestation of a
problem with the driven equipment.

Figure 8 Typical Motor Control Center Instrumentation

The electric power supplied to a motor can also make a difference in the motors
vibration response. Power plant are notorious for having "bad" station power. Voltage
fluxuations and incorrect voltage levels, resulting in over or under-voltage operation, are
common. If the voltage is low, the current will have to rise to make the needed power.
On a three phase motor (almost exclusively used in a power plant) the voltage and
current should be the same for each phase. Motors in a power plant are usually fed off a
unit sub transformer which is fed from the normal station service transformer or reserve
station service transformer. As the supply can and does change, so can the voltage being
supplied. Most of these transformers have changeable taps that can be set wrong, need
to be reset because of an increase or decrease in the power requirement or could be
failing. The point is that you need to be sure of the power supply when trying to
determine what is causing a motor's vibration response to change.

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Mechanical Effects
Mechanical effects to an electric motor come in the form of misalignments to and
within the motor. Misalignment of the motor to the driven equipment causes vibrations
of one form, while internal misalignment of the rotor to the stator causes different
vibrations to occur. In this section, we will explore the two forms of misalignment that
affect electric motors.
1.

Misalignment

Misalignments in and to an electric motor are not likely to generate an

internal rub. The air gaps inside a large motor are on the order of .25" (6-7 mm)
minimum to around an inch (25mm). Bearing clearances (journal bearings) run on
the order of 1.5-2 mils per inch (.038-.050mm per 25mm) of shaft diameter, so it is
practically impossible to mis-align the motor enough to rub the rotor on the stator
without going through a whole lot of bearing and backing material first.
Mechanical misalignments of the motor to the driver will affect the
vibration response in the same way as with any other machine. Expect to see
misalignments causing preloads generating flattened orbits, unusual shaft position
movements, decreased or increased bearing loading, and possible 2X vibration if
the misalignment is severe enough. This could all be separate from any electromagnetic effects mentioned above. Usually, motors are solidly mounted and have
a robust housing that resists warping. However, a process change can warp the
motor's mounting which and moves and twists the motor. This causes mechanical
and electrical misalignments. It is very important to look all around the machine
to see what could be affecting it. An example of this is poor shimming; it occurs
often enough that it should not be overlooked. Almost all large electric motors
have shims under their feet. Poor shimming practices can easily cause a warped
frame or cause a soft-foot situation to occur. Defective grouting can have the
same affect.

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Information Required
In this section, we will list the essential and very useful pieces of information that
are required to effectively diagnose an electric motor problem. Typically, electric motors
are not permanently monitored and have no permanent probes installed, so good
repeatable measurements can be easily made. This is probably because electric motors
are reliable enough that permanent monitoring seems like a luxury. However, consider
the cost of replacement for an induced draft fan motor, or the down time associated with
removal and repair or replacement of the motor if it is damaged. How long would it take
to get a replacement if the motor couldn't be repaired? What about the lost generation
associated with having a fan out of service? How much efficiency is lost and how much
did the upset affect the stack emissions? How much will the extra emissions credits cost
if needed? Maybe some sort of permanent monitoring should be installed on equipment
like fan motors and fans. This equipment may not justify continuous monitoring but
certainly something regular and repeatable should be done as a minimum. Essential and
useful information is as follows:
1. Historical and trend data showing all the vibration parameters of amplitude,
frequency, phase, form and position.
2. Historical startup and shutdown data from the motor, all the vibration
data plus startup and coastdown time data should be obtained for at least the
"as new" condition.
3. Bearing metal temperature and oil temperature if available.
4. Oil feed or oil flow indication is useful information. If no oil feed system
is present, look to see that the oil slinger is rotating.
5. Check on the mounting/grouting condition. Is the motor properly supported?
6. Check into the maintenance history for any reoccurring problems, recent
maintenance that may be related to the present condition. Check the lube oil to see
if that is correct, in good condition or needs changing.
7. Stator temperature versus load. Present conditions and historical
information is essential to get an idea of the motor's electrical condition.
8. Electrical information of voltage and current for each phase. This
information is recorded with respect to load. Both present and historical
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information is essential.
9. Information on the motor's normal axial position can be checked. This
information should be marked or written down somewhere for future
reference.
Not all of this information is easily available, however, where it can be made
available it should be considered. Also, don't underestimate the importance of historical
information. To make sense of the present vibration information, past information is
needed. Without historical information how can you tell if the vibration has really
changed? How do you measure how much it has changed? How do you know what
parameters have changed? Sometimes seeing what has changed shows you where the
problem is or yields information about the cause.

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