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Working Principles :
The use of devices (Figure 1) to obtain spectrum and time waveform data is also beneficial for non-invasively obtaining motor current signals. A single split-jaw current probe (Figure 1, on the right) placed on one power leads is sufficient to obtain data. (Because no electrical connections need to be made or broken, shock hazard is minimal.) The resulting raw current signal is amplified, filtered, and further processed as appropriate to provide a sensitive and selective means for extracting motor current noise information that reflects instantaneous load variation within the drive train and ultimate load.
Motor Basics
Since the following discussions require a basic understanding of motor functions, a brief illustration and example are given. Figure 2 shows the basic cross-section of a motor with the shaft protruding from the right side of the figure, and the fan blades located on the upper lefthand section of the illustration.
Figure 2. Electric Motor Cutaway. An electromagnet is the basis of an electric motor. You can understand how things work in the motor by imagining the following scenario: You create a simple electromagnet by wrapping 100 loops of wire around a nail and connecting it to a battery. The nail becomes a magnet and has a north and south pole while the battery is connected. Take your nail electromagnet, run an axle through the middle of it and suspend it in the middle of a horseshoe magnet as shown in Figure 3. Attach a battery to the electromagnet so the north end of the nail appears. The basic law of magnetism tells you what will happen: The north end of the electromagnet will be repelled from the north end of the horseshoe magnet and attracted to the south end of the horseshoe magnet. The south end of the electromagnet will be repelled in a similar way. The nail will move about half a turn and then stop in the position shown.
Figure 4. General Overview of a Complete ElectricMotor In Figure 4, the armature winding are left out so it is easier to see the commutator. Be aware that as the armature passes through the horizontal position, the poles of the electromagnet flip. Thus, the north pole of the electromagnet is always above the axle so it can repel the field magnet's north pole and attract the field magnet's south pole. Most small electric motors contain the same pieces, as described above: two small permanent magnets, a commutator, two brushes, and an electromagnet made by winding wire around a piece of metal. Almost always, however, the rotor have three poles rather than the two poles as explained in this article. There are two good reasons for a motor to have three poles: It causes the motor to have better dynamics. In a two-pole motor, if the electromagnet is at the balance point, perfectly horizontal between the two poles of the field magnet when the motor starts, the armature gets stuck there. That never happens in a three-pole motor. Each time the commutator hits the point where it flips the field in a two-pole motor, the commutator shorts out the battery (directly connects the positive and negative terminals) for a moment. This shorting needlessly wastes energy and drains the battery. A three-pole motor solves this problem.
Figure 5. Twice line frequency (2x line frequency) at 119.79 Hz, second major peak from the left with circular marker. Twice line frequency also includes multiple harmonics at 239.58 Hz, 359.37 Hz, etc. Measurement is taken in Enveloped Acceleration. Running speed is 1792.4 RPM. Uneven Air Gap Between Rotor and Stator Another common problem indicated by 2x line frequency is an uneven air gap. As the poles of the motor pass the narrow gap, the magnetic pull is greater compared to the pull on the 5
If sideband amplitudes are greater than 0.5% (40 dB difference) of the center (line) frequency peak, then there is concern that the motor is developing rotor problems or has another source of high resistance.
Figure 6. Illustration of MCSA signature with sidebands. Sidebands indicate possible motor damage. In this example, it was determined after inspection that there was rotor bar damage and a broken end ring. Calculation for severity level is Log 0.0908/8.777 X 20 = 39.7 dB. This corresponds to the 0.5%, indicating possible rotor damage.
Figure 7. Enveloped AC motor current, slip frequency of 0.8125 Hz (first peak from left) generated by 5 broken rotor bars and a damaged end ring. Ratio of pole pass frequency amplitude to overall amplitude is 63%. Observations of Other Motor Problems High efficiency induction motors obtain higher efficiency, and use less electricity with two methods: A smaller air gap Thinner insulation on the windings If an owner installs these motors on a transformer circuit with DC motors installed, it is possible for the DC motor silicon control rectifiers (SCRs) to back feed onto the AC circuit and induce high voltage spikes into the motors. The reduced insulation rapidly deteriorates and leads to a reduced motor life. Field results show as much as a 50% reduction in the life of the motor from this occurrence. DC motor problems are seen at the SCR firing frequency, 6x line frequency. If this frequency is seen, check connections, SCR, control cards, and fuses. Direct Current (DC) motors, in general, are more difficult to monitor. They require a thorough understanding of construction and component makeup of the motor. Much of the information concerning vibration monitoring of DC motors revolves around the process of monitoring the performance of circuitry, connections, and control systems. Development in the field of DC motor monitoring is an on-going process and should be considered as a higher level monitoring process that is not covered extensively in this article. Enveloped AC Motor Current When the motor current from a motor with a damaged rotor circuit is enveloped, the resulting spectrum shows energy at the actual pole pass frequency. For example, the signal appears at 0.8 Hz, not as a sideband of the 60 Hz signal or 59.2 Hz. Initial research shows there is a relationship between the pole pass frequency amplitude as a ratio of overall amplitude of an FFT spectrum taken with an Fmax of 25 Hz. Typically, in a good motor, this is a very low amplitude signal and is not seen in an enveloped spectrum. So, the frequency has to be calculated to locate it. Initial data has shown a good motor has a ratio of 5% or less, but as 8
Figure 8. Vibration Signature compared with a Motor Current Analysis Signature (Figure 9). An indication of 3600 CPM peak in the MCSA spectrum indicates problem with the motor. The vibration signature also indicates the 3600 CPM peak. Notice the motor shaft rotational speed of 1200 CPM (20 Hz) and its harmonic 2400CPM.
Figure 9. Motor Current Analysis Signature (Figure 9). An indication of 3600 CPM peak in the MCSA spectrum indicates problem with the motor. The vibration signature also indicates the 3600 CPM peak. Those experienced in vibration analysis and familiar with the construction of motors are not surprised to see pronounced peaks in the accelerometer signal spectrum (Figure 8) at frequencies corresponding to the motor speed (slightly less than 20 Hz) and its harmonics. These same signal components appear prominently in the motor current spectrum (Figure 9), although the amplitude relationships are different. The two spectra also show some distinct differences. In the motor current signature there are sometimes peaks at 1.5 Hz or lower. Although not contained in this particular example, this signal component is a general characteristic of AC induction motors and reflects the rate at which the spinning armature continually falls behind the rotating electrical field generated by the motor's field windings. Since this motor slip frequency component is electrical rather than mechanical in origin, it has no vibration counterpart. Condition Indication of Other Mechanical Devices There are many other types of devices that were analyzed from a motor current signatures standpoint. Two of those devices are listed in the following section: Vacuum pump Squirrel cage blower Each application can be indicated as a success in the sense that highly reproducible signatures were obtained, each possessing distinctive features that could be linked without ambiguity to specific physical phenomena. However, because of programmatic consideration, no opportunity existed to study the sensitivity of the signatures to implanted or naturally occurring equipment defects. Nonetheless, the following two examples are presented briefly to provide a somewhat enlarged perspective on additional areas in which MCSA may have application validity. Laboratory Vacuum Pumps A motor current noise frequency spectrum for a laboratory vacuum pump is shown in Figure 10. This signature is notable for its large number of distinct, identifiable peaks. The singlecylinder reciprocating pump tested is V-belt driven at a speed reduction of about 4.5:1. Two harmonics of the pump pulley rotation speed are visible in addition to the fundamental at 6.5
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Figure 10. Frequency domain motor current signature for a reciprocating vacuum pump.
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Figure 11. Frequency domain motor current signature for a small blower with various degrees of flow blockage. Applicability to Other Machinery Although application experience is presently lacking in areas outside those already cited, it is likely that MCSA will provide a highly sensitive, selective, and cost-effective means for online condition monitoring of a wide variety of heavy industrial machinery. For example: Motor-driven compressors / pumps Rolling mill stands Mixers and crushers Fans and blowers Material conveyors Likewise, it appears that MCSA may prove useful in production pre-shipment testing of some motor-driven consumer appliances and lighter industrial equipment, such as: Refrigeration equipment and heat pumps Washing machines and dishwashers Audio/Video reproduction equipment Computer disk drives The ability to transfer MCSA technology to these prospective industries is also available.
Conclusions
MCSA is a useful tool for monitoring the mechanical and electrical condition of motors, particularly in relation to their operational readiness. Experience with motor-driven machinery equipment suggests that MCSA is equally applicable to monitoring present
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References
Lawrie, Robert J., Electrical Construction and Maintenance, Volume 91: Acceptance tests guide electrical preventive maintenance. McGraw Hill, 1987 Legowski, Stanislaw F., Instantaneous power as a medium for signature analysis of induction motors, IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications Volume 32, 1996 Renwick, J.T., Condition Monitoring of machinery using computerized vibration signature analysis, IEEE Transaction on Industry Applications Volume IA-20, 1984
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