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Assuremachinereliabilityonrotatingequipment

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Assure machine reliability on rotating equipment

Shaftandhousingconformancearecriticaltoelectricmotorrepair.
ByJoeConyers,SKF
Feb25,2014
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Machineryrepairscanmeasurablyimprovemachineuptime,ifcriticalcontrolpointsareobservedto
ensurepropershaftandhousingrepairsformachineswithrollingelementbearings.Startingwithatypical
industrialmachine,theelectricmotor,therepairprocesswillbeexamined,focusingonshaftandhousing
conformance.
Atypicalmotorrepairprocessbeginswhenthemachineispickedupfromtheplantsiteanddeliveredto
theshop,whichwillhavebegunrecordingdata,suchasdigitalphotosandelectricalresistancereadings.
Theshopthencleansandbreaksdownthemachineintoseparatecomponents.Foratypicalelectric
motor,themainpartsaretherotor,stator,andendbells,orhousings.Shoppersonnelhavecollected
manyotherparts,suchashousingcovers,sealingcomponents,couplings,junctionboxes,andfan
assemblies,andtheyvetaggedandstoredtheseitemsforfurtherevaluation.
Thebearingsareremovedfromthemotorrotor.Visualinspectionsareconducted,lookingforchanges
fromtheasnewcondition.Dothebearingbores(insidediameters)oroutsidediameterslookcorrodedor
polished?Whataboutthebearingsidefaces?Bestpracticewillalsorequiresavingthebearingsfora
completedamageanalysis.
Theshaftandhousingseatsareexaminednext,checkingforwear Referencematerials
ordamage.Ifthemechanicobservespolishwearontheshaftseat Looktothesepublishedworksfor
andthendragsathumbnailacrosstheshaftandfeelsastepon
guidancewithyourmotorrepairs.
theshaft,itsobvioustheshaftwillhavetobereplacedoratleast 1.MachinerysHandbook,byErik
repaired.Someseatwearmaybeacceptable,butanysignsof
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excesswearshouldbeinvestigated.Agoodruleis80%contact
betweenmatingsurfaces.Frettingcorrosiononshaftandhousing
surfacesiscommon,anditshouldbecleanedup.Startwithalint
freeragandsolvent,andstepuptoamildabrasive,ifneeded.
Theobjectiveistoleaveasmuchoftheexistingmaterialinplace
aspossible.Nicksorbursshouldberemovedwithahoningstone.
Aggressivepolishingorfilingmightdestroyacomponentthatcould
havebeeneasilyrepaired.

Oberg
2.ANSI/EASAStandardAR1002010
3.SKFInstallationandMaintenance
Guide140710Version3/2007
4.SKFBearingHandbookfor
ElectricMotors140430Version
7/2011

Oncetheshaftandhousingshavebeencleanedandinspected,theycanbemeasuredforconformance.
Whatisneededfortheshoptoproperlycheckconformanceofshaftandhousingseats?
1. publishedstandardsandpractices
2. certifiedmeasurementtools
3. documentationtorecordasfoundandasrepairedmeasurements
4. trainedandknowledgeablestaff
Publishedstandardsandpractices
Theimportantthingabouthavingshopwidestandardsisrightinthenamestandardization.Without
published,readilyavailabletolerancelimits,theindividualmechanicormachinistisresponsibleformaking
ago/nogodecisiononbehalfoftheshop.Youcouldsay,Agoodmachinistshouldknowwhatto
measure.Agoodmachinist,andmanyskilledmechanics,knowsexactlywhatandhowtomeasureshafts
andhousingsforcomponentconformance.Shopmanagementneedstopublishacceptableshop
standardsandtolerances,availabletoeveryoneontheshopfloorresponsibleforassuringthequalityof
shaftsandhousings.Theentirerangeofrollingelementbearingshaftandhousingtolerancescanbe
foundinmanylocations.Tolerancesforfitslistedinthetableshaventchangedindecadesthephysicsof
matingoneparttoanotherhaventchanged,buttherecommendedfitshaveevolvedovertime.
GoodexamplesofrecommendedbearingfittolerancetablesareintheANSI/EASAStandardAR100
2010.Thesereferencescouldbeadoptedshopwideasacontrolleddocument,handedouttoallrelevant
shoppersonnel,andreplacedasneededifstandardsevolveinfuture.Somebearingmanufacturershave
publishedmorecurrentrecommendedfits.
Bestpracticedocumentationshouldhaveexpectedtolerancesprinteddirectlyontheformusedtorecord
measurements.Otherwise,takethesesteps.
1. Themachineownermighthavepublishedtolerances.
2. Consultthemachineryprint.Everymachineismadetoadrawing.
3. Callthemachinemaker,whomayhavereferencetolerancesarchived.
4. Useacceptedstandardengineeringpracticestoselecttheproperfit.
Publishedrecommendedfitsareexcellentguidelines,butonlyineverydaycases,suchasstandardball
andcylindricalrollerbearingsontypicalmotors.Whatdoesthemachinistdowhenheencountersan
atypicalmachine?Agoodexampleisahollowshaft,verticalmotor.Whenthebearingsarepressedonto
thehollowshaft,itmaygivemorethanasolidshaftandrequireaslightlyincreasedpressfitover
standard.Howmuchmore?

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Whenallelsefailsandestablishedtolerancecannotbedetermined,ithastobecreated.Ifyourebrave,
referencematerialshaveapublishedmethodologyforchoosingtheproperfitsforanysituation.Onceyou
havemadeyourbestguess,itsstronglyrecommendedthatyouconfirmyourguesswithareputable
bearingmanufacturersapplicationsengineeringservice.
Certifiedandcapablemeasurementtools
TypicalindustrialmachineshaveshaftandhousingtolerancesthatbeginatISOgrade5.Forapart
measuring3050mm,IT5tolerancegradeis11microns,orabout0.0004in.However,thepermissible
deviationsforacylindricalseating,forexample,isIT5/2,inthiscase5.5microns,orabout0.0002in.
Measurementtoolsmustbecapableandcalibratedtoachievereliable,repeatablemeasurements.A
micrometercertifiedtoanaccuracyof25microns(~0.001in.),forexample,wouldnotbecapableof
measuringIT5toleranceinthissizerange.
Formachineryshaftsandhousings,acylindricalshapeisnotonlybeingmeasuredforoverallsize
(dimensionaltolerance),butalsoforshape(formtolerance).Measureandrecordatleastfourpoints
every45circumferentiallyandintwoplanesperpendiculartotheshafttodocumenttheroundnessand
taperoftheseats.Forlargercomponents,addanadditionalmeasurementplaneforeach50mm(2in.)
seatwidth.
Checkthemeasurementstoseeiftheyarewithintherequiredtolerance.Rememberthatatypical
micrometerorboregaugemeasuresadiameter,notaradius,andthereforethetoleranceistwicethe
allowabledeviation.Ifthesediametersaremeasuredwithinacceptabletolerances,adialindicator
measuringtotalindicatedrunoutinthesameplanewouldstillshowadeviationofnomorethanhalfthe
tolerance.Anydeviationoutsidetolerancewillrequirearepair.Fortaperedshafts,specialtools(sinebars)
anddrawingsarerequiredtoassureconformance.
Shaftscanberepairedinanumberofways,butmakesureyourshophasapproved,documentedrepair
processes,withqualifiedpersonnel.Housingscanbemosteasilyrepairedwithcommerciallyavailable
premadesleeves.Thehousingtoberepairedisboredtoacceptthesleevethesleeveisinsertedand
boredtotheproperhousingtolerance.Ineithercase,therepairedseatsmustberemeasured,andthe
datarecordedandcheckedtoensureconformance.
Afewshopsarestillmeasuringbearingspriortoinstallation,whichisnolongerconsideredabestpractice.
Priortothe1960s,bearingshadsomuchvariationthatshopswouldmeasureeachbearingandrepairthe
shafttotheindividualbearing.ModernbearingsfromworldclassmanufacturersuseSixSigmastatistical
processcontroltechniquestoreducevariationandoutliers.Relyonestablished,authorizeddistributorsto
preventpoorqualitythirdtierandevencounterfeitbearingsfromenteringyoursupplychannel.
Documentationtorecordasfoundandasrepairedmeasurements
Minimaldocumentationofstandardshaftandhousingconformanceshouldinclude:
fourpoint,twoplanemeasurementofshaftandhousingseats
shaftandhousingshoulderrunout
totalindicatedrunoutatcriticalshaftpoints(forexample,couplingseats,bearingseats,sealseats)
80%contactatbearingshaftandhousingseats
surfaceroughnesswithintolerance
maximumshoulderfilletradiinotexceeded.
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Shoulderrunoutiscritical.Thebearingsidefacesmakedirect
contactwiththemachineshaftandhousingshoulders.Excessive
shoulderrunoutmayleadtoexcessivevibrationandhigher
bearingoperatingtemperatures.

JoeConyersissenior
consultingengineer,
trainingand
development,atSKF

Trainedandknowledgeablestaff
Havingpublishedstandards,propertoolingandgood
documentationareworthlessifyourstaffisntproperlytrainedto
interpretthemeasuredresults.

ServiceDivision,
ReliabilityMaintenanceInstitute.
Contacthimat
joe.b.conyers@skf.com.SKF

certifieselectricmotorrepairshops.
Canyourstaffproperlyinterpretyourpublishedshopstandards?
Dotheyunderstandwhyacertainmeasurementisrequired?How Alistofcertifiedshopscanbefound
doesthemeasurementaddtoquality?Cantheyproperlyevaluate atwww.skf.com/rebuilder.
themeasuredresults,especiallyifanonconformanceisfound?
Whenisarepairrequired?Whenaremeasuredvaluesoutof
tolerance?Detailed,publishedproceduresanddocumentedstandardswillreducemisinterpretationof
measuredresults.
Anacutefocusonqualityofyourrepairsstartswithrobustpublishedstandardsandprocedures,capable
measurementdevices,detailedqualitydocumentation,andsuperiortraining.Notonlywilltheseefforts
reducescrap,loss,andreworkduringrepairs,butrepairedmachineswillleavetheshopwiththehighest
possiblereliability.

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