Motor bearings

ABB knows the most common bearing difficulties

and how to minimise them

Reprint from Global Cement Magazine October 2007

 Rolf Hoppler & Reinhold A Errath ABB Switzerland Ltd

Motor bearings: ‘the bearing necessities’

Motor bearings are of high importance in drive systems, so their selection and handling should
be taken seriously. Rolf Hoppler and Reinhold Errath evaluate the types of bearings used in the
cement industry, offering their hints and tips for avoiding problems with lubrication, greasing,
motor cabling, installation, alignment, bearing currents, temperature and vibration.

N ot all bearings are suitable for every application; a

universal, all-purpose bearing does not exist. The
choice of bearing arrangement is based on the following
qualities:
• load carrying capacity in the axial and radial direction
• overspeed and duration
• rotating speed
• bearing life
The size of the bearing to be used is initially selected on
the basis of its load carrying capacity, in relation to the combined loads such as simultaneously acting radial
load to be carried, and the requirements regarding its and axial loads in vertical machines.
life and reliability.
Other factors must also be taken into consideration, Spherical roller thrust bearing
such as operating temperature, dirty and dusty environ- In Spherical Roller thrust bearings, the load is transmit-
mental conditions, and vibration and shocks affecting ted from one raceway to the other at an angle to the
bearings in running and resting conditions. bearing axis. They are suitable for the accommodation
of high axial loads in addition to simultaneously acting
Deep groove ball bearings small radial loads. Spherical roller thrust bearings are
There are many types of bearings on the market, each also self-aligning.
with different characteristics and different uses. Deep
groove ball bearings are the most common type of bear- Sleeve bearings
Top: Deep groove ball bearings. ing, and can handle both radial and thrust loads. Due The life of a sleeve bearing is practically infinite, pro-
Above: Bearing selection graph. to their low-frictional torque, they are suitable for high vided that its operation remains within the specified
In the cement industry, the two speeds. conditions. Motors have sleeve bearings at both ends.
main families of bearings are In a ball bearing, the load is transmitted from the The bearing on the D end is the guide bearing and
anti-friction bearings (for lower
outer race to the ball and from the ball to the inner race. means that it can tolerate a limited non-axial force. The
power ratings) and sleeve bear-
ings (for higher power ratings). Since the ball is a sphere, it only contacts the inner and bearing on the N drive end is isolated.
outer race at a very small point, which helps it to spin The bearings are rigidly mounted to the end shield of
Above right: Angular contact
ball bearings. very smoothly. This also means that there is not very the machine. The bearing housing is made of cast iron.
much contact area holding the load, so if the bearing is Tapped holes for thermometer, oil inlet and outlet and
Below: Cylindrical roller
overloaded, the balls can deform, ruining the bearing. oil level are provided on both sides of the housing. The
bearings.
bearings are lubricated by hydrodynamic lubrication,
Cylindrical roller bearings which can be of a self-lubricating or oil circulation type.
These roller bearings are used in applications where The bearing shells are spherically-seated in the hous-
they must hold heavy radial loads. In the roller bearing, ing. The oil flow of self-lubricated bearings is guaranteed
the roller is a cylinder, so the contact between the inner by the central arrangement of the oil ring. The precise
and outer race is not a point but a line. This spreads shell seating also provides good heat transfer between
the load out over a larger area, allowing the bearing to the bearing shell and the housing. The shell consists of
handle much greater radial loads than a ball bearing. a steel body lined with white metal. Bearings with a cir-
However, this type of bearing is not designed to handle culating oil system are also equipped with an oil ring, to
much thrust loading. allow for safe running during a coast stop of the motor,
in case of a power failure.
Angular contact ball bearings
Angular Contact ball bearings have raceways in the Flange mounted sleeve bearings
inner and outer rings which are displaced with respect Flange mounted sleeve bearings are used for machines
to each other in the direction of the bearing axis. This with a shaft height of up to 1120mm. Machines with
means that they are suitable for the accommodation of bearings of this type are quick and easy to align. The

2 globalcementMAGAZINE October 2007

 Vibration
The vibratory stresses in the motors, connected ma-
chine parts and foundation must be reliably kept within
the specified limits. Any violation of these limits is Left: A flange-mounted sleeve
detrimental to the lifetime of the bearings, beside other bearing
negative effects. Care also has to be taken when the
rotor shaft is passing through a region of resonance. The
allowable vibration is defined in IEC 34-14. For motors
above 300kW, the following values are valid:
Motor running (not coupled):
Vibration validation ranges
<500 <n < 1800 < 1.8 mm/sec
<1800 <n < 3600 < 2.8 mm/sec
Usually, the customer is responsible for the motor
air gap between stator and rotor comes from the factory foundation; however, the respon-
already adjusted, and does not need any further adjust- sibility for it has to be defined.
ment on site during installation. The foundation should not only RMS velocity
Support class Validation
be rigid enough to withstand (mm/sec)

Foot mounted sleeve bearings short circuit forces, but also the A/B 2.3
Foot mounted sleeve bearings are mounted on a ped- natural frequencies of the system Rigid B/C 4.5
estal. The pedestal can either be integrated in the stator motor and foundation should C/D 7.1
frame, or can be mounted separately. If it is integrated not coincide with the rotational A/B 3.5
with the stator frame it is easy and fast to align. frequency of the machine, or Flexible B/C 7.1
with any of its harmonics. The C/D 11.0
Axial floating and forces foundation construction should
Sleeve bearings are designed to tolerate only limited not cause any substantial de-
continuous axial loads. The axial load is absorbed by the crease in critical speed for the Validation A: Newly commissioned motors should be in this range
plain, white metal-lined thrust faces. Precautions must operation of a motor. Validation B: Acceptable for long term operation
be taken to prevent excessive axial loads. Validation C: Normally considered as unsatisfactory for long term
Standard motors are designed for a rotor axial float Insulated bearings continuous operation, but operation is permitted for
of +/-8mm from the mechanical centre in the middle In general the non-drive-end a limited time period.
of the rotor end float limits. The magnetic centre does bearing is insulated. If the motor Validation D: Standard motors operating in this vibration range are
not need to be in the same position as the mechanical is operating on a frequency likely to sustain severe damage.
centre, but is located between the end float areas. The converter, the insulation of the
magnetic centre is permanently marked on the shaft non-drive-end bearing is a must,
with a groove. When the motor is running, the rotor because of the existing bearing currents. The insulation
will take the position of the magnetic centre. has to be checked after bearings have been replaced.
The sleeve bearing is not designed to withstand any
axial forces from the driven machine. All axial forces Common bearing
Rule of thumb for vibration protection settings
must be carried by the driven machine. The coupling problems
must be of limited axial float type, and the limit must be Anti-friction bearings usually Motor coupled to the load Warning > 7 mm/sec
smaller than the rotor axial float. have a life of over 100,000 hours,
corresponding to an active life- Motor coupled to the load Trip > 9 mm/sec
Radial forces time of about 12-15 years. Sleeve
Only radial forces from the coupling are allowed. If any bearings should have an infinite
additional radial forces are expected, they will have an lifetime. This requires that the bearings are of correct
influence on the bearing design. size, dimension and type, and are also well maintained.
If not, the lifetime will be significantly shorter. We will
Balancing now summarise the most common bearing problems.
After manufacturing, the rotor is not balanced because Below: Bearing insulation,
of manufacturing tolerances. Dynamic imbalance is Vibration formed by a shrink-fitting insula-
caused by unevenly distributed masses around the rotor. Roller bearings are easily damaged from vibration when tion layer in the shield.
As centrifugal forces increase with the square root of the the motor is not running, so the rotor is locked during
speed, any imbalance will lead to strong asymmetrical transportation. Ball bearings can sustain more vibration
radial forces. These forces cause swinging movements than roller bearings when not running. Both types can
in the shaft of the rotor and can lead to vibrations which only withstand single and infrequent shocks of 2-3g
could harm the bearings and the rotor itself. To avoid without sustaining damage; shocks of greater magni-
this effect, all motors leaving the factory are dynamically tude should obviously be avoided.
balanced. Balancing can be made with half-key, full-key Sleeve bearings can sustain single and infrequent
and the coupling half. The rotor balancing method is shocks of 3-5g. Again, the rotor is fixed axially during
marked on the shaft end. transportation: don’t forget to unlock it before energizing

globalcementMAGAZINE October 2007 3

 the motor. Vibration in mo- between 2 and 5 degrees. The result will be higher tem-
tors is normally caused by perature and shorter lifetime of the bearing
• Unbalanced loads, like • Existence of bearing currents not specified
fans mounted on unstable • In motors in the megawatt range, specify a grounding
base frames, can provoke ring with grounding brush to avoid bearing currents.
heavy vibration
• Operating equipment near Motor noise
resonance points, especially Basically, sleeve bearings don’t make noise at all, and Ball
when adjustable speed bearings are more noisy than Roller bearings. Damaged
drives are used, can provoke bearings create higher motor noise as well; anti-friction
heavy vibration bearings, without adequate grease, also create higher
• Lack of uniformity in the motor noise.
magnetic field
• Partial short circuit in the windings Motor storage
Above: Common reasons for • Damaged bearings If motors have to be stored before installation it has to
bearing failures. Most of the • Excessive axial forces be done appropriately in order to avoid damage. After
known failures could be avoided • Radial or axial misalignment between the motor and a lengthy storage period, a careful inspection is gener-
if a proper bearing diagnostic
the load machine ally recommended. Any corrosion must be removed. If
and supervision system was
in place, if the measurements • Incorrect balancing of coupling half. the shaft bears imprints on the lower half, it must be
which such a system provides are replaced.
interpreted correctly. Lubrication and greasing The storage location should be free of vibration,
The purpose of lubrication is to prevent direct metallic shock and corrosive gases. If stored in the vicinity of the
contact between the various rolling and sliding ele- sea, the entire motor (not just the bearings) has to be
ments. This will be achieved by the formation of a thin protected from salt water and humidity.
oil film between the two surfaces. The greasing interval
recommended by the bearing supplier has to be strictly Anti-friction bearings
followed. Only lubricants which are recommended by Anti-friction bearing have to be well lubricated through-
the supplier of the motor, or those with very similar out the duration of the storage period. In longer storage
characteristics to the recommended lubricant, should be periods, the lubrication condition needs to be checked
used. The use of other lubricants will lead to problems, from time to time. Depending on the ambient storage
sooner or later. Problems caused by the application of temperature of the motor, a fully-penetrating grease
grease or lubrication can also shorten the lifetime of the lubricant with a wide temperature range, for instance
bearings in the following situations. -30 to + 100oC, has to be used.
To keep the anti-friction bearings in good condition,
Causes of high bearing temperature the rotor should be turned about 10 revolutions every
• Over-greasing the bearing, which forces the balls to two months. Before turning the rotor, the transportation
push through excess grease as they rotate, leading to a lock has to be removed, and after turning, the transpor-
sharp temperature rise tation lock has to be fixed again. Remember not to fix
• Too little grease in the anti-friction bearing, or too the lock too tight (about 10Nm torque should suffice),
little oil in the sleeve bearing because this could harm the bearings.
• Too low, or too high temperature, of the oil cooling
water for the sleeve bearing Sleeve bearings in storage
• Excessive radial forces on the bearings Motors with sleeve bearings are generally delivered
• Tension of V-belt drives is too high without oil. During storage, it is important to make sure
• Ambient temperature is too high (for instance, that the surface of the bearing is always covered with
the drive motor below the kiln has insufficient heat Tectyl. The Tectyl should be sprayed into the bearing
protection) through the filling hole if the storage time is longer than
• Friction of the bearing sealing (bad shaft seals leading one month. If storing for much longer than one month,
to loss of grease or oil) the treatment should be repeated every six months. If
• Using a low-temperature grease which does not the storage is longer than two years, the bearings should
provide adequate viscosity at normal operating be dismantled and treated with corrosion protection.
temperatures Before the stored motor is used, the bearings have to be
• Mixing incompatible greases, which can reduce filled with oil of a high quality and a type recommended
the consistency of the grease and possibly the overall by the motor supplier.
viscosity.
Summary of reasons for bearing failures
Motor specification problems Impending bearing problems are preceded by a change
• Radial bearing load is not correctly specified in its behaviour. Early indications for potential prob-
• Axial load is not correctly specified, especially in the lems are increases in temperature, vibration levels or
kiln drive, where the motor is mounted with a slope noise levels of the motor.

4 globalcementMAGAZINE October 2007

 In a correct installation, and under adequate super-
vision, the temperature and the vibration can be easily
visualised by trend logs. The noise level, however, can
only be detected by the maintenance staff during rou-
tine checks. If potential problems are not recognised
and analysed promptly, or if incorrect diagnoses of the
problems are made, sooner or later it will lead to a bear-
ing problem.

Bearing currents smaller motors, capacitive discharge currents may lead

Bearing currents have been recognised for a long time. to damage. The following section attempts to roughly
In the 1920s, the currents were a consequence of asym- explain the different kinds of currents.
metrical stator windings. As the fabrication of windings
and motors improved, these currents became less and High frequency circulation currents
less significant, and today are no longer important. The high frequency common mode current Ž (see dia-
On the other hand, in recent times, the growing gram, above-left) induces via the air gap p a transient
use of frequency converters with PWM technology voltage between the shaft ends {, developing a compen-
has brought back the bearing current discussion again. sating current. The bearings and motor frame provide
Modern AC Converters have as their motor output, a a path for the current. If the voltage is high enough, the
high du/dt (voltage gradient) combined with a high dielectric strength of the bearing lubrication film may
switching frequency. This results in the sum of the be overcome and a discharge current flows.
three-phase voltages not being zero any more, as it is
in a three-phase network. The so-called common volt- High frequency shaft grounding currents
age depends on the intermediate circuit DC voltage and Due to asymmetrical un-shielded motor cable and
the switching frequency. Without considering counter poor stator grounding, a high frequency stator voltage
measures for these effects, a motor bearing can be is created between the motor frame and ground { (see
destroyed within a few months of operation. If such a diagram, below-left), and therefore a current can flow Above: High frequency circula-
common mode voltage is present, there might be dif- through the motor bearing and shaft towards the load tion currents.
ferent dominant root causes. This voltage always tries to machine, and then to ground √. This current flowing Ž Common mode current loop:
generate a current flow. through the shaft can, depending on drive power and AC drive, cabling motor and PE
installation setup, damage the load bearing. p Mutual inductance coupling
Damage due to current discharge between stator and rotor circuits
Therefore, by using a frequency converter without a
Basically, the damage is always caused by partial dis- sinus filter at the output, the motor cables have to be { Circulating current through
shaft, bearings and motor frame.
charge (electrical discharge machining, or EDM). The three-phase and shielded type. The shield has to be con-
oil film between the race and the ball acts as a dielectric nected on both motor and converter sides. This enables
(capacitor), which is charged by the bearing currents. the common mode current to flow back on a defined Below: High frequency shaft
As soon as the voltage level is high enough it will be path to its source. grounding currents, due to asym-
metrical un-shielded motor cable
discharged by short circuit. Such periodic discharging
and poor stator grounding.
will erode the metal. Capacitive discharge currents
The speed of the rotor influences the erosion. Higher The air gap capacity acts as a voltage divider of the com-
revolutions create a thicker oil film and therefore more mon mode voltage. This result in a voltage coupled
capacity. Because of this, the voltage, until a flash-over between the shaft and motor frame. The air gap capacitor
occurs, is higher and the damage greater. Rotors rotat- discharges through the motor bearing to ground. Due to
ing at lower speeds, on the other hand, have a thinner mechanical design, this phenomenon is mainly present
oil film. At the same time, the ‘contact’ area is bigger, in small motors below 100kW, typically below 30kW.
so the risk of damage is much lower. To conclude: the
higher the speed, the higher the nominal power; and the Preventing high frequency bearing currents
higher the DC Voltage, the greater the risk of damage. For drives equipped
The damaged ball, with its eroded surface, will cause with a sinus filter,
permanent vibrations with the inner and outer ring of there are no special
the bearing; the typical pattern of a damaged ring is a actions to be consid-
consequential and visible effect. ered in terms of high
frequency circulation
Dominant features currents. In other
There are different ways of damaging a motor and/or cases, most mistakes
a load bearing. Depending on the motor power, other are simple installation
dominant features are determined. For motors with a issues:
nominal power larger than 100kW, high frequency • Cable: For motor
circulating currents and high frequency shaft ground- cables always use
ing currents are the damaging elements, whereas for shielded three-phase

globalcementMAGAZINE October 2007 5

 Diagnosis and protection
cable. Never install single phase or un-shielded cables. For the correct functioning of the bearing, two condi-
The shield gives possible common mode currents a tions are important: to supervise the vibration and the
defined way back to the source (converter) without temperature of the bearing. If both of these parameters
passing through the bearings. are within the specified ranges, the chances of being
• du/dt: As modern frequency converters generate a confronted with bearing problems are small.
high du/dt, its is recommended that the converter be
equipped with a du/dt filter at the output, to prevent Vibration
high frequency circulation currents. As this is only Vibrations of different magnitudes can be detected on
a big issue in motor power above 100kW, frequency all rotating equipment. Vibration can be measured in
converters for motors below this power don’t normally three ways: displacement (the actual distance the object
need to be equipped with a du/dt filter. moves, usually measured in mm); acceleration (a part
• Breaking the current path: By insulating a bearing, the that is moving from rest, speeding up, slowing down
current path can be interrupted. It has to made certain and stopping twice per cycle, is accelerating and decel-
that the current does not then take another route to erating continuously. Acceleration is measured in m/s2);
ground via the load bearing. As mentioned above, a velocity (the speed at which the object moves, measured
shielded motor cable is essential in providing defined in mm/s). Acceleration and velocity are constantly
current paths. changing. One can measure a peak value of either, but a
mean value often gives a better indication of the forces
involved. Most instruments give the RMS value.
Bearing currents in a nutshell In terms of vibration, one of the aims is to protect
There are three main types of current, which can be classified as follows: the drive from too high or destructive a vibration, and
the other is to know the magnitude and frequency spec-
trum of the vibration. The less expensive supervision/
High frequency circulation current protection mechanism is often used for smaller motors;
this is mounted on the bearing housing, and produces
Risk in medium and high power motors,
a trip or a warning when the vibration exceeds it limit.
frame sizes IEC 315 and up, PN >100 kW.
Equipment like this does not show any frequency spec-
High du/dt and high switching frequency
trum. For bigger motors, a vibration measuring and
increase the risk.
protection system includes a sensor which shows the
Problem in > 95 % of cases
magnitude of the vibration across its entire spectrum.
With this sophisticated system, the bearing condition
can be detected long before the bearing becomes a
problem. Retrieval of data can be done by hand held
Capacitive discharge current portable equipment, or by a permanently-installed
system. Data is collected at certain predefined points
Special cases with small motors
on the bearing.
Motor frame grounded
Shaft is not grounded via machinery Shock Pulse measuring (SPM)
Motors above a certain size, and those using anti-
friction bearings, are equipped with SPM (shock pulse
measuring) points on both sides of the motor, at the
drive end and the non drive end. The condition of the
bearing is measured and checked using the shock pulse
High Frequency shaft grounding currents
method.
Asymmetric, unshielded motor cabling A shock pulse transducer produces a large ampli-
Incidental grounding of the motor shaft tude oscillation from the weak shock pulse, because
through the gearbox or driven machinery it is excited at its resonance frequency of 32kHz. Low
Poor stator grounding motor bearing frequencies are filtered out. The filtered
transducer signal reflects the pressure variation in
the rolling interface of the bearing. When the oil film
is thick, the shock pulse level is low, without distinc-
Conclusions tive peaks. The level increases when film thickness is
reduced. Bearing damage causes strong pulses at ir-
The majority of current damages are caused by circulating currents
regular intervals.
The shaft grounding current is usually related to improper cabling or grounding
Capacitive discharge currents may be a problem with small motors
Spectrum analysis
Selecting the correct cable type is important
A more exact and detailed vibration signal analysis is
Cable shield and PE-conductor connections help to prevent damages
provided by the method of spectrum analysis. In spec-
Motor/driven machinery installation can influence the location of the damage.
trum analysis, speed and acceleration spectrums are
usually followed, and are calculated using the math-

6 globalcementMAGAZINE October 2007

ematical Fourier series. Alarm limits can be specified In order to form the magnetic
based on the spectrum. field, electric power is needed. The
The Fourier method allows any complex wave- power consumption is mainly due
form to be separated into simple sinusoidal waveform to resistive losses in the coils. The
components. As the sine waves are separated from the amount of power varies for each
combined waveform, they are converted to vertical size of bearing and its current rat-
peaks along the frequency axis, with a height deter- ing.
mined by their amplitude. Everything looks fantastic, ex-
Usually the analyser forms the spectrum by calcu- cept when it comes to the question
lating them mathematically with the help of FFT (fast of what happens when the power
Fourier transform), a microprocessor algorithm that fails. If power to the magnetic
transforms the incoming signal from the analogue bearings is interrupted, the rotor
world (the time domain) into the frequency domain. will de-levitate. Consequently,
magnetic bearings are fitted with
Bearing temperature auxiliary bearings (roller or sleeve
If you want to be rid of bearing problems, the bearing bearings), which are designed to
temperature should be one of your key concerns. If withstand a number of full speed
the bearing temperature exceeds its pre-defined limits, de-levitations, as required by each
whether due to ambient conditions or heat generated specific application. For enhanced reliability, the system
within the bearing itself, it has the potential to harm the can be backed up with an uninterruptible power supply
bearing. Overheating in electric motor bearings is often (UPS), which will provide the power necessary to sup-
lubricant related. port the shaft during coast down.
To prevent harm to the bearings, their temperature It is not expected that this type of bearing will be
is continuously monitored and, depending on the plant applied in the cement industry in the very near future.
visualisation configuration, also displayed. The data col- But, in the medium and long term, the magnetic bear- Above: A damaged ball with an
eroded surface will vibrate with
lection is made with RTD probes, which are fitted near ing may play a certain role. the inner and outer ring of the
the outer ring of the anti-friction bearings, and have to bearing, leading to the typical
be of a four wire design. Only one probe is needed for Conclusions pattern of a damaged outer ring.
each bearing. Plants with no bearing problems at all are as rare as Below: The capacitor created
‘chicken with teeth.’ In all plants, for very different rea- within a bearing, between the
Bearings of the future: the magnetic bearing? sons, bearing problems can and will occur. The aim of inner / outer race and the ball.
Drastic changes are expected in bearing technology. this paper was to describe the most common reasons for
Some applications are moving in the direction of mag- bearing problems, but also to discuss how to minimise
netic bearing systems. The magnetic system is a new, those which are most avoidable, and the consequential
non-contact method of supporting the rotor. sleepless nights because of unplanned plant shut-downs.
Being non-contact, this technology has negligible Some of the causes of bearing problems can cer-
friction losses, no wear and, in another big step forward, tainly be averted by avoiding the mistakes we have
can achieve high surface speeds. Besides this, it does mentioned. But another class of bearing problems that
not need any lubrication. This opens up possible ap- can cause shut downs, can be easily avoided by recog-
plications in areas such as vacuum operation, or those nising and interpreting abnormalities in the bearings
sensitive to contamination. at an early stage. It is of utmost importance to move
As the air gap between the two magnetic parts away from reaction-based maintenance and repair, and
decreases, the attractive forces increase; therefore, elec- toward a preventive approach. Bearing problems don’t
tromagnets are inherently unstable. A control system is just occur, they are allowed to develop.
needed to regulate the current and balance the
forces, stabilising the position of the rotor. With
magnetic bearings, vibration due to imbalance
of rotating parts can be virtually eliminated and
the shaft centre can be located within a micron-
sized orbit.
The lifetime of magnetic bearings is expected
to exceed 25 years, since there is no wear in the
contact-free system, and deterioration is limited.
It is important to note that magnetic bearings
provide consistent performance throughout
their life. Magnetic bearings do not wear. As a
result, mechanical maintenance on the bearings
themselves is eliminated; however, preventative
maintenance of auxiliary components, electri-
cal connections, etc. has to be done.

globalcementMAGAZINE October 2007 7

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