The content of this article is a very practical summary of experience on how to improve the operating reliability of motor bearings. I hope it will be helpful to your work and study.
Background: Machinery or system failures often have several causes, with motor faults among the principal ones. Motor faults, in turn, frequently result from bearing failures. Improving motor-bearing reliability is therefore important for the safe, stable operation of motors and machinery. Drawing on relevant references and personal research experience in motor bearings, the author offers suggestions from several perspectives to provide a useful reference for more reliable motor-bearing operation.
In recent years, as companies have raised their requirements for safe and stable motor operation, ensuring such operation has become a major focus. Motor bearings are essential core components, making further improvements in their operating reliability particularly important. Drawing on many years of practical experience in motor research, the author offers several personal suggestions for improving reliable motor-bearing operation, in the hope of providing useful references for colleagues in the industry.
1. Establish an account for motor bearings to strengthen management of motors
Generally, each enterprise has many motors of different models, power ratings, and speeds, operating in different environments and modes. Some environments are particularly harsh and seriously affect normal motor-bearing operation. To ensure safe, stable motor operation, an equipment management register must therefore be established, recording the motor model, parameters, manufacturer, operating environment and mode, as well as the bearing model, manufacturer, commissioning date, grease used, fault symptoms, fault dates, and other information.
In other words, prepare a motor management register based on actual motor-bearing operation during production. Compile, summarize, and analyze the data recorded in it to understand daily bearing operation and identify possible patterns in bearing faults. Investigate on that basis to provide strong support for determining routine motor-bearing maintenance tasks and intervals. This approach benefits daily maintenance and management while also effectively extending bearing service life.
Conversely, without knowledge of the motor-bearing model, manufacturer, commissioning date, grease used, previous faults, and fault dates, decisions about motor maintenance tasks and intervals are somewhat uninformed. For example, it may be unclear whether a bearing has exceeded its service life or whether the grease is suitable. Some enterprises replace motor bearings every one or two years, while others leave them unmaintained for many years. Such crude management results in either insufficient or excessive maintenance and does not meet the requirements of condition-based equipment maintenance management.
2. Regularly diagnose the operation of motor bearings
During the high-speed operation of the motor bearing, if the bearing failure cannot be eliminated in time, the motor bearing will inevitably be damaged quickly. There are many reasons for motor bearing failure, among which the most common factors include: fatigue failure, poor lubrication, irregular installation, entry of foreign matter, etc. Regardless of any of the above factors, it will cause problems such as excessive operating temperature of the motor bearings, excessive vibration, and abnormal operating sounds.
Because of this, it is particularly important to effectively manage the operation of motor bearings. That is to say, in actual work, we should use professional instruments to regularly diagnose the operating conditions of the motor bearings to prevent the motor bearings from running with diseases.
Problems such as poor motor-bearing lubrication, excessively viscous grease, insufficient clearance and excessive load can be assessed using the bearing-end housing temperature or a temperature-measuring instrument. Plot an operating-temperature curve to determine whether the bearing is running normally. Foreign-particle ingress and wear should be assessed with specialist motor-bearing diagnostic instruments, analyzing vibration pulses to support assessment of bearing condition.
3. Further improve the installation technology level of motor bearings
We all know that motor bearings themselves require extremely high precision, so even slight rolling, ball deformation, injury, and internal impurities will shorten the life of the motor bearings. Especially during the actual installation process, insufficient installation technology can easily cause damage to the motor bearings and reduce the actual service life of the motor bearings. Therefore, further improving the installation process level of motor bearings plays a vital role in extending the service life of motor bearings.
First, to prevent mounting forces from deforming motor-bearing raceways and balls, bearings may be heated with hot oil or electromagnetic induction. Thermal expansion allows the bearing to slide easily onto the journal. Second, keep the working environment and tools clean when replacing grease, preventing contaminants from scratching the raceways and shortening bearing life.
Use the correct quantity of motor-bearing grease. Too much or too little increases rotational friction and can create a vicious cycle of overheating and oxidative grease failure. Also pay attention to handling and storage. In field work, grease containers are often left uncapped after use, allowing contamination. This contaminated grease is then used in bearings, introducing mechanical impurities, dust or sand and seriously reducing bearing life.
Therefore, you must develop good habits when using grease. Open the cap when using it and seal it after use to avoid the grease being exposed to dirty and humid air for a long time and being contaminated. The contaminated grease can no longer be used to lubricate bearings.
4. Select the correct motor bearings to ensure good working performance
There are many types of motors, and their operating parameters differ. To obtain good operating conditions and performance, suitable motor bearings must be selected according to the equipment being driven. This is essential to improving bearing reliability. In practical bearing selection, the type, tolerance grade and clearance should generally be chosen according to the operating conditions of the motor bearings. Factors include bearing load direction, load type, speed, lubrication method, locating and non-locating requirements, installation environment and maintenance environment.
In addition, the model of the motor bearing is calculated based on the actual working conditions, stress and life requirements of the motor bearing, and the bearing life is verified.
5. Summary
Motor bearing failure is an important cause of motor failure, and motor failure can cause production safety problems in enterprises and lead to serious safety incidents. Therefore, it is of great practical significance to strengthen the research on the reliable operation of motor bearings and pay attention to the continuous improvement of motor bearing manufacturing technology and production management methods. It is worthy of in-depth research and discussion by the majority of enterprises in their corporate agenda.
Source: Internet
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