ABB introduces an e-book that helps electric motor end users reduce motor downtime by charting the most common causes of failure and offers tips on how to resolve them.
The five common causes of motor failure relate to bearings (51 percent), stator windings (16 percent), external conditions (16 percent), rotor bar and shaft couplings. The e-book guides the reader through each cause using infographics and built-in navigation options to allow users to view the different sections of the e-book according to their specific areas of interest.
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The e-book can be ordered by e-mailing energy@gb.abb.com with “e-book” as the subject-line.
The main sources of bearing problems are often insufficient or incompatible greases, overheating, overloading, contamination or high ambient temperatures and humidity. These all have a severe impact on an electric motor and if not addressed can lead to a 50 percent fall in life expectancy. The e-book offers plenty tips to overcome these challenges including how often to check and re-lubricate motor bearings, the best way to avoid misalignment and how to deal with issues like soft foot.
David Hawley, ABB UK’s motors and generators business unit manager says: “If specified, installed and maintained correctly, there is no reason why a modern electric motor should fail. The engineering precision and technology that goes into today’s motors makes them the most reliable ever.”
Despite the advances in motor technology, electric motors still fail and cause production outages for manufacturing companies. The reasons for failure are often very simple and usually come down to a lack of a maintenance schedule, incorrect specification for the application and failure to take into account the operating environment of the motor.
“It is clear that there is still some confusion around how to make an electric motor run with minimum failure risk, so this is why ABB developed this e-book to give users a very simple way of spotting any potential failure causes early,” adds Hawley.
“It also offers advice on the things to look out for when looking to specify a new electric motor. Combining this element gives end users a complete guide to electric motors whether they are specifying a new motor, carrying out maintenance tasks or simply troubleshooting an installed motor and are looking for some guidance.”
