Electric motors are vital components for any manufacturing company. However, they are prone to various issues, such as motor faults and failures. These scenarios are a manufacturer’s worst nightmare as a faulty motor can disrupt operations, which will impact their profits.
It is paramount for businesses to monitor their electric motors’ well-being and conduct regular upkeep to reduce the risk of such incidents and prevent downtime.
To understand when preventive maintenance is required, you need to understand the common motor rewinding failures and how to identify them. Continue reading on below to know what they are.
Recognising the common motor winding problems
Replacing your faulty motor may not always be the solution. There may be in-plant issues that could be causing these problems to occur. Therefore, it is crucial for you to pinpoint these issues and document them to prevent them from happening again. Hence, the reason why generator overhauling may be necessary to determine the exact problem with your equipment.
Here is a list of the common winding problems found in an electric motor:
- Shorted to ground winding failure
Abnormally low resistance in the electric motor can be a sign of shorted to ground winding failure. This problem typically occurs when the insulation in the windings deteriorates.
Various factors, such as overheating, physical damage, and contaminants, can contribute to insulation degradation. It is advisable to replace the insulation as soon as possible, or the generator may experience leaks and short circuits, which can lead to motor failure.
- Overloaded winding failure
This failure can occur when the motor is exposed to large surges of current beyond its recommended capacity. You can spot several tell-tale signs when an overload occurs. You will notice the motor generating inadequate torque despite an excessive current draw.
Surplus heat is also another telling sign as overheating tends to occur when overloaded winding failure happens. If you spot any of these symptoms, you should contact your engineer to conduct an inspection immediately.
- Shorted phase-to-phase winding failure
Insulation breakdown in the slots can cause shorted phase-to-phase winding failure. This breakdown is typically caused by contaminants, mechanical damage or voltage surges.
When this occurs, a significant amount of winding is bypassed, and the voltage between phases will be very high. These issues will lead to both phase windings being melted open. Should you detect this problem, you will need to schedule an electrical motor rewinding or replace your motor.
- Single phased winding failure
When an open line occurs in any phase of the engine’s power supply, single phased winding failure can happen. If the generator is still running when the fault happens, its power output is halved. It is not recommended to continue your operation in this state as it can cause undue stress on the generator, which will increase the prospect of motor failure.
Various factors such as broken power lines, blown fuses or an open connector can contribute to this failure occurring. Conducting regular motor inspection and maintenance allows you to detect these issues early and reduce the risk of single phased winding failure.
These are some of the typical motor rewinding failures that can occur in an electric motor. Should you encounter such issues while operating your generators, it is best to ask your engineer to conduct a generator overhauling.
Detecting and resolving these problems fast can save you valuable time and resources in the long run. And in doing so, you’ll know the best solution to opt for – be it generator rewinding, upgrade or replacement.