Electric Motor Temperatures

One thing that bearings and motor windings have in common is the 10-degree rule. Every 10 C degree increase in temperature cuts their life expectancy in half. If a blanket of grease (from bearing over lubrication) raises the winding temperature 20 C degrees, the winding will last only one-fourth as long as it should have. With an increase of 50 C degrees, a winding that should last 20 years would have a life expectancy of only about eight months.

Tip provided by Wayne Ruddock, Reliability Roadmap Web Workshop Instructor
Find out more about no cost Infrared Thermography Basics Web Workshops

Tip Sponsored by Academy of Infrared Training
Level 1 and Level 2 On Site Infrared Training

Soft Foot

Soft foot can be the result of a deteriorated base, a motor foot bent or out of plane, or even induced by pipe strain. Regardless of the source, when tightening such a foot, the machine frame is distorted. The uneven air gap in a motor created by frame distortion can cause very high vibration leading to reduced equipment life. Also, preloading bearings by deflecting a machine shaft will greatly reduce bearing life. Oftentimes production pressure or not understanding the impact of soft foot causes technicians to avoid the task of evaluating and eliminating it. However, the uncorrected soft foot condition may induce more damage than misalignment alone. Although eliminating soft foot can be very difficult and time consuming, it is a crucial step in the alignment process.

Tip provided by Jeromy Risner
AssetPoint LLC
Find out more about AssetPoint

Call for Presentations and Papers
November 17-19, 2009
Daytona Beach Florida

Theme: Aligning Maintenance with Operations

Reliabilityweb.com and Uptime Magazine are pleased to announce a formal call for papers for the IMC-2009 the 24th International Maintenance Conference and PdM-2009 Predictive Maintenance Technology Conference including LubricationWorld.

These three collocated learning events focus on:
• Maintenance Performance Management
• Condition Monitoring
• Lubrication

All segments of the maintenance and reliability community are invited to submit abstracts electronically for consideration by March 27, 2009.

Find our more...

Using a Checklist for Effective Maintenance Planning

In visiting various locations, I find that many established Planners don’t have a process to ensure consistency in their planning approach. Sure, the initial job plan can be simple such as the identification of crafts required, estimated hours, and a list of the required materials as a minimum. But that’s just a start and you should be using a continuous feedback loop to improve it over time for repetitive tasks. Ensure consistency by using a checklist.

Tip provided by Jeff Shiver, CMRP, CPMM
People and Processes
Send an email to and he’ll send you a Planning Checklist for your use.

TARGETS AND TOLERANCES

When performing shaft (coupling) alignment, very often the terms “Targets” and “Tolerances” are confused or misused.
Target is your desired alignment (cold)…what you are shooting for.

Tolerances are how much you can be off from your Target.

For example:
The Offset Target at the coupling center is ‘0’ mils, and the Offset Tolerance is ± 2.0 mils (for a given RPM), then the Offset will be ‘within tolerance’ when the measured offset value is between plus and minus 2 mils (2.0 < Value < +2.0 mils.)

The Offset Target at the coupling center is +8 mils (high, by convention), and the Offset Tolerance is ± 2.0 mils (for a given RPM), then the Offset will be ‘within tolerance’ when the measured offset value is between plus 6 and 10 mils ( +6.0 < Value < +10.0 mils.)

Tip provided by LUDECA, INC.
ALIGNMENT * VIBRATION * BALANCING
http://www.ludeca.com
305-591-8935

Watch our Short Flex and Spacer Shaft Tolerances iPresentation

Ricky Smith and Jerry Wilson have produced a quick, easy read for any organization looking for a number of focused, easily implemented actions which can be expected to produce big improvements in effectiveness.

They lay out those critical aspects of Planning and Scheduling without which any Planning and Scheduling system will fail to produce the desired results.

Each chapter contains high-lighted “Key Principles” which quickly summarize important points.

Buy a copy for every manager, supervisor, planner and scheduler in your plant!

Never install equipment without first using RCM decision logic to rationalize and review the maintenance program. Most suppliers provide a maintenance program with their equipment, but rarely is the program useable in its delivered format.

In most cases it is overly conservative and does not promote operator or autonomous maintenance. We have seen cases in projects worth well over $100M where the maintenance prescribed by the supplier contains twice the downtime that is required.

With the right software you will be surprised how quick it can be to review new equipment installations or expansions.

Tip provided by Steve Turner
OMCS

Download a trial version of PMO2000 and try it for yourself

Taking Field Data - Consider the equipment to be measured.

Are the shafts exposed?
Are the bearings recessed?
Must the coupling Guards be removed?
Can a strobe light be used for phase measurement?
Is a keyway available for phase reference?
Can the equipment be stopped and restarted?

Tip sponsored by Mobius Institute
Vibration Training in USA, Australia and 25 other countries

Tip excerpted from The Practical Vibration Primer
By Charles Jackson