September 2003

1
www.easa.com
By Dave Felten
Mechanical Field Service Department
L&S Electric, Inc.
Schofield, Wisconsin
Editors Note: The following article was sub-
mitted for publication by Paul Gullickson of
L&S Electric, Inc. and a member of the Techni-
cal Services Committee.
***
Welcome to the age of predictive maintenance
technologies. More and more of our customers are
using tools such as vibration analysis to assess the
health of their rotating equipment.
Many of our customers are using this technol-
ogy to assess new and rebuilt rotating equipment
once its installed and running.
This serves two main purposes:
1. It demonstrates the quality of the newly
acquired/repaired equipment (taking the
burden off the supplier/service center should
the equipment vibrate once its installed).
2. It provides a baseline for trending.
Unfortunately, these initial vibration readings
can be pushed into an alarm status by many
customer-related issues such as poor coupling
alignment and/or machine installation. This is
why its so important for todays repair facility
to provide the customer with baseline vibra-
tion data gathered during its final test run,
providing evidence that the rotating equipment
ran within general vibration guidelines before
being shipped.
Vibration frequency analysis can expose many
mechanical and electrical problems in an electric
motor. The purpose of this article is to discuss one
of these: Bearing Defects.
Rolling Ele me nt Be a ring De fe c ts
Defects in general rolling element bearings can
be generated by fatigue, wear, poor installation, im-
proper lubrication and occasionally manufacturing
faults in the bearing components shown below.
Being the typical bearing found in electric mo-
tors, the rolling element (or anti-friction) bearing
is made up of the following components as illus-
trated in Figure 1:
1. Outer Race
2. Inner Race
3. Cage
4. Rolling Element (ball, roller or tapered roller)
Figure 1 also shows the Pitch Diameter (Pd)
which is the span between the centers of two op-
posite rolling elements.
rolling e le me nt
c a g e
oute r ra c e
b a l ll rolle r ta pe re d rolle r
Rolling Ele me nts
Pd
inne r ra c e
Fig ure 1. Rolling Ele me nt Be a ring
C omp one nts
When a bearing spins, any irregularity in the
raceway surfaces or in the roundness of the rolling
elements excites periodic frequencies called fun-
damental defect frequencies.
These are:
1. FTF Fundamental Train Frequency (fre-
quency of the cage)
2. BSF Ball Spin Frequency (circular fre-
quency of each rolling element as it spins)
3. BPFO Ball Pass Frequency of the Outer race
(frequency created when all the rolling
elements roll across a defect in the outer race)
4. BPFI Ball Pass Frequency of the Inner race
(frequency created when all the rolling
elements roll across a defect in the inner race)
Fundamental defect frequencies depend upon
the bearing geometry and shaft speed. Once you
identify the type of bearing installed, you can ei-
ther calculate the defect frequencies yourself or
request the defect multipliers from the manufac-
turer. (Providers of vibration analysis software
often incorporate a database that contains these
multipliers from various bearing manufacturers.)
Unde rsta nding Be a ring Vibra tion Fre que nc ie s
C ontinue d on Pa g e 2
EASA CURRENTS
2
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Exa mp le 1:
If you have the defect multipliers at your dis-
posal, the process of calculating the defect
frequency is as follows:
1. Look up the bearing number that is exhibiting
the suspect vibration frequency on a table like
the one below:
Be a ring # of FTF BSF BPFO BPFI
ID Rolling
Ele me nts
9436 19 .434 3.648 8.247 10.753
9437 19 .434 3.648 8.247 10.753
9442 22 .443 4.191 9.740 12.260
2. Multiply this number by the shaft speed mated
with this bearing and you have the defect
frequency that would be generated by a defect
on the element in question. See Figure 2.
9.740 x 351 rpm shaft speed = 3419 cpm
Example of an Outer Race Defect
Route Spectrum
10-Dec-02 10:21:50
OVERALL= .1482 V-DG
PK = .1484
LOAD= 100.0
FPM = 870. (351. RPM)
0 8000 16000 24000
0
0.02
0.04
0.06
0.08
0.10
Frequency in CPM
Freq:
Ordr:
Spec:
3435.0
9.794
.02555
A= BPFO: 3419
A A A A A A A
P
K

V
e
lo
c
it
y

in

In
/S
e
c
Fig ure 2. O ute r Ra c e Be a ring De fe c t
If the frequency and harmonics (multiples) of
it are present on the vibration spectra, you most
probably have an outer race bearing defect. It
could be a spall on the raceway, electrical fluting,
false brinelling acquired during bearing storage or
equipment transport, etc.
For those interested in c a lc ula ting the
defect frequencies, the formulas are
listed below. Today, it is difficult to get
these parameters. Typically the manu-
facturer will simply supply one with the
multipliers.
Youll ne e d to find the following
ke y p a ra me te rs:
1. Rolling Element Diameter
2. Pitch Diameter
3. Number of Rolling Elements
4. Contact Angle
5. Speed
Formula 1: FTF =
S
/
2
* [1 (
Bd
/
Pd *
cos!)]
Formula 2: BSF =
Pd
/
2Bd
* S * [1 (
Bd
/
Pd
* cos!)
2
]
Formula 3: BPFO =
Nb
/
2
* S * [1 (
Bd
/
Pd
* cos!)]
Formula 4: BPFI =
Nb
/
2
* S * [1 +(
Bd
/
Pd
* cos!)]
Whe re :
FTF =Fundamental Train Frequency (Hz)
BSF =Ball Spin Frequency (Hz)
BPFO =Ball Pass Frequency of Outer Race (Hz)
BPFI =Ball Pass Frequency of Inner Race (Hz)
Nb =number of rolling elements
S =speed (revolutions per second)
Bd =ball diameter (in or mm)
Pd =pitch diameter (in or mm)
! =contact angle (degrees)
Be advised that there will be occasions when
the calculated defect frequencies dont exactly
match the bearing defect frequencies that appear
in the vibration spectra.
Typically this is due to higher than normal
thrust loads which cause the bearing to run at a
different contact angle. These abnormal thrust
loads can be caused by sources such as mis-
alignment.
Also, not all bearing manufacturers use the
same number of rolling elements in a particular
bearing size.
The most common bearing problem is the outer
race defect in the load zone; inner race faults are
the next most common. It is very rare to see a fault
at the bearings ball spin frequency or BSF.
Unde rsta nding Be a ring Vibra tion . . . C ontinue d From Pa g e 1
C ontinue d on Pa g e 1
September 2003
3
www.easa.com
Action Step: The presence of any of these
four fundamental fault frequencies should
result in the repair technician replacing the
bearing and ensuring the housing fits and shaft
journals are within tolerance.
Finally, its worth discussing the presence of
mechanical looseness, which manifests itself as
harmonics of 1x running speed, on a new or re-
built bearing housing or journal. This indication
of looseness could be coming from poor base
mounting or one of the following:
1. Loose housing-to-outer race fits
2. Loose journal-to-inner race fits
3. Excessive internal bearing clearance
Sle e ve Be a ring De fe c ts
Sleeve bearings do not make use of rolling ele-
ments; rather, the shaft rides on a layer of
lubricating oil inside the bearing bore. The lubri-
cant is either sealed inside the bearing, gravity fed
to the bearing or pumped in (pressure fed).
Sleeve bearings which have excessive wear/
clearance exhibit a vibration spectrum similar to
the one in Figure 3. Notice the series of running
speed harmonics (up to 10 or 20). Wiped sleeve
bearings often show much higher vertical ampli-
tudes than horizontal. A higher axial reading on
one end than the other provides further indication,
with the higher vibration level on the end with the
damaged bearing.
Bad Bearing Fits Between Housing and Outer Race
Route Spectrum
16-Oct-02 10:37:20
OVERALL= .3307 V-DG
PK = .3280
LOAD = 100.0
RPM = 1783. (29.71 Hz)
0 20000 40000 60000 80000
0
0.05
0.10
0.15
0.20
Frequency in CPM
Freq:
Ordr:
Spec:
1800.0
1.010
.02434
P
K
V
e
lo
c
it
y
in
In
/S
e
c
Fig ure 3. Loose ne ss from We a r/
C le a ra nc e Prob le ms
In contrast, mechanical looseness caused by
loose mounting bolts or cracks in the frame struc-
ture or bearing pedestal typically look like the
spectrum in Figure 4.
Loose Mounting
Route Spectrum
24-May- 02 09:35:33
OVERALL= 1.10 V-DG
PK = 1.10
LOAD = 100.0
RPM= 3495. (58.25 Hz)
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
Frequency in kCPM
P
K
V
e
lo
c
it
y
in
In
/S
e
c
Freq:
Ordr:
Spec:
3.450
.987
1.033
Fig ure 4. Struc tura l Loose ne ss
Excessive looseness can also cause
subharmonic multiples at exactly 1/2 or 1/3 x rpm
(.5x, 1.5x, 2.5x, etc.).
Summa ry
The final vibration test in the service center
helps ensure the customer is receiving a top-
notch repair. Youll rest easier knowing that your
repair work passed general vibration guidelines
and your sales team will love selling this added
value to your customers.
By providing documented vibration spectra
with a rotating equipment repair service, the cus-
tomer is less likely to immediately call your
service center when the newly repaired equipment
is reinstalled and vibrates. Theyll be more prone
to verify things within his control such as the
mounting and coupling alignment.
Unde rsta nding Be a ring Vibra tion . . . C ontinue d From Pa g e 2
The fina l vibra tion te st in the
se rvic e c e nte r he lps e nsure the
c ustome r is re c e iving a top-
notc h re pa ir. Youll re st e a sie r
knowing tha t your re pa ir work
pa sse d ge ne ra l vibra tion
guide line s a nd your sa le s te a m
will love se lling this a dde d
va lue to your c ustome rs.