End-Winding Vibration Monitoring and Interpretation
Marc R. Bissonnette Eng.
VibroSystM Inc.
Longueuil, QC Canada
Abstract — Over the last two decades, the end-winding vibration
monitoring of large generators and motors has been rendered
possible by various methods. This paper focuses on our
experiences with nonconductive and nonmetallic fiber optic
accelerometers. Over 2000 of these accelerometers have been
installed in the field on various types and sizes of large rotating
machines.
Data obtained from the accelerometer under different operating
conditions and their interpretation have provided reliable
information and valuable knowledge to establish guidelines for
acceptable levels of end-winding vibration. But proper
interpretation also requires identification of the frequencies
where each vibration occurs. The combined effects of amplitude,
conversion of acceleration to displacement as a function of
frequencies of the vibration, represent the true method to
evaluate the level of stiffness of the end-winding system.
Keywords: Generator; End-windings; Vibration; Monitoring;
Accelerometer
I. INTRODUCTION
Monitoring the end-windings of large generators has
become a basic need to understand its electrical and mechanical
condition as well as the condition of the generator end-
windings, phase leads and connection ring [1, 2, 3].
Electromagnetic forces are the main cause for stator end-
windings vibration that may create numerous problems.
Essentially, stator vibration, which is caused by double
frequency (100 or 120 Hz) operating forces for a 2 pole
generator, i.e. speed of the passing of the rotor poles, can
loosen the end turns over time and eventually some of the
following problems may result: erosion of coil insulation,
precipitating a ground fault; breakage of coil strands, leading to
overheating; and weakened end-windings, decreasing rigidity
of the structure. The electromagnetic forces are essential to the
operation of the machines, but with time, its negative side
effects on the end-windings rigidity will be observed. Thus,
over time, stator vibration can loosen the end-windings, despite
safeguards introduced by generator manufacturers to stiffen the
end-winding bracing system.
Some generator designs unfortunately created more
problems than solutions in attempting to build a better, bigger
and more effective machine despite a highly competitive
market. Generator manufacturers were well aware of the need
to evaluate the bracing system used to stiffen the end-windings
of their machines. For newly built generators, the bump test is
a good off-line evaluation of the stiffening mechanism. Its
main purpose is to make sure the natural frequency of the
stiffening process is as far as possible from the double
978-1-4673-0487-0/12/$31.00 ©2012 IEEE
frequency resulting from the operating force of the machine. In
other words, the purpose of the bump test is to locate
components of the generator stator that have natural
mechanical resonant frequencies near the magnetic operating
frequencies of the unit. If the natural frequency of certain
components, such as the phase leads, is close to the operating
frequency, they may become mechanically excited. Any
excessive excitation may result in fatigue failure of the
conductors or their insulation. By allowing resonant excitation
to become excessive or to last long enough, the epoxy bonds,
which consolidate the windings into a unified structure, may
crack, and general or localized loosening may develop. This
may cause secondary bond cracking and additional loosening,
altering the natural frequency of the winding and making it
dangerously close to the resonant frequency formed by the
electromagnetic forces. In other words, the mechanism used to
stiffen the end-windings must be carefully designed in order to
limit the natural process of end-winding degradation and in no
form or any fashion, contribute to it.
Experience in the field proved to engineers that other
factors were affecting the stiffening of the end-windings.
Operating conditions such as temperature, unit active and
reactive loads and external stresses on the machine were also
contributing to the loosening process. The need for a
permanent method to monitor the end-windings, connection
ring and/or phase lead terminals tightness or degree of
loosening had become necessary. This aspect is heightened by
the fact that generator owners are increasing the period
between machine outages, in order to maximize the output of
their fleet. Access to end-winding vibration of large machines
and especially hydrogen-cooled types is becoming more and
more difficult. It became a basic need for proper management
of all generators to be able to provide operation and
maintenance engineers real time information on end-winding,
phase lead, connection ring vibration levels, and spectral
response of these vibrations [4]. A safe and reliable method for
constant measurement of these vibration levels became
necessary.
II. END-WINDING MONITORING SOLUTION
Over the past 25 years of VibroSystM's field of experience
in the installation of its various sensors on generators, it has
always been imposed by utility personnel that cabling or
sensors installed on their generators be positioned to avoid the
high voltage part of the generator. However, to obtain a safe
vibration monitoring of the end-windings, it was necessary to
have access to the high voltage area of the machine despite the
many challenges it offered. May it be air gap cabling exiting
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the generator through the top of the stator, stator bar vibration
sensors installed on the bars exiting the stator, or sensors
monitoring temperature of the bars, it has always been
imperative that the end-winding/high voltage area of the
machine be completely free of all devices that would cause any
interference in order to maintain the integrity of the machine
insulation. This means avoiding disturbance of the end-
winding electric field and avoiding partial discharges that can
lead to insulation breakdown and hazardous and disastrous
short circuits. In other words, approaching conductive and/or
semi-conductive material in the end-winding zone of a machine
introduces a grounding point that is proscribed due to the very
high voltage environment formed by the end-windings.
In the search for a solution to end-winding monitoring and
based on the previously mentioned reasons, it was imperative
to find a method completely safe for the machine and most
importantly for the utility personnel when manipulating the
equipment. Since the equipment is connected to the high
voltage end-winding, only fully isolated and non-conductive
sensors were considered. These devices will be installed
permanently, during a period equivalent to the life of the
machine under study. Thus, we opted for a fiber
optic/nonconductive accelerometer and named it FOA. Since
1995, thousands of our fiber optic accelerometers were
installed on end-windings around the world and has quickly
become the industry monitoring standard because of its proven
safety and precision, and has been adopted by the great
majority of generator manufacturers. Certain manufacturers’
have attempted to apply an encapsulated version of a
conventional metallic conductive piezometer for end-winding
monitoring. By encapsulating the piezometer, there is common
misbelieve that insulation is assured and that risk is contained.
Unfortunately this is not the case. Even encapsulated, these
conductive devices disrupt the equipotentials of the end-
windings. The result is concentration of the electric field
(higher volts/mm) leading to partial discharges and worst case
short circuit. It is also important to note that the encapsulation
dampens the actual end-winding vibration levels and
frequencies are altered due to the elasticity of the encapsulation
material used to isolate the piezometer from the end-windings
themselves.
Figure 1. Positioning FOA from the end-windings diagram
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With the above in mind and the need for proper monitoring
of the end-winding vibration phenomena, one must respect the
following criteria when selecting a transducer for end-winding
vibration:
• Since the device head will be in direct contact with the
end-winding:
– It must be able to operate in a temperature range
according to the winding insulation class limits.
– It must be constructed to withstand temperature up
to 200°C (392°F) without being physically altered
and without its performance being permanently
affected once it resumes operation within its
specified temperature range limits.
– It must not contain any metallic or conductive
components in order to avoid altering the high
voltage environment of the end-winding area.
– It must not use rare earth elements or other
material that will age or change over time, thus
affecting the overall probe performance.
– It must have a resonance frequency above 2 kHz in
order to eliminate any possible interference within
the 10 to 1000 Hz measuring range.
• The device must use optical signal link to guarantee
optimal electrical insulation between the sensor head
and the signal conditioner.
• The device must be able to measure vibration
frequencies below the generator fundamental
mechanical frequency that can be as low as 25 Hz on a
50-Hz 4 pole machine.
III. INSTALLATION CRITERIA
The best and most complete way of monitoring
end-winding vibration is to monitor each and every bar.
However, real life constraints require a more economically
efficient method for the monitoring of end-windings of a large
generator or motor.
It is recommended that bars most likely to deteriorate or
become damaged from the effects of vibration be selected.
For example, bars that have been identified in a bump test as
being the ones most likely to vibrate near the operating
frequencies of the machine (100 or 120 Hz) would be a good
selection. Another example would be bars or end-windings
nearest to the phase lead connections, since they represent a
large mass which results in more damaging effects in case of
vibration.
Naturally, if the above information is not available, locating
the FOA at equal positions around the end-winding or on
highest voltage bars per circuit is then recommended.

Figure 2. Sensor installation on turbo-generator
On a turbo-generator, it is typically recommended to install
at each generator end (turbine end and exciter end) 6 sensors in
radial axis and 1 for tangential axis of the end-basket, thus
providing a total of 14 vibration inputs per machine “Fig. 1”.
This is done by means of 5 FOA-100E accelerometers and 1
FOA-200 bi-axial accelerometer for both radial and tangential.
Monitoring the axial vibration is usually less significant and
overlooked, but if a customer wishes to do so, a FOA-200
accelerometer may be substituted for one of the FOA-100E at
each end of the machine. The fiber optic accelerometers are
usually mounted at the far end of the end-windings “Fig. 2”.
It is recommended to monitor both ends of the turbo-
generator as mechanical vibration from the machine as well as
phase bus leads may generate different end-winding vibration
behaviour, even amongst bars of the same end. Nevertheless,
the fiber optic accelerometers can always be installed at any
other locations on the generator.
Figure 3. FOA installation on end-winding
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The installation manual detailing every step required to
correctly locate, install and route the FOA measuring devices
inside a hydrogen-cooled machine must be respected to avoid
any doubts when interpreting the results. Examples of the
installation of the fiber optic accelerometer on an end-winding
“Fig. 3”, cable installation and exit through a penetration flange
for hydrogen-cooled machines “Fig. 4” are taken from this
manual.
Figure 4. Installation of penetration flange on generator casing exposing the
hydrogen side of the plate before it is closed and fixed to the flange.
IV. FIELD EXPERIENCE
Due to the importance of the information provided by these
accelerometers, it is mandatory that a certified technician
supervise the installation in order to avoid errors that become
close to impossible to repair once the special epoxies have
hardened and the machine is closed and operating. The
following are typical errors that were observed:
1. Probes installed in an improper location. One original
equipment manufacturer installed all FOAs for
tangential monitoring direction, which represents an
axis where vibration was least likely to occur.
Figure 5. FOA installation not following described procedures creates a
mechanical bridge between windings that will induce parasitical vibration:
A) sensor head improperly fastened to the endwinding, B) optical cable exits
immediately on to adjacent bar, C) cable attached to neighbouring winding
instead of winding under study.
 Field experience has provided various case studies which
have been presented at conferences [4, 5] and it is important to
note the typical initial reaction of users: Why is there only one
winding higher than others monitored? Disconnect the probe
with the high readings; there is probably a problem with the
accelerometers (!) Are you sure the probe is working?
Extensive field experience has demonstrated how FOA has a
high reliability rate and is a sturdy device considering that it is
a very precise, nonmetallic type probe.
Once tested, most of the returned probes met their original
specification, even those that were clearly mishandled and not
covered by any standard manufacturer’s warranty.
The few probes that were actually damaged would not

TABLE I. END-WINDING VIBRATION RESULTS

‹200 MW & 200 TO 500 MW
Figure 6. Connectorized flange

2. Not following important installation procedures, as in

the case shown in “Fig. 5”, where the fiber optic cable
adjacent to the sensor head is attached to the
neighbouring winding, thus creating a mechanical
bridge that induces parasitical vibration.
3. Installing material between the sensor head and the
end-winding, thus interfering with the pick-up of the
actual winding vibration.
4. Not respecting the procedure found in the installation
manual such as exceeding the maximum bending
radius of the cable or not applying epoxy between the
probe head and the end-winding. TABLE II. END-WINDING VIBRATION RESULTS
500 MW TO 750 MW
For hydrogen-cooled machines, an important aspect of the
FOA installation is to route the vibration signals outside the
machine while containing the volatile highly explosive
hydrogen gas inside the machine. As explained earlier, the
need of a hydrogen flange “Fig. 4” becomes obvious. It is
soldered to the casing of the machine so that the FOA
conditioner, located at the opposite end of the Fiber Optic
sensor head and cable, be able to connect through 1.5 m
extension cables that route the 100mV/G signal out of the
machine, to the connectorized flange plate thus assuring a
complete and reliable containment of the hydrogen gas.
The flange and connectorized plates come with a test
certificate. This document certifies that a 200 PSI helium
pressure test was successfully conducted before leaving the
factory. The equipment is also ATEX certified for hazardous TABLE III. END-WINDING VIBRATION RESULTS ›750 MW
areas. All tests were conducted by TÜV in Germany and
certify the equipment is safe for hydrogen type machines. By
using a connectorized flange, as shown in “Fig. 6”, up to 9
signals can be retrieved from within the generator and exited
for monitoring purposes. The one shown in the "Fig. 6” can be
used for up to 9 FOA signals, or any combination of FOA with
an internal temperature probe, stator bar vibration probe, Fiber
Optic Temperature (FOT) probes or a proximity probe. The
connectorized flange is also used to exit capacitive coupler
signals used in monitoring the stator partial discharge.
Connectorized flanges that present combinations of PDA and
end-winding vibration signals are also available.

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Figure 7. Waveform signal of endwinding vibration.
Figure 8. FFT graph of endwinding vibration converted in displacement
values – clear indication of 60 and 120 Hz components with abnormally
high vibration levels.
provide any signal, and thus could not contribute in providing
false high vibration readings. It is also curious to note that in
the field, probes indicating higher vibration values tend to
follow the proportionally active/reactive load changes or
temperature changes. Over time, our experience has convinced
users that in the great majority of cases, the FOA readings were
accurate. The following tables (Table 1-2-3) show the end-
winding levels tallied from users who accepted to send their
end-winding vibration readings, and are displayed per size of
machines.
Another observation from the field was that proper data
acquisition units were not used to gather the FOA data. Users
limit themselves to a simple reading of the peak to peak
displacement measurement without using the whole potential
provided by the raw acceleration signal and the 10 to 1000 Hz
band-pass provided by the probe. Signals are usually sent to
the supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system
for trend and protection purposes only. We recommend to also
include a data acquisition monitoring unit for complete
diagnostics of the end- winding results while signals are sent to
the SCADA system.
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TABLE IV. END-WINDING VIBRATION TOLERANCES
A vibration severity measurement, called VSM, is now
possible, and assists users in the protection of all components
of the end-winding vibration signals, i.e. alarm levels are
automatically set as per the ISO 10816 (points 1 to 7) standard,
from frequencies of 10 to 1000 Hz, thus assuring a complete
protection of the machine. Types of signals such as
acceleration, velocity or proximity are automatically processed
by the ZPU-5000 data acquisition unit in order to obtain the
best signal to noise ratio at a given frequency within the band-
pass of analysis, in order to avoid any false alarms. The system
also allows the users to visualize the Fast Fourier Transform
(FFT), or spectral analysis to allow complete diagnostic of the
vibration signals (see Fig. 8). Finding the source of the
problem and causes that contribute to end-winding vibration is
then possible. On-line results may also be compared to off-line
bump tests results from the same devices so they can be
automatically recorded by the system.
V. CONCLUSION
Safe monitoring of internal parts of the generator is now
possible with the Fiber Optic Accelerometers. Proper
installation and identification of the correct locations to
evaluate the condition of critical parts of the generator stator
allow users to evaluate in a permanent fashion, the condition of
such parts while the machine is generating electricity. Data
gathered in the field and adequately processed have allowed to
provide users with the following critical levels for quick and
immediate evaluation and protection of the end-winding and/or
connection ring of generators (see Table IV).
Multiple site information has been gathered over the years
and many experts conclude that a sound and reliable tool is
now available for original equipment manufacturers and
generator owners to extend the life of their machines, to verify
the condition of critical parts of a generator and justify the
proper time to intervene on a machine beginning to show
potential problems. This tool now helps owners to manage the
generating assets and its information has become critical in the
evaluation of the end-winding condition while the generator
produces electricity. Information on a critical part of a
generator while in production is essential, and allows
individuals to better manage their machines.
 We wish to quote Mr. B.S. Berstein, Project Manager,
Electrical System Division of The Electrical Power Research
Institute (EPRI) [6]:
“The single most important parameter influencing the
reliability of a rotation machine is the electrical insulation. If
the insulation fails to maintain its integrity during operation,
the equipment will fail. In practice, insulation does not fail at
once. Multiple stresses acting on the insulation – voltage
stress, mechanical forces, and thermal effects – all combine to
induce a slow but steady change in its nature over years.”
The fiber optic accelerometer presented in this paper has
shown to be a valuable tool for the generator owner to manage
the stresses acting upon the machine insulation. Providing real
time information on the end-winding condition allows utility
personnel to better manage a machine that generates revenues
and represents an important asset to its owners.
Complementing the end-winding vibration with measurements
of rotor temperature, stray flux, electromagnetic interference
patterns, shaft voltages and currents, as well as machine
operating conditions are solutions available today for the
proper operation and maintenance of generators that are
solicited ever more.
REFERENCES
[1] Clyde V. Maughan, Maughan Engineering Consultants, Schenectady,
NY, USA. “Monitoring of Generator Condition – and some Limitations
Thereof”. IEEE/EIC Conference, October 2005, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
[2] Mike Hoffer, Consmers Energy, Jackson, MI, USA. “Stator Bar
Vibration Sensors and Fiber-Optic Accelerometers – New Tools Used to
Measure Stator Winding Vibration in Large Turbine Generators”. EPRI
Winter Technical Workshop and TGUG Meeting, January 2003,
Orlando, FL, USA.
[3] M. R. Patel and J. M. Butler, “Endwinding vibrations in Large
Synchronous Generators”, IEEE Trans PAS, May 1983
[4] 2012 Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) Phoenix TGU meeting:
“Generator Monitoring and Maintenance Workshop”
[5] FOA-Doble 2008-RM-8 2008 Doble Engineering Company –
74th Annual International Doble Client Conference
[6] Handbook to Assess Rotating Machine Insulation Condition, EPRI
EL-5036, Vol 16 1987

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