Converting motors from horizontal to vertical mount October 19, 2022

Converting Motors from Horizontal

to Vertical Mount

Tom Bishop, P.E.- Senior Technical Support Specialist

Electrical Apparatus Service Association, Inc.
+1 314 993 2220 | tbishop@easa.com

Objectives

• We will review key mechanical factors when

converting a horizontal motor to vertical
orientation
– Axial thrust load capacity
– Bearing relubrication paths
– Ingress protection
– Locking axial thrust bearing

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Converting motors from horizontal to vertical mount October 19, 2022

Horizontal pump motor in a vertical position

Note motor feet and drip-cover

Key mechanical factors

• Axial thrust capacity of bearing supporting rotor

• Rotor weight
• Weight of output shaft attachments
• Axial thrust from direct connected driven equipment
• Bearing lubrication paths
• Bearing lubricant retention
• Shaft up or shaft down orientation
• Ingress protection
• Locking axial thrust bearing

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Converting motors from horizontal to vertical mount October 19, 2022

Axial thrust load capacity

• In most cases axial load capacity of fixed bearing

is well above that required to provide acceptable
expected bearing life
– L10 bearing life is the number of revolutions or hours
after which 10% of a large population of identical
bearings will begin to fail
– A common L10 life is 40,000 hours, which is about 4 ½
years of continuous operation

Determining axial thrust load capacity example

• Example: 200hp, 1750 rpm, horizontal motor

– With 800 lb rotor
• Supported by axially locked 6318 drive end
bearing
• If little or no radial load
– Bearing life would be in excess of 200,000 hours
– Bearing life value obtained using an online bearing
load calculator

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Converting motors from horizontal to vertical mount October 19, 2022

Axial load only: Simpler method can be used

• Axial load capacity of deep groove ball bearing

is 0.5 times Basic Static Load Rating
– Designated C0 in bearing manufacturer data tables
• C0 rating for 6318 bearing is ~24,000 pound-
force (lbf)
– More than capable of handling 800 lbf load
• Note: bearing load is a force
– Pound-force (lbf) or Newton (1N = 0.225 lbf)
• Not pound(s) or kilogram(s)

Axial and radial load example

• 200hp motor in belt drive application

– Same 800 lb rotor
– Pulley 100 pounds mounted on motor shaft
• Total axial force of 900 lbf
– Radial load in this example is 1960 lbf
• Use load calculation method in February 2003
Currents article
– “How To Determine Bearing Load Capability And
What To Do When It’s Excessive”

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Converting motors from horizontal to vertical mount October 19, 2022

Axial and radial load example

• Using an online bearing calculator (see next
slide) radial load combined with axial load is
evaluated
– Estimated 6318 bearing life is about 15,000 hours
• If customer required 40,000 hours estimated
bearing life
– Motor is not suitable for vertical application
• If motor was only subjected to radial load of
1960 lbf
– Estimated life would be about 41,000 hours
– Meets 40,000 hours minimum requirement

Online bearing life calculators

• Note: This is not a complete list; there are

other online calculators
Bearing Website address
mfgr.
FAG http://medias.schaeffler.de/medias/en!hp.ec.br.pr/62..-C-
2HRS;bOuwrU1Xw4M-?mode=calc
NSK http://www.jp.nsk.com/app02/BearingGuide/html/bearing.html?
PageCode=1005&LangID=1&ActCode=1
NTN http://www.ntn.co.jp/tool/calc/index.php?lang=en_US
SKF http://webtools3.skf.com/BearingCalc/selectProduct.action;jsessi
onid=FB4513B0047882C3F2798CE738310245

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Converting motors from horizontal to vertical mount October 19, 2022

Bearing lubrication path – across the face

• Common lubrication path: across the face of a

horizontal motor with shaft end up
• Grease entering lubricant chamber can go
through bearing and leak into motor interior

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Bearing lubrication path – across the face

• Common lubrication path across the face of a

horizontal motor with shaft end down
• Grease entering lubricant chamber will tend to
go across chamber and not reach the bearing

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Converting motors from horizontal to vertical mount October 19, 2022

Bearing lubrication path – through the bearing

• Housing modified from

across the face to
through the bearing
lubrication, shaft up or
shaft down

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Bearing lubrication path – through the bearing

• Housing modification done by drilling hole at
about 45° angle as shown in circled section

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Converting motors from horizontal to vertical mount October 19, 2022

Bearing lubrication path – opposite drive end

• If motor is vertical shaft end up

– Lower bearing is opposite drive end
– Housing can be modified as was done for drive
end bearing with shaft down

• If motor orientation is vertical shaft end down

– Upper bearing is opposite drive end
– Housing can be modified as was done for drive
end bearing with shaft up

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Bearing lubrication path – ingress protection

• For shaft extension at lower
end of motor
– Add lip seal as shown at
location #3
– Aids in retaining lubricant in
lower bearing and its lubricant
chamber
• Add lip seal as shown at
location #2 below upper
bearing
– Aids in retaining lubricant in
upper bearing and its lubricant
chamber

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Converting motors from horizontal to vertical mount October 19, 2022

Bearing lubrication path – ingress protection

• If motor is vertical shaft up

– Lip seal should be installed at 3

location #3
– Helps prevent external
contaminants from entering
upper bearing lubrication
chamber
– DE grease path does not need 2
to be rerouted
①

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Locking axial thrust bearing

• Fixed bearing in horizontal position is usually
drive end bearing
• Locked axially by outer race housing on
outboard side and by inner back cap
– If motor is mounted shaft down
• No additional axial locking steps needed
– If inner race is axially locked to shaft by a locknut
or snap ring
• No additional locking steps needed

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Locking axial thrust bearing

• If inner race of fixed bearing is not axially

locked to shaft
– Locknut or snap ring needs to be added
• If motor is direct coupled to driven equipment
– Outboard shaft adjacent to bearing can be
threaded to accept appropriate size locknut and
lockwasher
– Or appropriate size groove can be machined into
outboard shaft adjacent to bearing
• To accept applicable size snap ring

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Next webinar

Open Stator Impedance Testing

Wednesday, November 9, 2022

7:00 AM, 12:00 PM & 4:00 PM CST

Presented by Mike Howell

EASA Technical Support Specialist

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Converting motors from horizontal to vertical mount October 19, 2022

Survey / Recording

Tomorrow, you will be emailed:

• A link to a survey if you would like to provide
feedback.
• A link to a recording of this presentation.

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