Stepper Motors can Benefit from Motor Testing

September 18, 2023
Motor Talk

One of the more common questions asked by reliability workers with regard to Electric Motor Testing (EMT) is the type of electric motors that can benefit from condition monitoring testing. Obviously, various industries employ different sizes and types of motors. Some facilities would consider a 25HP motor to be enormous, while others have 250HP plus higher motors, and still, other facilities might only employ fractional horsepower motors. Sometimes overlooked as a candidate for EMT inspection are servos and stepper motors.

Discovering Anomalies in Lubrication Systems

Lubrication/Hydraulic systems are prime candidates for an infrared inspection. With a thermal imager, you can check any number of potential problems including:

The flow path of lubrication fluid
Valves, which sometimes leak by, or in a few instances are not in the proper position, can send fluid moving in the wrong direction. Warmer piping or hoses are an indication of fluid flow.

Temperatura de desconexiones eléctricas y endurecimiento por sobrecalentamiento

Iniciaremos aclarando que al referirnos a la temperatura en los contactos de un switch o desconexión hablaremos de ‘temperatura aparente’, pues como se indica durante nuestros cursos de Termografía de Nivel I y Nivel II, el metal sin forro o desnudo no emite mucho por lo que una medición radiométrica exacta resulta casi imposible. Habiendo dicho lo anterior, podemos utilizar la ‘temperatura aparente’ de una desconexión para tener una idea del grado de severidad de una anomalía detectada.

Rickover’s Rules

Most of you that know me also know that I spent 20 years in the Navy and was in the Submarine Service. As a result of the recent loss of the submersible Titan, I have had numerous questions regarding the incident.  Coincidentally while recently searching for a file, I came across an old file labeled “Rickover’s Rules.”  Unless you were in the Navy on a nuclear-powered vessel or worked in a nuclear power plant during the 60’s through the early 90’s. you would not know anything about Rickover.

What is a RIC and What Can I Utilize it for?

A RIC, “Rotor Influence Check” is one of the test methods utilized for de-energized motor testing. It is commonly used for baseline testing but can also be used to confirm or correlate some anomalous test results. It also works well for troubleshooting when a motor cannot be run. It should also be applied for motor acceptance as a quality assurance validation. The RIC test can be performed on all three-phase induction motors including synchronous motors and wound rotor motors.