DC Motor Brush Life
DC Motor Brush Life
DC Motor Brush Life
Abstract-Thispaperlooksatbrushlife,whybrusheswearandwhatcanbedoneto
achievelongerbrushlife.Itismeanttoprovideonewithanunderstandingofthefactors
andconditionsthatcontributetobrushwearinorderthatproblemareascanbeavoided
andexistingproblemsidentifiedandresolved.Thishowever,isnotaninstruction
manualonhowtofixproblems.Themotormanufacturershouldbecontactedforhelpin
resolvingbrushandcommutationproblems.Thefollowingappliestomediumandlarge
horsepowerindustrialDCmotorsandgenerators.
0.10to0.19
Medium
0.20to0.29
High
0.30andhigher
Table I
BrushCoefficientofFriction
Figure 1
Frictionistheresistancethatopposes
theforcetoslideoneobjectover
another.Iftheverticalbrushforceon
thecommutatoris100andthe
horizontalforcerequiredforthe
commutatortomoveunderthebrushis
20,thenthecoefficientoffrictionis
20/100or0.20.
Somebrusheswithlowcoefficientsoffrictionarenotashardasbrusheswithhigher
coefficientsoffriction.Therearehowever,anumberofhardgradesthathavelow
coefficientsoffriction.Ahardbrushwithamediumorhighcoefficientoffrictionmay
providelonglifebutcouldbenoisy.Duetonoiseconsiderations,itsometimesbecomes
necessarytotradesomebrushlifeforquietoperation.Ahotelelevatormotorfor
example,wouldneedtobequiet.
Frictioncanalsobecausedbymechanicalproblemssuchashighmica,highbrush
springpressure,afeatheredgeonacopperbarorotherimperfectionsonthecommutator
surface.Brushwearonanunpoweredmotorinatandemmotormotorsetoronan
unloadedgeneratorinamotorgeneratorset,isduetofriction.Frictionisafunctionof
theatmosphere,temperature,currentloadingandthemechanicalcharacteristicsofthe
motor.
B. Erosion
Erosioncanbetheresultofimproperfilmonthecommutatororawearconditionsuch
asthreading.Sparkinganderosioncanalsobecausedbyothermotorsetupconditions
ormechanicalproblemssuchasthebrushneutralsetting,interpolestrength,lowbrush
springpressure,poorbrushseating,highmica,commutatoreccentricityetc.Sparking
increaseswithcurrentloadingandmotorspeed.Brushlifedecreaseswithincreased
sparking.
Theconditionofthecommutatorfilmdirectlyaffectsfrictionanderosionandthusbrush
life.Inordertoachievegoodbrushlife,thecommutatormusthavegoodfilm.
0.000,005,08mm).Thustheconditionsrequiredtobuildgoodfilmmustalwaysbe
present.Changesincurrent,humidity,etc.willaffectthecommutatorfilm.
BrushCurrentDensity
CommutatorSurfaceTemperature
WaterVapor
BrushPressure
CommutatorSurfaceSpeed
BrushMaterialorGrade
LackofContamination
MechanicalIntegrityAndSetup
BrushCurrentDensity,amps/in2=MotorCurrent,
amps/TotalNo.Brushesx.5xBrushSurfaceArea,in2
(1)
Figure 2
Brushremovalforlightload
example.
Figure 3
CoefficientofFrictionand
Temperature
75F,24Cor40%RelativeHumidityat55F,13C),brusheswillwearrapidly.High
humiditycancauseoverfilmingorevenmoreofaproblem,lowinsulationmegohm
readingsorgroundfaults.
Thereareseveraldigitalmetersonthemarketthatcanbeusedtoquicklymeasure
TemperatureandRelativeHumidity.Measurementsshouldbetakenwheretheairenters
themotorandatseveralpointsaroundthemotor.Thereadingsshouldbeinthesame
range.Motorssomedistanceawaymaybeinambientsthatgivedifferentresults.Expect
summerreadingstodifferfromwinterreadings.OntheenclosedHumidityChart,read
theAbsoluteHumidityonthehorizontallineatthepointofintersectionofthediagonal
TemperaturelineandtheverticalRelativeHumidityline.
D. Brush Pressure
Itisrunningbrushpressure,notspringpressure,thatconcernsus.Brushpressureis
dependentonspringpressureandthepositionofthebrush.Itisalsoaffectedbythe
frictionbetweenthebrushandholder.Thecoefficientoffrictionofthebrushandholder
isaffectedbycommutatorspeed,brushgrade,brushholderfinishandbrushclearancein
theholder.Itthusbecomesdifficulttomeasurebrushpressureinthefield,sospring
pressureismeasured.Ifthespringsareweak,springpressurebeinglight,thebrushwill
spark.Ifthepressureistoogreat,frictionandwearincrease.Goodbrushlifeand
performanceisusuallyachievedwithbrushspringpressuresof2to8lbspersquareinch
(1.38to5.52Newtonspersquarecentimeteror0.14to0.56kilogrampersquare
centimeter).Thisnumbervarieswithmanufacturer,motorsizeandmotorapplication.
Springpressureshouldbeasrecommendedbythemotormanufacturer.
lb/in2=N/cm2x1.45
lb/in2=kg/cm2x14.21
(2)
(3)
Thebestlaboratorybrushlifeisachievedwithbrushpressuresof2to4lbspersquare
inchwithfilmedcommutatorsrunningatspeedsbelow8,000fpm.Typicalbrush
pressuresforintegralhorsepowerindustrialmotorsisintherangeof3to6lbsper
squareinch.Whenabrushisatsomeangletothecommutator,asopposedtoradial,
thereisalossinthespring'sforceduetothebrushangle.Thislossisabout6.0%witha
20angleand9.4%witha25angle.Todaymostmanufacturerssupplybrushsprings
thatprovideconstantpressurethroughoutthelifeofthebrush.
E. Commutator Surface Speed
Thecoefficientoffrictionbetweenthebrushandcommutatorincreasesapproximatelyas
thespeed.Brushwearisproportionaltothecoefficientoffriction.Athigherspeeds,
above5,000or6,000fpm,greaterbrushpressuremayberequired,resultingindecreased
brushlife.Athighfieldweakenedspeeds,commutationdeteriorates,thatissparking
increases.Athigherspeedsthefilmcanbestrippedfromthecommutatorsfasterthanit
isbeingformed.Ifthemotorrunsathighspeedsforonlyshortperiodsoftime,filmcan
stillbemaintained.
Foragivenmotorrpm,thesmallerthecommutatordiameter,thelowerthesurfacespeed
andthegreaterthebrushlife.Ingeneral,thecommutatorsurfacespeedofindustrial
motorslimitedto8,000fpm.
CommutatorSurfaceSpeed,fpm=Commutator
Diameter,in/12x3.1416xMotorSpeed,rpm
(4)
InaDCmotor,commutationistheprocessofperiodicallyreversingthecurrentflowing
inindividualarmaturecoilsinordertomaintainunidirectionaltorqueasthearmature
coilsmoveunderalternatefieldpoles.Thecommutatormustreversecurrentthrough
armaturecoilswhichlefttheinfluenceofonefieldpoleandareapproachingthe
influenceofanalternatefieldpole.Themotorbrushthencontactsmorethanone
commutatorsegmentandanarmatureloopismomentarilyshorted.Iftheshorthasa
differenceofpotentialacrossit'sends,severesparkingcanoccurbetweenthebrushand
thecommutator.Thecommutatorthencanburnandpitandbrushlifeisreduced.Itis
thusnecessarytoinsurethatvoltageisnotinducedinthecommutatorloopatthetimeof
themomentaryshort.Iftheshortoccurswhentheactiveconductorsinthearmatureloop
aremovinginparalleltothefield,magneticlinesofforcewillnotbecutandvoltage
willnotbeinducedinthearmatureloop.Thisverticalaxisoccupiedbytheshorted
armatureloopisthegeometricneutralplane.Intheory,thisiswheresparklesorblack
commutationtakesplace.Butlifeisnotthatsimple!Duetotheselfinducede.m.f.and
changesinload,thesituationissomewhatmoreinvolvedandbeyondthescopeofthis
article.Intheendhowever,electricalneutralmustbeproperlysettoassuregood
commutationandgoodbrushlife.
Maximumallowablecommutatoreccentricityvarieswithmotordesign,thefollowing
limitsininchesaretypicalforstandardindustrialmotors:
Mediumhp
Largehp
MaxTotalIndicatedRunoutin360
0.001,5
0.003
MaxTotalIndicatedRunoutinany90
0.001
0.001,5
MaxBartoBarRunout
0.000,5
0.000,5
MaxTaper,inchesperfoot
0.002
0.002
Table II
CommutatorInServiceLimits
Whenwetalkofamotor'sabilitytocommutatewearealsoreferringtothemotor's
armaturecurrenthandlingcapability.StandardindustrialDCmotorsarerequiredto
successfullycommutate150%ofthenameplatefullloadcurrentforoneminuteatany
speedwithinthemotor'snameplatespeedrange.Thereisnoexactdefinitionof
successfulcommutationandcommutationcanbeconsideredsuccessfulevenifsparking
occursprovidedthatitdoesnotresultinexcessivemaintenance.Intermittentsparking
duetooverloadsoraslightamountofsparkingdoesnotnecessarilyindicatepoor
commutation.Thecauseofexcessivesparkingshouldbedeterminedandtheproblem
corrected.Itiscommontorefertotheamountofsparkingasthedegreeofsparking
alongwithareferencenumbersuchas1,11/4,11/2,2etc.TheencloseddrawingSK
10817isanexampleofadegreeofsparkingnumberingsystem.Numberingsystems
varywithmotormanufacturers.Thelowernumbersrepresentafewsmallsparks.The
highernumbersindicatemoresparksandlargersparkswhichdothemostdamagetothe
brushesandcommutator.Desirableisblackcommutationinwhichthereisnovisible
sparking.Thedegreeofsparkingdrawingissomewhatmisleadinginthatboththesmall
orpinpointsparksandthelargesparksaresmallerthanshownonthedrawing.
Awearratefactorissometimesassignedtothedegreeofsparkingreferencenumber.
Thewearratefactorwouldbe1.00foragivenmotoronagivenapplicationwhen
commutationisintheblack.Ifthisconditionprovides7,000hoursbrushlifefor
example,andachangeinthedegreeofsparkingoccurssuchthatthedegreeofsparking
referencenumberisnow2witha1.75wearratefactor,thenewexpectedbrushlife
wouldbe7,000hours/1.75or4,000hours.Thefollowingdegreeofsparkingguidecan
beusedwithdrawingSK10817todeterminethedegreeofsparkingandtoprovidean
insighttobrushlife.
No.
Description
WearRate
Factor
Blackwithnovisiblesparking
1.00
11/4
Lightintermittentsparking
>1.00
11/2
Lightcontinuoussparkingoverhalfofthebrushlength
>1.00
Lightcontinuoussparkingovertheentirebrushlength
1.75
Lightcontinuoussparkingwithoneortwoheavysparks
2.50
Lightcontinuoussparkingwiththreeheavysparks
5.00
Heavycontinuoussparkingwithfewsmallsparks
12.50
Heavycontinuoussparkingwithglowingspots;approaching
flashover
50.00
Table III
DegreeofSparkingGuide
LoadType
Amps/in2
Hours,Life
45to85
3,0007,500
Table IV
BrushLifeExample
Commutator
Application
conditionwhich
Atmospheric
andduty
includesfilm,
conditions
cycle
runout,qualityof
theundercut,etc.
Brushassembly
designwhich
includesbrush
grade,brush
length,holder
design,spring
pressure,etc.
Motor
building
practices
includingthe
accuracyto
whichneutral
isset
Power
supply
and
motor
design
Table V
FactorsThatAffectBrushLife
surfacespeedof2,620fpm,couldvarywithloadasshowninTableIV.
References
Thispaperisacompilationofmywrittenresponsesoverthepasttwentyyears,to
numerousbrushandcommutatorquestions.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
ServicelineBrush,DistributorsTrainingManual,RelianceCompany,
Cleveland,OH
Shobert,Erle,I.II,CarbonBrushes,ThePhysicsandChemistryofSliding
Contacts,ChemicalPublishingCompany,Inc.,NewYork,1965
NationalBrushDigest,NationalElectricalCarbonCorporation,Greenville,SC,
1957and1977editionsandthe12reprinting
Jones,Dr.C.C.,SelectingtheProperCarbonBrush,UnionCarbide
Corporation,Parma,OH,April1973
Koenitzer,JeffD.,P.E.,CarbonBrushesforElevators,ElevatorsWorld,May
1995
MotorandGeneratorBrushes,TechnicalCatalogNo.89,HelwigCarbon
Products,Inc.,Milwaukee,WI,1995
Challenges,KeithandKlas,Don,CarbonBrushApplicationTraining,July13,
1995,NationalElectricalCarbonCorporation,Greenville,SC,1995
LettersandverbalanswerstoquestionsfromGeorgeKupchinskyandRonald
CraderofAdvancedCarbonProducts,Inc.,Brisbane,CA
Wood,K.D.,AerospaceVehicleDesign,VolumeI,AircraftDesign,Appendix
1A3(humidityreferences),JohnsonPublishingCo.,Boulder,CO1968
Figure 4
DegreesofGeneratorandMotorSparkingDrawingNO.SK10817
Figure 5
RelativeHumiditycharts
LIGHTTOHEAVYTAN
FILM,withuniform
appearance,overentire
commutatorsurfaceisa
normalcondition.
SLOTBARMARKINGS
appearingonbarsina
definitepatterndepicts
normalwear.
MOTTLEDSURFACE
withrandomfilmpatternsis
normal.
PITCHBARMARKINGis HEAVYSLOTBAR
THREADINGwithfine
theresultofloworburned MARKINGinvolvesetching linesisaresultofexcessive
ofthetrailingedgeof
spotsonthecommutator
metaltransferleadingto
surfacethatequalshalforall commutatorbarinrelationto resurfacingandexcessive
thenumberofpolesonthe thenumberedconductorsper brushwear.
slot.
motor.
STREAKINGofthe
commutatorsurfacedenotes
thebeginningofserious
metaltransfertothecarbon
brush.
COPPERDRAGisan
GROOVINGiscausedby
abnormalamountofexcessive anabrasivematerialinthe
commutatormaterialatthe brushoratmosphere.
trailingedgeofbar.Even
thoughrare,flashovermay
occurifnotcorrected.
Tohelppreventcostlydowntime,frequentvisualinspectionofyourcommutatorswith
thehelpoftheillustrationsshownaboveandthechartbelow,willhelpyouspotand
correctundesirablecommutatorsurfaceconditions.
PitchBar
marking
SlotBar
marking
CopperDrag
Streaking
Threading
Grooving
ForadditionalinformationonhowReliancePreventiveMaintenanceProgramscanhelp
youpreventunscheduleddowntime,contactyournearestRelianceServiceCenter.
Last Updated September 1, 1998
Copyright2007,BaldorElectricCompany.
AllRightsReserved.