One aspect of our repair industry that seems to cause a lot of confusion is the bearing arrangements of vertical motors. There is quite an assortment of thrust bearing arrangements, and we tend to try to apply the same method for adjusting end play to all of them. That is often a bad idea, so this article will take a closer look specifically at those fitted with a spherical roller thrust bearing and repair tips unique to these designs.

Un aspecto de nuestra industria de reparación que parece causar mucha confusión es la disposición de los rodamientos de los motores verticales. Existe una gran variedad de disposiciones de rodamientos de empuje y tendemos a intentar aplicar el mismo método para ajustar el juego axial en todos ellos. Por lo general, esta es una mala idea, por lo que este artículo analizará más de cerca específicamente aquellos motores equipados con un rodamiento de empuje de rodillos esféricos y ofrecerá consejos de reparación exclusivos para estos diseños.

There are times when an application calls for a motor to carry a radial load for which sleeve bearings are not suitable. In cases such as low rpm, unusual frames, etc., it may be desirable to convert a customer's existing sleeve bearing motor rather than obtaining a ball/roller replacement motor. This article contains suggested procedures as well as cautions about potential problems with such conversions.

Existen ocasiones en las que una aplicación requiere que un motor soporte una carga radial para la que los cojinetes de deslizamiento no son adecuados. En casos como bajas revoluciones, carcasas inusuales, etc., puede ser conveniente convertir el motor del cliente montado sobre cojinetes de deslizamiento envés de obtener un motor de repuesto con rodamientos de bolas / rodillos. Este artículo contiene procedimientos sugeridos y advertencias sobre problemas potenciales relacionados con dichas conversiones.

End users frequently demand that EASA service centers provide an array of test data at the conclusion of the service/repair process. These tests are normally to validate compliance with the customer’s motor repair specifications. One of the more common tests involves running the motor no-load and providing the motor owner with electrical test information and vibration spectrums covering various frequency bands.

Ball and sleeve bearing motors can always be test run without any type of external load on the motor and bearings. However, when repairing a motor equipped with roller bearings that is used in an application with a radial load, such as a belted load, it is not advisable to perform the standard no-load test run for any length of time. Yet the no-load test run is a crucial step in the repair process to ensure proper operation. Without that radial load, the bearings can be damaged. This article will describe two ways to put a load on the shaft of a motor and therefore the roller bearing, so that it can be test run to ensure that it has been properly repaired.