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DC Motor Brush Life

Abstract-Thispaperlooksatbrushlife,whybrusheswearandwhatcanbedoneto
achievelongerbrushlife.Itismeanttoprovideonewithanunderstandingofthefactors
andconditionsthatcontributetobrushwearinorderthatproblemareascanbeavoided
andexistingproblemsidentifiedandresolved.Thishowever,isnotaninstruction
manualonhowtofixproblems.Themotormanufacturershouldbecontactedforhelpin
resolvingbrushandcommutationproblems.Thefollowingappliestomediumandlarge
horsepowerindustrialDCmotorsandgenerators.

I. Why Brushes Wear


DCbrushwearistheresultofmechanicalfrictionandelectricalerosion.Friction
producescarbondust;theresultofelectricalerosionisthevaporizationofcarbonwith
littlephysicalresidue.
A. Friction
Carbonrubbingonbarecopperhasaratherhighcoefficientoffriction.Alowcoefficient
offrictionisachievedwhenthecommutatorhasgoodfilm.Withgoodfilmthe
coefficientoffrictioncanbereducedto10%oftheoriginalbarecoppervalue.
Frictionchangeswithcommutatortemperature.Thecoefficientoffrictiondecreasesto
somepoint,withincreasesincommutatortemperatureandthenincreasesagainasthe
commutatortemperatureincreases.Forexample,agivenbrushmighthaveacoefficient
offrictionof0.15runningonacommutatorwithasurfacetemperatureof140F,60C.
Whenrunningonacommutatorwithasurfacetemperatureof220F,104Cthe
coefficientoffrictioncouldbe0.08.Yethighertemperaturescanresultinanincreasein
thecoefficientoffriction.Standardbrushesonwarmcommutatorsatmediumspeeds
willtypicallyhaveacoefficientoffrictionof0.13to0.19.Thisisconsideredtobealow
coefficientoffriction.Thecoefficientoffriction,toalargedegreeisaresultofthefilm
producedonthecommutatorwhichisdependentoncommutatorsurfacetemperatureand
theotherfactorswhichinfluencefilm.
Verylow Lessthan0.10
Low

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.

II. What Is Good Commutator Film


Whenelectriccurrentispassedbetweenthecarbonandcopperinthepresenceofwater
vapor,amicroscopiclayerofcoppercarboncompositeorfilm,isformed.Goodfilmis
chocolatebrownorburnishedbronzetodarkbrownorblackanduniformincolor.Itis
notbrightcopperorburntblackcopper.Consultacommutatorcolorandappearance
picturecharttodeterminetheconditionofthecommutator.Thereisaconditionknown
asfalsefilminginwhichbrushgraphitedepositsbecomecookedonthecommutator
resultinginanappearancesimilartodarkfilm.Oilcanalsoleaveacoatingwhich
resemblesfilm.Ifthisfilmcanbeeasilywipedaway,it'snotthedesiredgood
commutatorfilm!
Commutatorfilmingisacontinuousprocess.Thatis,thefilmiscontinuouslybeing
formedandstrippedaway.Agoodfilmisonly200nanoinchthick(0.000,000,2inchor

0.000,005,08mm).Thustheconditionsrequiredtobuildgoodfilmmustalwaysbe
present.Changesincurrent,humidity,etc.willaffectthecommutatorfilm.

III. Requirements For Good Film


Goodcommutatorfilmisdependentonthefulfillmentofcertainrequirementsforeach
ofthefollowingitems:

BrushCurrentDensity
CommutatorSurfaceTemperature
WaterVapor
BrushPressure
CommutatorSurfaceSpeed
BrushMaterialorGrade
LackofContamination
MechanicalIntegrityAndSetup

A. Brush Current Density


Amajorityoftheoperatingtimemustbewithinthedesignedbrushcurrentdensity
range.ForSA45orlikegradebrushesonwarmcommutators,thisrangeisgenerally
statedas55to85ampspersquareinch.Ifthecurrentdensityexceedsthisforlong
periods,thecommutatorwillrunhot,blackenandbrushlifewillbereduced.Ifthe
currentdensityistoolow,thefilmwillbestripedfromthecommutatorandthe
commutatorwillbegintothread.Ifallowedtocontinue,sparkingandthreadingwill
increase,brusheswillwearrapidlyandthecommutatorwillrequireresurfacing.
Oftenmotorsareruncontinuouslyatlightloadswherebrushcurrentdensityisalways
belowtheminimum.Insuchcases,achangeinbrushgradetosomethingthatwillfilm
atlowercurrentdensities,maysolvethelightloadingproblem.Manytimesthebest
solutionistoremovearowormoreofbrushestobringthecurrentdensitybackintothe
acceptablerange.Beforebrushesareremovedorchanged,besurethatthenew
arrangementofbrushesandbrushshuntshavesufficientcapacitytohandletheoverload
requirementsofthemotor.Whenremovingbrushesfrommachineswithstaggeredbrush
sets,theremainingbrushesoneachstudmustcoverthesamecommutatorsurfacearcas
wascoveredpriortotheremovalofthebrushes.Thismeansthatthebrushesfromthe
centerstagersetoneachstudareremovedfirst.Whenwearindicatorbrushesareused,
besurethatsomeremain.Usuallythisisnotaproblemsincethewearindicatorbrushes
aremostoftentheinboardandoutboardbrushesonthestudaswellasthemiddlebrush.
Themotormanufacturercanadvisetheorderinwhichthebrushesaretoberemoved.
Somesystemmustbeinplacetoinsurethattheremovedbrushesareputbackinplaceif
theloadconditionsincreasetonearmotornameplatedload.

BrushCurrentDensity,amps/in2=MotorCurrent,
amps/TotalNo.Brushesx.5xBrushSurfaceArea,in2

(1)

Figure 2
Brushremovalforlightload
example.

Figure 3
CoefficientofFrictionand
Temperature

B. Commutator Surface Temperature


Itisgenerallyacceptedthatthecommutatortemperatureatthefaceofthebrushshould
notbelessthan60C,140F.Asufficientlayerofcopperoxidewillnotformifthe
commutatorrunscold.Thecommutatorsurfacetemperatureshouldbebetween60C,
140Fand115C,239Fforthemajorityoftherunningtimewith100C,212Fabout
rightforthebestfilmbuildingwithstandardbrushgrades.ThegraphinFig.3isan
exampleofhowthecoefficientoffrictionchangeswithbrushfacetemperature.Thisis
anexampleonly,valueschangewithbrushgrade,commutatorfilm,brushpressureetc.
Hotcommutatorsduetohighambienttemperatures,overloads,orlossofcoolantnot
onlyresultinincreasedbrushwearbutreducedinsulationlifeaswell.Themotor
thermalprotectionisdesignedtohelpguardagainstthiscondition.
C. Water Vapor
AnAbsoluteHumidityof2to7grainsofwaterpercubicfootofairisrequiredtobuild
goodfilmwithSA45orlikegradebrushes.WhentheAbsoluteHumidityislessthan2
grains(about0.004,57oz.)ofwaterpercubicfoot(about20%RelativeHumidityat

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)

F. Brush Material or Grade


Withtheaboveconditionsmet,SA45orlikegradebrushesproducegoodcommutator
filmonmostintegralhorsepowerDCmotors.Specialbrushgradesareavailablethatwill
helpcompensateforcertainundesirableconditions.Keepinmindthateverybrushfixis
acompromise.Thatis,thefixistocompensateforsomethingthatinfieldoperation,
differsfromtheprimarymotordesignmission.Thusnewproblemscansometimesbe
introducedasaresultofthefix.
Thereisnomagicbrushthatwillgivegoodlifewithavarietyofloads,humidity,
commutatorconditions,etc.Themagicisincontrollingtheconditionssothattheyall
worktogethertoprovidethebestbrushlife.
G. Lack of Contamination
Otherchemicalingredientspresentintheairwillbecomepartof,orinfluencethe
compositethatisfilm.Sowecansaythatanabsenceofforeignchemicalsisrequiredto
producegoodfilm.Siliconevapors,chlorine,sulfur,PVCs,dirtsuchascarbonblack,
andoilaresomeoftheindustrialcontaminantsthatareparticularlyharmfulto
commutatorfilm.
Siliconebasedsealantsmustnotbeusedinsealingmotorairductwork,handhole
coversoranymatingsurfacesonornearthemotor.Aceticacidvaporsfromsilicone
sealantswilldestroycommutatorfilm.Othertypesofsealantsalsogiveoffvaporswhen
curing,thatcanbeharmfultocommutatorfilm.NonsiliconePermatexsealantscanbe
usedwithoutharm.
H. Mechanical Integrity And Setup
Thecommutatormustbeconcentricandthesurfacefreeofimperfections.Thebrush
riggingneedstobesoundandproperlyaligned.Springsmustbecheckedforproper
tension.Brushholdersandbrushesmustbecheckedtoassurethatbrushsidetoside
movementintheholderisnotexcessive.Brushesmustbefreetotravelintheirholders
andseatedtothecommutator.Brushshuntsorpigtails,mustbetightinthebrushandof
sufficientsizetohandleoverloadcurrentrequirementswhentheyareinexcessofthe
standard150%.Thebrushesmustbeonelectricalneutral.Interpolesneedtobeproperly
adjusted,shimmedandsecure.
Replacespringsthatmeasureoutsideoftherecommendedrange.Ifthebrushissloppy
intheholder,comparethemanufacturer'sdimensionstothemeasuredbrushandholder
dimensionstodetermineiftheproblemiswiththebrushortheholder.Replaceworn
partsasrequired.Failuretoseatbrushesresultsinsparkingandcancausebrushesto
chip.Seatbrusheswithsandpaper;neveruseemeryclothsincethegritisconductiveand
canlodgebetweencommutatorbars.Roughseatingcanbedonewith60or100grit
sandpaper.Finalseatingshouldbedonewithfinesandpaper.
Thesurfacefinishofneworturnedcommutatorsshouldbeintherangeof40to70
microinches(0.000,040to0.000,070inch).Onnewcommutators,themicaisundercut
approximately1/16inch,1.59mm.Brushholdersshouldbeadjustedforapproximately
3/32inch,2.38mmcommutatorclearance.
IV. Commutation And Brush Life
Theaboveparagraphliststhemechanicalandsetupconsiderationsnecessarytoachieve
goodcommutation.Butwhatiscommutationandhowdoesitaffectbrushlife?

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

Intermittent,Light downto30 7502,000


WithinRatedLoad

45to85

3,0007,500

Table IV
BrushLifeExample

Intermittent,Heavy upto125 1,0004,000

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

V. What Is Normal Brush Life


Asanestimate,7,500hoursbrushlifecouldbeconsiderednormalforgeneralpurpose,
mediumhorsepowerDCmotorswithgoodcommutatorfilmoperatingwithcommutator
surfacespeedsintherangeof2,500to4,000fpm.Theminimumlifemightbe2,000to
5,000hourswith10,000hoursbeingaboutmaximum.Itisnotuncommonhowever,for
motorswithlightorvariableloads,suchasmachinetoolmotors,tohavebrushlifethat
islessthan2,000hours.Brushlifeisevenfurtherreducedathighercommutatorsurface
speeds.Asaruleofthumb,brushlifeat3,600rpmishalfthatat1,800rpm.Brushlifeis
alsoaffectedbyload.Thebrushlifeofa50hp,1,750rpm,motorwithacommutator

surfacespeedof2,620fpm,couldvarywithloadasshowninTableIV.

VI. When To Replace Brushes


Brushesshouldbereplacedbeforethetampedshuntorpigtailleadhasachancetoscore
thecommutatorandbeforethebrushisattheendofthespringtravel.Somebrushes
havethreewearlinessothatbrushlifecanbemonitored.Whenthebrushesweartothe
thirdline,thebrushesshouldbereplaced.Brushprobesthatcontactthecommutatorand
provideavoltagesignalequaltothearmaturevoltageandmechanicaldevicesthatmove
withthebrushspringandcloseacontactarealsoavailableonsomemotorstotellyou
thatitistimetochangebrushes.

VII. What We Can Do To Achieve Longer Brush Life


Toidentifyallofthevariablesandthendeterminebrushlifegetstobequiteajob,
especiallywhenthevariablesarechanging.Whatwecandoisidentifythecurrent
problemsandtakecorrectiveaction.Bymonitoringtheconditionsthataffectbrushlife,
alongwithoraspartofamaintenanceprogram,wewillhaveinformationthatcanalert
ustopotentialordevelopingbrushandcommutatorproblems.Justascommutator
filmingisacontinuousprocess,soisthemonitoringandcorrectiveactionprocess
continuous.Throughmonitoringandcorrectiveaction,downtimemaybereducedand
longer,troublefreemotorlifeachieved.

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

Commutator Troubleshooting Guide


Tohelpyoudistinguishbetweendesirableandundesirablecommutatorsurfaces,
ReliancehasdevelopedthisCommutatorTroubleshootingGuide.Followingthisguide
givesyoutimetotakecorrectiveactionbeforecommutatorwearbecomesserious.
Theillustrationsbelowshowbothsatisfactoryandwornordamagedcommutator
surfaces.Ifaftercomparingtheillustrationswithyourcommutator,wearordamageis
evident,refertothechartfollowingtheillustrationsforcorrectiveaction.

Satisfactory Commutator Surfaces

LIGHTTOHEAVYTAN
FILM,withuniform
appearance,overentire
commutatorsurfaceisa
normalcondition.

SLOTBARMARKINGS
appearingonbarsina
definitepatterndepicts
normalwear.

MOTTLEDSURFACE
withrandomfilmpatternsis
normal.

Worn or Damaged Commutators

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.

Troubleshooting Causes of Worn Commutators

Brush Unbal Armatu


Light
Vibra Press anced re
Electric
tion ure Shunt Connect
alLoad
(light) Field ion

Electric Electric Contamination TypeofBrushinUse


al
al
Abrasiv Abrasiv
Overloa Adjust Gas
PorousBrush
eDust eBrush
d
ment

PitchBar
marking
SlotBar
marking
CopperDrag
Streaking
Threading
Grooving
ForadditionalinformationonhowReliancePreventiveMaintenanceProgramscanhelp
youpreventunscheduleddowntime,contactyournearestRelianceServiceCenter.
Last Updated September 1, 1998

Copyright2007,BaldorElectricCompany.
AllRightsReserved.

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