VERSION 5.

1
JANUARY 8, 2020

AC ELECTRIC MOTOR
REFURBISHMENT
SPECIFICATION
IDEAS, PLANNING, STRATEGY – 2020 +

BY: MATT FLETCHER

FLETCHER MOORLAND LTD
ELENORA STREET, STOKE ON TRENT, ST4 1QG
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AC ELECTRIC MOTOR REFURBISHMENT SPECIFICATION

AC Electric Motor Repair Specification

Fletcher Moorland promotes best practice and reliability throughout the business. We ensure
each and every repair or refurbishment is to the highest industry specification superseding the
technical requirements of ISO60034:23. By following this repair specification, we ensure motors
repaired by us are as good as, if not better than new by enhancing material and process
specifications found on standard industry offering AC motors. We back this up by covering all
rewinds with a 3-year guarantee.

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Controlled Document - Fletcher Moorland Ltd

V5.1 January 2020 (supersedes all previous documents)

1. Incoming Inspection

1.1. The motor is to be booked into FML BOS job tracking system. Record all customer data
and information supplied and all motor details into the relevant tables.

1.2. Photographs of the motor and motor nameplate must be uploaded to BOS.

1.3. The motor must be visually inspected by a competent person for parts that maybe
missing and/or damaged. Make notes and take photographs in the relevant area of
BOS.

2. Initial Tests (pre-stripdown)

2.1. Remove the motor terminal box lid and carry out an IR (megger) test @ 500v and a
winding resistance test with a DVM.

2.2. If the IR test is < 20MΩ & the winding resistance appear balanced and the motor shaft
rotates freely by hand, lift the motor to the test bed for a pre-stripdown test run. If the
motor cannot be test run in its incoming condition, strip the motor and go to section
3.1.

2.3. Test run the motor at nameplate voltage, frequency and speed, check the current
drawn per phase.

2.4. Using the vibration conformance checker, carry out a vibration test in the vertical,
horizontal, and axial planes on the DE, Vertical and horizontal planes (at least) on the
NDE.

2.5. Analyse the results on the reporting software. Record the conformance check results
for the final repair report comparison. If these results show as acceptable, check with
the customer for the reasons the motor has been sent for service.

2.6. Record a SERVICEview video showing the motor running and the results of the vibration
test on the screen.

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3. Motor Inspection (Electrical Checks)

3.1. A full test of the winding condition shall be carried out with the motor stripped down.
The SKF/Megger AWA-IV test unit is to be used to carry out the following tests –

Baker surge comparison testing

to ensure winding integrity

3.1.1. Winding resistance comparison tests (There shall be no more than 3% difference
between the winding resistance readings)

3.1.2. Insulation resistance (IR) test @ 500v (The IR test should be 20MΩ minimum to
earth)

3.1.3. Baker Surge comparison @ 2 x Line voltage + 1000v

3.1.4. DC High Potential (Hi-Pot) test @ 2 x Line voltage + 1000v

3.1.5. Dielectric Absorption (DA) test to be carried out on motors below 150Kw (DA
reading to be recorded for comparison)

3.1.6. Polarisation Index (PI) test to be carried out on motors above 150kw (PI reading
to be above 2 (certain modern insulating material may not polarise; it the
reading is below 2 see your supervisor))

3.1.7. Visual check of the winding condition including insulation condition, slot wedge
& liner condition, lead condition, lacing and varnish condition.

3.1.8. All these tests need to be carried out in order to accurately judge the condition
of the stator windings. Any failed windings should be compared against EASA
Document ‘failures in three phase windings’ for root cause failure identification.

3.1.9. NB – Used or in-service windings are usually tested at x 0.7 the above ratings.

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4. Motor Inspection (Mechanical Checks)

4.1. Bearings shall be removed from the rotor and examined for condition and/or failure
mode. All failure modes shall be classified in accordance with ISO 15243: 2004.

4.2. The bearing housings and journals shall be measured to ensure correct size and fit to
ISO 15243:2004 tolerance. Measurements are to be taken by personnel trained in the
use of the Mitutoyo CMM. Most motor failures are bearing related, the majority of
motor repair companies do not go to this level in ensuring correct bearing fits.

Measurement to 0.001mm
achieved
using a Mitutoyo CMM.
Critical to ensure correct OEM
bearing tolerance fit.

4.2.1. Journal measurements to be carried out using the Mitutoyo CMM,

4.2.2. Housing measurements to be carried out using the Mitutoyo CMM.
4.2.3. Measured dimensions are to be checked against nominal size and ISO fit. A print
off for each measured part is to be added to the repair report.

4.3. Shaft extension run-out is to be checked and should not exceed 0.02mm for 1500 &
3000 rpm machines & 0.05mm for machines below 1500 rpm. Measure and check the
condition of the keyway.

4.4. The rotor is to be checked for broken bars, cracked end rings and general condition.

4.5. All mechanical parts are to be thoroughly cleaned and inspected for defects, cracks or
damage. Acceptable cleaning methods include steam pressure cleaning, shot blasting,
solvent cleaning and immersion washing. Ensure all motor cooling fins are clean and
free of debris.

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4.6. All rotors are to be dual plane dynamically balanced to achieve grade G1.0 (ISO 1940-1)
or at least Grade G2.5. All balancing is to be half-key where there is a keyway present.
This is an enhancement, most motors when new are G6.3 balance grade. G1.0 is a
better specification.

Rotor balancing to G1.0 for

reduced machine vibration,
quieter operation, increased
efficiency and longer life

4.7. Acceptable repair methods for bearing mounts include sleeving and new shafts.

4.8. Unacceptable repair methods for bearing mounts include, knurling, peening, metal-
spray, welding and Loctite. (Only metal-spray and Loctite may be used with customer
concessions and in very exceptional circumstances)

4.9. Foot flatness will be checked on each foot on a Grade 1 surface table. Measure each
corner of each foot with a feeler gauge and record the clearances found. Anything over
0.05mm will require the feet to be milled flat.

4.10. Check the condition of any eyebolts and lifting lugs.

4.11. Safety. For larger motors with gearboxes or other attachments DO NOT use
motor eye bolt ONLY for lifting, ensure the weight is fully supported.

4.12. Once the motor has been fully assessed a SERVCEview video is to be created
detailing the faults found with the motor and a description of the work we will carry
out to refurbish it. The SERVICEview link is to accompany the quote on email to our
customer.

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5. Stator Rewinding

5.1. Rewinding an electric motor does not mean there is a decrease in efficiency. Critical
steps need to be followed to ensure this though and these steps must be followed with
every motor we rewind.

5.2. A core loss test is to be carried out on stators that are to be rewound. The test is to be
carried out using the Lexseco core loss tester. The core loss tester gives a value of the
core losses in watts loss per kg of stator iron. This test is to be carried out before the
windings are stripped and the core loss value recorded.

Core loss reading < 13 Good

Core loss reading 13 – 22 Marginal
Core loss reading > 22 Unacceptable

Core loss testing to prove stator

core condition and verify motor
efficiency pre and & post
rewind

5.3. Remove the stator connection end windings (Crown), determine the winding
configuration and wire size. Document this in the repair worksheet and check against
OEM data if available.

5.4. Strip the windings in a controlled pyrolysis (Burn off) oven with the temperature of the
oven set to 370°C to prevent damage to the inter-laminar insulation layer.

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Controlled burn-off at 370°C to

ensure motor efficiency is not
reduced

5.5. Remove the windings using mechanical pullers and clean out the stator slots ready for
inspection.

5.6. Carry out a post-burnoff core loss test and compare this with the readings gained from
the pre burn off test. Ensure no further losses have been introduced. Any stator with
increased losses should be re-stacked or scrapped.

5.7. Carry out a hot-spot test on the winding core using a thermography camera. General
rule is no spot should be greater than 15°C above ambient after 20 minutes under test.
Any hot spot found should be repaired before rewind.

5.8. Rewind the stator to a full class ‘H’ insulation specification. Ensure full slot wedges and
full phase separation is included and reduce the size of coil to reduce the LMT (length
of mean turn) Class ‘H’ is a better specification than is standard for new motors and the
majority of repair companies who offer Class ‘F’.

5.9. Winding wire to be used is a minimum of grade 2 enamelled copper wire, suitable for
inverter duty.

5.10. In most cases the stator will be copy wound (Any redesign must be cleared with
your supervisor)

5.11. Acceptable varnish methods are Vacuum Pressure Impregnation (VPI), trickle
impregnation or encapsulation. Cure the varnish in a temperature-controlled oven for
VPI varnish.

5.12. Check the integrity of the rewound stator by performing tests 3.1.1 to 3.1.4.
Document the results.

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6. Motor Assembly

6.1. All motor internal surfaces are to be coated with an anti-tracking paint. The terminal
box internals are to be painted with anti-tracking paint.

6.2. Only FAG and SKF bearings are to be fitted to a motor and the OEM fitting procedures
should be followed at all times. Only use an approved bearing induction heater,
temperature controlled and with a degaussing function. (Temperature cut-off set to
110C)

Correct bearing fitting methods

and procedures to ensure long
motor life

6.3. Lubricate the bearings in accordance with the manufacture’s guidelines. Use standard
Fuchs Renolit MP3 grease or customers specified grease and record the grease weight
used.

6.4. Replace all grease pipes (seamless pipes only) and ports, ensure a new grease cap is
placed on each grease port. Where it is not practical to replace grease pipes they
should be cleaned as required. Grease ports should be labelled with the type of grease
used and the date they were filled.

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7. Motor Testing

7.1. Motor testing is to be carried out on an isolated test bed. SKF/Megger test to be carried
out before test run.

7.2. The motor is to be run at nameplate voltage, frequency and speed. Record the current
drawn per phase and document.

Final motor test run following repair

7.3. The motor shall be vibration acceptance tested. Using the SKF Mx Microlog
conformance checker, carry out a vibration test in the vertical, horizontal, and axial
planes on the DE, Vertical and horizontal planes (at least) on the NDE. Record the
vibration spectrum for each position measured. Our vibration acceptance specification
is higher than is expected for a new motor.

SKF Mx Microlog used for motor

vibration acceptance testing

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7.3.1. Results are to be below limits for each of the following tests

Test Range Limits

Vibration band 0.3 – 0.8 x freq 0.72 mm/s (RMS)
1
Vibration band 0.8 – 1.2 x freq 1.35 mm/s (RMS)
2
Vibration band 1.2 – 3.5 x freq 0.72 mm/s (RMS)
3
Vibration band 3.5 – 8.5 x freq 0.54 mm/s (RMS)
4
Vibration band 8.5 – 40 x freq 0.54 mm/s (RMS)
5
Vibration band 40 – 80 x freq 0.54 mm/s (RMS)
6
Acceleration 5 – 2000 Hz 0.5 g (0-Pk)
ISO 10816-3 10 – 1000 Hz 2.4 mm/s (RMS)

7.4. Bearing temperatures to be measured and recorded once stabilised.

7.5. All motors with roller bearings at the DE are to be preloaded using a pre-load rig to
ensure no damage is caused to the rolling elements by skidding.

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8. Paint & Protection

8.1. The motor shall be painted, unless otherwise requested by the customer, with two
coats of FML grey paint.

8.2. The shaft shall be protected by either a rust preventing coating or mechanical impact
cover.

8.3. The rotor shall be secured for transportation to prevent against any false brinelling
during transport.

8.4. Moisture control (silica gel) sachets are to be added to all terminal boxes to prevent
moisture corrosion to connection surfaces.

8.5. Add FML stickers to the motor where process improvement or material improvements
have been made. E.g. Class ‘H’ insulation, VPI, G1.0 balancing and 3-year warranty.

8.6. The motor will be shrink/stretch wrapped to protect against damp or dirt ingress.

Shaft protected and secured for

transport; Grease caps fitted to
ensure lubrication protection

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9. Repair Documentation

9.1. To complete the repair, a full-service document must be compiled detailing the
following –
Incoming inspection and test results, Root cause failure analysis, Bearing condition
analysis,
Mechanical fit measurements and tolerances, Winding test data, Final tests results &
Vibration acceptance results.

9.2. A SERVICEview video is to be recorded showing the motor being tested. Give a
summary of the repair carried out along with the data of the test run.

Repair report example

See the full example at www.fletchermoorland.co.uk

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