Vibroacoustic tests for electric motors and electromechanical devices

We talked about the importance of carrying out vibroacoustic tests for electromechanical devices and electric motors in the previous article.

Today we want to delve deeper into the types of tests available in our laboratory.

In fact, the Spin laboratory is equipped with tools capable of carrying out the following vibroacoustic tests.

Modal Analysis for electric motors

Modal analysis is used to assess the natural frequencies and modes of vibration of a body or structure. It allows to pinpoint critical working points that may resonate with its structure and components, leading to future failures.

An impact hammer excites the structure. Its impulse is recorded and processed, as it triggers the accelerometers recording. Accelerometers acquire the vibrations resulting from the impact hammer, and the natural frequencies of the system are calculated.

This data can then be correlated with simulations: this way, assembly, components integrity, material and production process get validated.

Following design expedients may also be employed to avoid undesired issues or plan targeted maintenance.

Forced Vibrations for electric motors

In this case, vibrations are measured with the machine in operation. There is much within it to find out, even in no-load conditions.

Unexpected critical working points can be detected, to be later avoided, or taken into consideration.

This may happen due to many different causes: for instance, some vibration modes can be excited by specific points of application of periodic forces, even when said forces won’t operate at the frequency naturally occurring on that specific mode.

In other cases, high load can be simulated manipulating the current gamma angle: this can generate electric harmonics of higher order, that can trigger, in turn, natural frequencies on mechanical components.

There are many vibration and noise sources that can be detected: bearings, switching, mechanics, current control, etc.

Vibrations in relation to motor control

To achieve maximum performance and optimal vibroacoustic signature from the motors it is very important that the motor electronic driver is chosen and setup correctly.

This is because effect of oscillations in the currents and/or incorrect settings (eg. Control angle) can cause unwanted vibrations in some operating conditions.

Fine tuning of the drives is necessary to get the best efficiency, dynamics and vibration performance possible: Spin has ongoing developments of custom motor control algorithms to push the best performances possible with the smoothest response in both sensored and sesorless motors.

The Spin laboratory is equipped with tools capable of carrying out tests for vibroacoustic analysis and tests on electric motors, identifying the main performances of the motors.

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