Induction Motor Rotor Bar Damage Evaluation with Magnetic Field Analysis

Detection of defects in induction machine rotor bars for unassembled motors is required to evaluate machines considered for repair as well as fulfilling incremental quality assurance checks in the manufacture of new machines. Detection of rotor bar defects prior to motor assembly are critical in increasing repair efficiency and assuring the quality of newly manufactured machines. Many methods of detecting rotor bar defects in unassembled motors lack the sensitivity to find both major and minor defects in both cast and fabricated rotors along with additional deficiencies in quantifiable test results and arc-flash safety hazards. A process of direct magnetic field analysis can examine measurements from induced currents in a rotor separated from its stator yielding a high-resolution fingerprint of a rotor's magnetic field. This process identifies both major and minor rotor bar defects in a repeatable and quantifiable manner appropriate for numerical evaluation without arc-flash safety hazards.