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Tech Note No. 21 Thrust Anti-Friction Bearings for Vertical Motors

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TECH NOTE NO. 21 Reliable Solutions Today! EA SA

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THRUST ANTI-FRICTION BEARINGS

FOR VERTICAL MOTORS
By EASA Mechanical Committee
Manny Garcia, Chairman
Lower half coupling
This article describes procedures for removing, mount-
ing and installing thrust anti-friction bearings for vertical Cover plate

motors. It also explains how to determine and adjust thrust

bearing end play on both solid-shaft and hollow-shaft verti- Motor shaft nut with
locking set screw
Top endshield

cal motors. Oil filler plug

Oil baffle

Oil level sight gage Cooling coil (when

THRUST BEARING TYPES Upper (thrust) bearing
required)
Inlet and outlet for
(spherical roller type)
cooling water
Generally speaking, there are two kinds of thrust anti- Oil drain plug (when required)
Oil metering hole
friction bearings for vertical motors: angular contact ball Bearing loading
spring
bearings (with or without springs) and spherical roller Oil sleeve

bearings (see Figures 1 and 2).

Angular contact ball bearings provide combined thrust
and radial guide capacity. Most machines designed to carry
external thrust have oil-lubricated bearings. Others are
grease lubricated according to rating and speed required.
Spherical roller bearings also provide combined thrust
and radial guidance. These bearings are self-aligning and
oil-lubricated. Water cooling coils immersed in the oil res-
ervoirs are supplied where warranted by size and speed Lower bearing
Oil filler plug cover
considerations.
Oil level
Spherical roller thrust bearings cover a broad range of sight gage Lower (guide)
bearing
thrust capacities. Factors contributing to their usage include Drain plug
Base endshield
availability in much larger sizes than most other anti-fric-
tion bearings and the inherently greater thrust capacity of Figure 2. Typical Spherical Bearing Construction
rollers.
PRE-REMOVAL PROCEDURES
Key
Motors built with spherical roller thrust or angular con-
Bolted Coupling
Drive Pin (self release) tact ball bearings require a minimum external thrust load.
Locknut & Washer
Locking Arm
Dust Cover
Prior to disassembly, therefore, the distance from the top of
Dust Cover
Bearing Mounting Fill Hole the shaft to the top of the locknut must be measured in
Down Thrust Bearing decimal places with a depth micrometer to serve as a ref-
Oil Tube Oil Level Gauge erence to thrust (see Figure 3). Record this measurement
Drain Cap
for both hollow shafts and solid shafts to assure proper re-
assembly.

(Shaft must be pushed up from the bottom to measure end play.)

Top Shaft - Top Endbell
Depth micrometer
End play
Shaft to nut
measurement
distance

Note: some
large vertical
Hollow Shaft motors have
Grease Fitting Bearing Cap spring-loaded
Upthrust Guide Bearing V.S.S. Drain Plug bearings.
Slinger Snap Ring

Figure 3. Solid-Shaft Motor

Figure 1. Typical Angular Contact Bearing Construction

(Update - 3/97)
This Tech Note also appears in the 1996 edition of the EASA Technical Manual, Section 9.9, Pages 9-18 to 9-21.
TN21-1
Thrust Anti-Friction Bearings for Vertical Motors
Before removing the bearing, determine the bearing type
and the mounting (either tandem or back-to-back). During
disassembly carefully record all bearing numbers.
High
down-
thrust
loads
DT - Tandem
Thrust
loading
in both
directions
DB - Back-to-Back
Figure 4. Types of Mounting
MOUNTING AND INSTALLATION
1. Do not face bearings the wrong way.
Angular contact bearings are designed to take the
thrust load in one direction only. During assembly, it is
important not to install such bearings backwards and
not to apply the thrust load against the snap (counter
bore) side of the outer ring.
Mounting the bearings incorrectly could cause any one
of the following problems:
A. The bearing will not take misalignment.
B. The bearing will not give proper rigidity.
C. The bearing may be loose and have no preload.
D. The bearing may support excessive thrust against
the low shoulder of the outer ring.
E. The bearings may be forced apart when load is
applied (DT mounted backwards, or one of the
bearings in DB pairs mounted backwards).
2. Do not make a duplex set out of two ordinary angular
contact bearings.
Duplex bearings are single-row bearings that are spe-
cially ground for use in matched sets. They are
sometimes designated as “1/2 pair” or “universally
ground” and may be used as DB or DT bearings.
3. Fit on shaft.
Duplex bearings can generally have a looser fit on the
shaft than standard types of bearings. That is because
thrust loads are usually predominant with duplex bear-
ings. Make shaft limits equal to bore limits.
4. In back-to-back mountings, make sure that the faces
of the outer ring are square with the housing bore.
If DB units are not mounted squarely with the housing
bore, the bearings will be misaligned and generally will
fail early.
5. Do not mix duplex bearings from different
manufacturers.
This Tech Note also appears in the 1996 edition of the EASA Technical Manual, Section 9.9, Pages 9-18 to 9-21.
TN21-2
Tech Note No. 21
DETERMINING END PLAY SETTINGS
If the motor is disassembled for any reason, the rotor
end play must be readjusted. Depending upon the type of
thrust bearing, use one of the following procedures to de-
termine the correct end play settings.
1. Spherical Roller Thrust Bearings and Angular
Contact Bearings (with Springs)
Setting the correct end play for preload on spherical
roller or angular contact thrust bearings (with springs)
requires a controlled assembly method, due to vari-
ous deflections internal to the motor and friction of
locknut threads from spring force. An end play setting
of .005” to .010” is required to allow the lower guide
bearing to return to an unload position when external
thrust is applied to the motor (see Figures 5A and 5B).
To find the correct end play settings for these bear-
ings:
A. Place the spring retainer (minus springs) and the
lower thrust washer of the bearing into the bore of
the upper bearing bracket.
B. Using a depth micrometer, measure the distance be-
tween the top of the lower thrust washer and the faced
surface on top of the bearing housing. Record this
dimension to three decimal places.
Note: Certain motor designs require removal of the
fabricated steel or cast aluminum oil baffle to pro-
vide access for depth micrometer measurements.
C. Add .005” and .010”, respectively, to the recorded
dimension to determine the correct minimum and
maximum end play settings for the unit.
D. Reassemble the bearing with springs and set the end
play using one of the three methods described under
“End Play Adjustment Methods” on Page 3.
Depth micrometer shows the increased height from
previous solid height reading.
Shows bearing
raised .005” to
.010” in final
position.
Figure 5A Figure 5B
THICKNESS
Note: Motors built with spherical roller thrust or angu-
lar contact bearings with springs require a minimum
external thrust load sufficient to compress the upper
die springs and unload the lower guide bearing from
axial spring thrust. Refer to the motor’s spring thrust
plate for the required minimum thrust. Do not run the
motor without the minimum external thrust load for more
than fifteen minutes because lower bearing damage
may occur. Improper seating of the thrust bearing may
also occur, causing vibration.
(Update - 3/97)
Tech Note No. 21 Thrust Anti-Friction Bearings for Vertical Motors

2. ANGULAR CONTACT BALL BEARINGS (WITH- To obtain the desired end play, loosen the nut until the shaft
OUT SPRINGS) drops .005” to .010”. Secure the locknut with the lockwasher.
No preliminary measurements are required to set end Note: Of the three methods, this one is the least expen-
play with these bearings. End play may be set using sive and requires the least equipment. It may be less
either of the methods described below. desirable than Method 2, however, because considerable
A. To correctly adjust the rotor end play setting on locknut torque may be encountered on units with die springs.
units with angular contact ball bearings without Special equipment required:
springs, position a dial indicator to read the axial • Locking bolts
movement of the shaft (see Figure 6). Turn the • 3/4” chain
rotor adjusting locknut until no further upward • Spanner wrench with extension
movement of the shaft is indicated. Then loosen • Dial indicator
the locknut until you obtain .005” to .010” end play.
• Depth micrometer
Use the lockwasher to hold the locknut in place.
B. Motors having two opposed angular contact bear-
ings that are locked on the mount for up-and-down
thrust do not require rotor end play adjustment.
The shaft, however, must be set to the original
“AH” (shaft extension) to prevent the guide bear- Mounting springs
are compressed —
ing in the lower bracket from taking external thrust. only rotor is lifted Spreader bar
by locknut.
END PLAY ADJUSTMENT METHODS

Method 1 Hydraulic
Jack
This method requires first bolting one end of a chain to
the bearing mount and the other to a lifting lug (see Fig-
ure 7). To keep the bearing mount from rotating, the chain
must be taut. Next, position a dial indicator on the end of
the shaft as shown in Figure 6 and turn the locknut clock-
wise with a spanner wrench and an 8-foot extension bar
Figure 8
until the dial indicator shows no more upward movement.

Magnetic base Dial indicator shows

METHOD 2: FOR SPRING-LOADED BEARINGS ONLY
must rest on movement of shaft. This method uses a spreader bar with chains that wrap
cast bracket
close to bearing Must rest on around the lifting lugs, a crane to lift the spreader bar, and
mounting. end of shaft. a five-ton hydraulic jack. The jack, supported by two steel
blocks of equal thickness on top of the bearing mounting,
pushes against the spreader bar to compress the mount-
ing springs (see Figure 8). To make the locknut easier to
turn on very heavy solid-shaft rotors, lift the rotor using a
second jack placed beneath the motor base. Now position
a dial indicator as shown in Figure 6 and turn the locknut
until there is no further upward movement of the shaft. Fi-
nally, loosen the locknut to obtain the correct end play range
(determined earlier) and secure it with the lockwasher.
Note: This method uses ordinary shop tools and equip-
Figure 6 ment and allows end play settings on larger vertical motors
to be checked quickly. The locknut lifts only the weight of the
rotor.
Special equipment required:
• Overhead crane
• Large spreader bar with chains and locking bolts
• Spanner wrench
Method 1: Mounting
springs are com- • Hydraulic jack (five ton)
pressed and rotor is • Depth micrometer
lifted by locknut.
• Metal blocks
Figure 7 • Dial indicator

(Update - 3/97)
This Tech Note also appears in the 1996 edition of the EASA Technical Manual, Section 9.9, Pages 9-18 to 9-21.
TN21-3
Thrust Anti-Friction Bearings for Vertical Motors Tech Note No. 21

Method 3
This method uses a one-inch thick steel disc with a cen-
ter hole for the shaft end bolt and two threaded hydraulic
jacks connected to a single pump (see Figure 9). Position a
dial indicator as shown in Figure 6 and apply load to the
jacks until there is no further upward movement of the shaft.
Slowly relieve pressure from the jacks until .005” to .010”
end play is obtained. Then secure the locknut with the
lockwasher.
Threaded
jacks
Caution
Before Operating the Motor: Reassemble all loosened
or removed parts and tighten to original specifications.
Make sure all tools, chains and equipment are clear of
the motor before energizing it.
Recheck End Play: After setting end play by any of
the above methods, run the unit for 15 minutes and
then check the end play setting. If it is not within the
correct range, repeat the end play adjustment
procedure.
Hydraulic
pump

Couplings for Hollow-Shaft Motors

To ensure proper functioning, coupling bolts for hollow-
shaft motors must be tightened to the torque values
indicated below.

Plate bolted Bolt Size Torque

to shaft 5/16” 20 lb. ft.
3/8” 37 lb. ft.
1/2” 90 lb. ft.
Mounting springs are compressed and rotor is lifted
by fixture. Locknut is merely turned for adjustment. 5/8” 180 lb. ft.
3/4” 320 lb. ft.
Figure 9 1” 710 lb. ft.

Caution: The installer is always responsible for making sure

Caution: Using excessive hydraulic pressure when set- that coupling bolts are tightened to the proper torque val-
ting end play may damage the bearing. ues. This includes instances when the coupling comes
mounted in the motor. Failure to do so may result in the
Note: This method is directly usable on solid-shaft mo- coupling bolts shearing and extensive damage to the equip-
tors and can be used on some hollow-shaft motors with the ment.
addition of a long threaded rod and plate. It is very easy to
apply and settings can be checked quickly, especially in
field service. Since the locknut does not bear rotor weight
or spring force, it can be turned easily. Note: This article was first published in February 1995.
Information for it was provided by U.S. Electrical Motors.
Special equipment required:
• Fixture with two hydraulic jacks (five ton)
• Dial indicator or depth micrometer
• Spanner wrench

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Electrical Apparatus Service Association, Inc.
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IA Reliable Solutions Today! (Update
Copyright © 1997 - 3/97)
This Tech Note also appears in the 1996 edition of the EASA Technical Manual, Section 9.9, PagesVersion
TN21-4 9-18 to397DP2C-397
9-21.