An Update On Causes Of, Solutions For Shaft Currents
Since the electromagnetic field in the
By Chuck Yung
EASA Technical Support Specialist
While shaft currents are not a new
problem (papers on the subject date
back prior to 1930), what is “new” is
our understanding of how to solve the
problem. Shaft currents have been
described as shaft voltages, circulat-
ing currents, bearing currents and
circulating voltages. This article will
refer to the phenomenon as “shaft
currents” because it is the current
that causes the damage. When a
conductor is passed through a
magnetic field, voltage is induced into
the conductor.
It is not the voltage that damages a
bearing, but rather the current. (Fuses
fail because the current is too high,
not the voltage.) We don’t have a
practical way to measure the current
through the shaft, so we measure the
magnitude of the voltage instead.
We used to blame magnetic
dissymmetry for shaft currents, and
rightfully so. Magnetic dissymmetry
just means gaps in the iron, such as
segmented laminations used to build
stator cores over approximately 35”
(900 mm) diameter, uneven airgap,
circulating currents in the parallel
circuits of a 3-phase winding, or
variations between bolt-in DC poles.
stator rotates around the stator bore,
those dissymmetries are one source
for induced voltage in the frame.
Through-bolts in rotors were another
cause—but more about them later.
Correcting The Problem
When the problem was truly a
circulating current, it “circulated”
from the frame through a bearing,
along the shaft, through the other
Figure 1: Insulated bearing.
bearing and back to the frame. To
correct the problem, we had only to
break the circuit. Insulating the
Opposite Drive End (ODE) bearing
was the most practical solution. Just
as turning off a light switch stops the
current flow through the light bulb,
insulating the ODE bearing interrupts
the circuit through the bearings as
indicated in Figure 1.
Another solution was to install a
shaft grounding brush in parallel with
the bearing as shown in Figure 2.
That did not stop the current, but the
brush diverted current from the
bearing (Figure 3). Parallel paths act
as current dividers, with the amount of
current through each path determined
EASA CURRENTS ■ April 2004
Figure 2: Grounding brush.
Figure 3: Graphic of parallel path
of grounding brush.
by the relative resistance of the
paths. The lower the resistance of the
brush-shaft interface compared to the
resistance through the bearing, the
more current was diverted from the
ODE bearing. But the grounding
brush did not reduce the current
through the drive end (DE) bearing.
Since the DE bearing was normally
the larger bearing, the grounding
brush did reduce bearing failures on
the ODE—at least those caused by
shaft currents.
Note that the brush resistance is
critical to this solution. Not any
carbon brush will do. The special
grounding brushes supplied for this
purpose are extremely low resistance.
The key to success is to provide a
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 An Update On Causes Of, Solutions For Shaft Currents
Continued From Page 1
much lower resistance path than the
bearing to divert (most of) the current.
If the resistance through the brush/shaft
path was equal to the bearing/shaft path,
we could expect half the total current to
pass through the bearing. Bearing life
would be extended, but the problem
was not solved.
That points out the second problem
with the grounding brush solution: If
the shaft was dirty, or corroded,
painted, etc., the resistance drop across
the brush/shaft interface would
increase. And that would divert more
current back through the bearing.
Even though it is current that
damages the bearing, manufacturers
do not publish current-carrying
capacities for bearings. And since we
cannot practically measure the current
passing through the shaft, we rely on
measuring shaft voltages. The “rule of
thumb” for many manufacturers was
100 mV for ball bearings and 200 mV
for sleeve bearings. (NEMA MG-1
part 31.4.4.3 suggests a limit of
300 mV measured end-to-end on the
shaft.) With shaft currents caused by
magnetic dissymmetry, it was rare to
measure shaft voltages over a few
volts.
Variable Frequency Drives
Enter the pulse-width modulated
variable-frequency drive (PWM
VFD). When VFDs started to become
popular, one of the major issues was
shaft currents. For quite a while, we
treated the problem in the usual
manner: Insulate the ODE bearing, or
add a grounding brush. The problem
was that each of these “tried and true”
solutions yielded mixed results. Users
disagreed on which solution was best,
and many reported less-than-satisfac-
tory results with either method. A
“belt and suspenders” approach
seemed to work best, but we weren’t
certain why. Longer cable runs
seemed to make the problem worse,
as did poor grounding connections,
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and certain drives developed bad
reputations as “motor killers.” Higher
switching frequencies (20 kHz) cause
more bearing problems than slower (5
kHz) drive settings, but there is no
clear line above which we expect
trouble.
The VFD works by rectifying AC to
DC, and chopping the DC into positive
and negative pulses to simulate an AC
sine wave. Varying the DC pulse width
simulates a variable AC sine wave and
changes the frequency, thereby chang-
ing the motor speed. One problem with
that is the common mode voltage.
When a 3-phase motor operates from a
true sine wave, the common mode
voltage was always zero (Figure 4).
But with the VFD, that balance no
longer exists. DC is either positive or
negative, so at any point in time the
three phases are either + + - or + - -.
Common mode voltage is essentially
line voltage. Shaft currents became a
significant problem for motors operat-
ing from a VFD, even in motors much
smaller than had previously experi-
enced trouble.
A B C from shaft currents. Common
Figure 4: With 3 phases 120
degrees apart, draw a
vertical line (that’s a
point in time)
at any point on the
graph. Sum the voltages
(above the horizontal
axis is positive, below
it negative), and the
common mode voltage
is always zero.
Other Factors
Back when most machinery was
driven by flat leather belts, the buildup
of static electricity could result in
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electrostatic discharges which could
damage the bearings. Flat belts are no
longer common, but static friction is
still a problem for belts, paper roll
winders, and similar applications.
These static discharges may have
prompted the earliest use of shaft
grounding brushes.
Capacitive coupling between the
rotating field in the stator and the
spinning induction rotor also seemed
to cause shaft currents. Insulating one
bearing did not cure it because the
problem was no longer a circulating
current. If both bearings are insulated,
the insulation acts as a capacitance.
The induced voltage could continue to
build, possibly to dangerous levels,
until the “capacitor” discharged
across the insulation. In certain
applications, such as hazardous
locations, the capacitive discharge
could become a source of ignition.
Thanks to discussions with
engineers from several manufacturers,
we have a better picture of the causes
of, and solutions for, shaft currents.
The higher the switching fre-
quency of the PWM drive, the more
likely there will be bearing damage
grounding of the motor and drive is
critical. Even if a motor and the drive
case are each grounded per electrical
codes, it is possible to measure up to
about 30 volts potential between the
two ground connections. The solution
is a dedicated common ground from
the motor to the drive. Stranded
ground cable should be used; skin
effect is a factor. (Current “travels” on
the surface of the conductor, so the
resistance-to-voltage flow is affected
by the surface area of the conductor.
Stranded cable has more surface area
than a solid conductor.)
Voltage Magnitude
Compare those previously stated
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 An Update On Causes Of, Solutions For Shaft Currents
relatively low voltages to these:
Technical papers on the subject report
VFD-related shaft voltages of 25
volts. EASA’s Technical Support
Department has had reliable reports of
shaft voltages of 40+ volts when
rebuilt armatures or rotors were
returned with the combination of
through-bolts and skewed slots.
It is generally accepted that we can
measure the shaft voltage, while it is
the current that is harmful. Shaft
voltage can be measured between the
ends of the motor shaft. It can also be
measured from the end bracket to the
shaft. Use a brass or copper brush
attached to the lead that will contact
the shaft. That minimizes false
readings that can result from the
friction between the test lead and shaft.
One old-timers’ technique is to use
a length of welding cable touched to
both ends of the shaft. Observe the
contact region for arcing and use a
clamp-on ammeter to check for
current. The problem is that some of
the current still passes through the
bearings, so the welding cable—at
best—is a parallel path. We cannot
tell from this simple test how much
current the bearing still carries, but if
the diverted current is enough to
strike an arc when the lead wire is
touched to the shaft, that is more than
enough current to damage a bearing.
How much current will damage a
bearing, and how much of the current
is still passing through the bearing
compared to the welding cable, are
matters for conjecture. About the only
way to measure the actual shaft current
is to place a current transformer (CT)
or ammeter around the shaft between
the bearings. That is rarely practical.
EASA CURRENTS ■ April 2004
Conclusion
It is clear that there are two
mechanisms for shaft voltages:
circulating current which can be
interrupted by insulating a bearing,
and capacitive coupling which
requires insulation of both bearings
plus the use of a grounding brush. It
is also important to provide a
common ground between the motor
and the drive case.
Bearings are apt to be damaged
even by very low current passing
through them. And with the prolifera-
tion of VFDs, grounding problems on
one motor can cause shaft currents in
other nearby equipment.
Until a better solution is developed,
motors operating from VFDs will
benefit from the practice of insulating
both bearing housings and installation
of a shaft grounding brush.
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