Infrared Thermography Inspection on Potential Failures of

Rotating Equipment

By:
Nur Ain Syafiqah Bt. Shamsudin

Bachelor of Engineering (Hons)

(Mechanical Engineering)

Supervisor:
Ir. Dr. Mohd Shiraz B. Aris

A project dissertation submitted to the

Mechanical Engineering Programme

Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS

in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the

BACHELOR OF ENGINEERING (Hons)

(MECHANICAL ENGINEERING)

Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS,

Bandar Seri Iskandar,
31750 Tronoh, Perak Darul Ridzuan.
i
 CERTIFICATION OF APPROVAL

Infrared Thermography Inspection on Potential Failures of Rotating

Equipment

By

Nur Ain Syafiqah Binti Shamsudin

A project dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of

The requirement for the

Bachelor of Engineering (Hons)

(Mechanical Engineering)

Approved by,

________________________

(IR. DR. MOHD SHIRAZ BIN ARIS)

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI PETRONAS

TRONOH, PERAK
MAY 2013

ii
 CERTIFICATION OF ORIGINALITY

This is to certify that I am responsible for the work submitted in this project, that the

original work is my own except as specified in the references and

acknowledgements, and that the original work contained herein have not been

undertaken or done by unspecified sources or persons.

______________________________________

(NUR AIN SYAFIQAH BINTI SHAMSUDIN)

Mechanical Engineering Department,

Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS.

iii
 ABSTRACT

Maintenance and inspection strategy in industries is very important to ensure the

process run smoothly with the low maintenance cost and time consuming. In almost
all industry, typically, the reliability of the critical motors is usually taken care by
vibration monitoring and trending program. Although vibration is part of important
element of rotating equipment, the heat transfer also can be used in order to
determine the condition of the motor. This is done by applying the non-destructive
testing (NDT) which is Infrared Thermography (IRT). Through the technology, the
failure can be detect at the early stages. This avoids machine failure and costly
unplanned shutdown. Therefore the aim of the project is to validate the use of IRT in
detecting the failure of the motor through control IRT testing. The results from the
experiment are very significant in order to establish the application of IRT in
inspection strategy. In this experimental study, a laboratory cell was designed and the
two common faults which are overload and misalignment were created to stimulate
the condition of motor in plant. Factor such as defect’s limitation, object distance and
emissivity are the parameters that affect the accuracy of the results. Thus, infrared
image in parallel with numerical analysis in term of different temperature distribution
as time the increased will used to detect the failure during the running process of the
motor in plant

iv
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise to Him the
Almighty that in his will and given strength, the author successfully complete this
final year project (FYP) entitle, Infrared Thermography Inspection on Potential
Failure of Rotating Equipment.

Utmost appreciation goes to Ir. Dr. Mohd Siraz bin Aris, who has been very
supportive and kind to guide throughout the entire FYP I and FYP 2. The author
would like to dedicate special thank for his guidance and supervision toward the
completion this project. The author also owe a great many thanks to the lab
technologist Mr. Zuaraimi, Mr. Azhar and Mrs. Suhaila from Electrical Power
laboratory Block 23 and Mr. Ghani from Mechanical laboratory Block 21 for the
assistance and help throughout this project.

I dedicate this work to my beloved parents who have been the greatest support in
every my success. Last but not least, to Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS for
providing the lab facilities to run the experiments.

iv
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

CERTIFICATION OF APPROVAL ........................................................................ i

CERTIFICATION OF ORIGINALITY ................................................................. iii

ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................... iv

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ........................................................................................ iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................... v

LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................ viii

LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................... ix

ABBREVIATION ..................................................................................................... ix

CHAPTER 1: PROJECT BACKGROUND ............................................................ 1

1.1 Background Study ............................................................................... 1

1.2 Problem Statement .............................................................................. 2

1.3 Objectives ............................................................................................ 2

1.4 Scope of Study .................................................................................... 2

1.5 Relevancy of the Project ..................................................................... 3

1.6 Feasibility of the Project within Scope and Time Frame .................... 3

1.7 Dissertation Structure ......................................................................... 3

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................. 4

2.1 Infrared Thermography (IRT) ............................................................. 4

2.2 Types of Thermography Testing ......................................................... 5

2.3 Method of Measurement and Analysis ............................................... 6

v
 2.4 Limitation of IRT Inspection............................................................... 7

2.4.1 Emissivity.................................................................................. 7

2.4.2 Reflected Temperature .............................................................. 8

2.4.3 Wind Speed ............................................................................. 10

2.4.4 Relative Humidity ................................................................... 10

2.5 Components of Electric Motor .......................................................... 10

2.5 Types of Motor Failures .................................................................... 11

2.5.1 Winding Failure ...................................................................... 13

2.5.2 Bearing Failure ........................................................................ 13

2.6 Condition Subjected to Motor Failure ............................................... 14

2.6.1 Overload Condition ................................................................. 14

2.6.2 Misalignment Condition.......................................................... 14

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY .......................................................................... 15

3.1 Research Methodology...................................................................... 15

3.2 Project Design and Activities ............................................................ 15

3.2.1 Experimental Set-up ................................................................ 15

3.2.2 Types of Faults ........................................................................ 16

3.3 Project Testing and Evaluation ......................................................... 17

3.4 Required Tools .................................................................................. 21

3.5 Project Activities ............................................................................... 22

3.6 Key Milestone ................................................................................... 23

3.7 Gantt Chart ........................................................................................ 24

vi
CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ..................................................... 26

4.1 Data Collection & Analysis............................................................... 26

4.2 Experiment Results ........................................................................... 26

4.3 Infrared Image Analysis .................................................................... 34

4.3.1 No-Load Condition. ................................................................ 34

4.3.2 Overload Condition ................................................................. 36

4.3.3 Misalignment Condition.......................................................... 37

4.4 Motor Failure..................................................................................... 38

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATION .................................. 39

5.1 Conclusion......................................................................................... 39

5.2 Recommendation ............................................................................... 39

REFERENCES ......................................................................................................... 40

vii
 LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Principle of Infrared Thermography ............................................................. 4

Figure 2: The Schematic Representation of Passive and Active Thermography ......... 5

Figure 4: Position of the Camera and the Equipment .................................................. 9

Figure 3: Position of the Camera and the Equipment .................................................. 9

Figure 5: Components of motor [14] ......................................................................... 10

Figure 6: Failures Distribution Statistic from IEEE- Petro Chemical Paper ............. 12

Figure 7: The Apparatus Set-up for Experiment ........................................................ 16

Figure 8: The Apparatus Set-up of Overload Testing ............................................... 18

Figure 9: The Apparatus Set-up for Misalignment Testing ....................................... 19

Figure 10: Project Activities ...................................................................................... 22

Figure 11: Key Milestone for the Final Year Project 1 .............................................. 23

Figure 12: Key Milestone for the Final Year Project 2 .............................................. 23

Figure 13: Gantt Chart of Project (FYP 1) ................................................................. 24

Figure 14: Gantt Chart of the Project (FYP 2) ........................................................... 25

Figure 15: Graph of Temperature against Time ......................................................... 27

Figure 16: Graph of Temperature against Time under Overload Condition .............. 29

Figure 17: Temperature affected by the Degree of Misalignment Fault .................... 31

Figure 18: Graph of Temperature against the Angular Misalignment ....................... 32

Figure19: Comparison of Temperature of Motor between the Normal Condition and

under Abnormally ...................................................................................... 33

viii
Figure 20: The IR Images under Normal Operating Condition, ................................ 34

Figure 21: The IR Image under Overload Condition ................................................. 36

Figure 22: The IR Images under Misalignment Condition ........................................ 37

Figure 23: IR Images subjected to Bearing and Winding Possible Failure ............... 38

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Standard Available for IRT based Inspection of Electric Equipment............ 7

Table 2: Components of Motor and its Function [14]................................................ 11

Table 3: The Summary of the Stresses of the Components ....................................... 12

Table 4: Details of Faults ........................................................................................... 16

Table 5: Working Temperature Data Result .............................................................. 27

Table 6: Overload Testing Data Result ...................................................................... 28

Table 7: Misalignment Data Result Figure ................................................................ 30

ABBREVIATION

IR - Infrared

IRT - Infrared Thermography

NDT - Non-Destructive Testing

UTP - Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS

ix
 CHAPTER 1: PROJECT BACKGROUND

1.1 Background Study

In the industry, the used of IRT is now widely used in preventive and diagnostic
inspection technique. At the early stage of infrared testing came about in non-
destructive testing (NDT) after the considerable testing by military system in early
1960’s [2]. Infrared thermography (IRT) has become more important method in
preventive maintenance due to its high precision and sensitivity imaging
characteristics [3]. IRT is used in industry in order to supervise the normal operations
and, more importantly, to locate the thermal possible faults, defects or inefficiencies
within a system or machine.

IRT is used to detect infrared energy and converts it into thermal image and also
perform the temperature calculation. Since, it is non-contact device; it is safe, reliable
and inspection can be used without shutdown the equipment [3]. IRT can monitor the
condition of the equipment by detecting the emission of the infrared energy which is
heat that radiated from the surface of the equipment. Heat is created in number of
ways such as by excessive friction, high electrical resistance and problems with
current flow in a motor. All the defects will reveal through the IR image capture by
the IRT camera. From the result, the analysis can be done and determined the failure
mode and condition of the equipment.

This approach is relevance to the basic knowledge that, the life of electrical
equipment is drastically reduced as the temperature increased. Due to this support,
the temperature can be a parameter for monitoring the performance of the equipment.
Through this inspection, the failure and any anomalies can be detected at earlier
stage and prevent the failure from happen and then consequences a big loss in term
of maintenance cost and time consuming in order to repair and replace the
components [3].

1
Although, the inspection method by using IRT is straight forward, there are several
factors that need to be considered to ensure the accuracy of the thermal analysis.
There are emissivity, the reflection of light and the ambient temperature.

This project focussed on the fundamental of the relationship between the infrared
image and potential failure of rotating equipment by the aid of the experimental
investigation using IR. Therefore, the main target for this project is to validate the
effectiveness of using IRT to detect potential failure on rotating equipment.

1.2 Problem Statement

In the industries, motors are the main equipment that runs all the process. The motor
will affect the process of a system if it getting faulty, that will consequence in term of
highly maintenance cost and time consuming. Common practice in inspecting and
detecting the failure is by using the vibration approach that only focused on the
sound or the wave of the motor. However, the thermal approach also can be used to
detect the failure. Therefore, advance and effective monitoring techniques are
required to monitor and detect the motor problems at early stages.

1.3 Objectives

The objective of the project is to validate the use of infrared thermography (IRT)
testing to identify the potentials failure in motor and to establish calibration
process in order to develop the database.

1.4 Scope of Study

The scope of the project is to investigate the ability of IR camera to detect the fault of
motor. There are three main focuses;
1. The concept of heat transfer in detecting the failure
2. The external and parameter that have to establish for the experiment.
3. The potential failure of a specifics rotating equipment.

2
1.5 Relevancy of the Project

This study has a significant value in which it can help the company to measure the
effectiveness of applying IRT to detect the failure mode of the rotating equipment
such as pump that is the critical equipment in a company. Therefore, the successful
of the project will help the industry to practice and apply the use of Infrared
technology in inspection strategy.

1.6 Feasibility of the Project within Scope and Time Frame

For the whole 8 months period of final year project (FYP) given, the project must be
completed and experimentally proved the good result within the time frame. The
references related to the scope of study are basically referred to some industry papers
and journals following the codes and standard of inspection.

1.7 Dissertation Structure

The author will first described the introduction of the project which includes the
background study, objective, problem statement, scope, the relevancy and feasibility.
Next, in the second chapter, the author will explained the theory relating to infrared
thermography and type of fault of motor based on some papers and journals. In
chapter 3, all the planning like Gantt chart, milestone of the project activities are
stated and also the methodology approach such as experimental set-up, apparatus list
and procedures. The results recorded are presented in form of table and figure and
some discussion to justify the result are included in Chapter 4. Lastly, in chapter 5,
the project will be summarizing in conclusion and some recommendation for the
future of the project.

3
 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Infrared Thermography (IRT)

The principle of IRT is based on the thermal radiation laws. The objects with the
temperature above the 0K or -273oC emit electromagnetic radiation in the infrared
region of electromagnetic spectrum [3]. The camera will capture the information
from the emission of the equipment to determine the surface temperature. The
temperature will determine the quantity of the radiation and also the color displayed
on the camera. There are several factors that influence the emissivity of the infrared
radiation emitted by an object. They are temperature, emission angle, and
wavelength [4]. The figure 1 shows, the principle of the Infrared Thermography.

Figure 1: Principle of Infrared Thermography

4
2.2 Types of Thermography Testing

Thermography camera consists of large numbers of sensor which is sensitive to

infrared radiation that can detect and measure small temperature differences. There
are two basic types of thermagraphy, which are active and passive.

Active thermography is defined as applying a stimulus to a target to cause the target

to heat or cool in such a way as to allow characteristic of the target to be observed
when viewed by thermal imagery. It is based on the evaluation of a previously
excited heat flow in the tested component and its disturbance by hidden defect [4].
Active thermography required adequate external heat stimulation like ultrasonic,
optical and heat wave. There are five modes of active thermography which are
pulsed, lock-in, pulse phase, step-heating and vibro-thermography. The active
thermography can be used in defect detection, characterization and coating thickness.

Passive thermography is defined as the investigation of the temperature without any

external heat simulation as the object itself at as a source of the heat [5]. This
approach is simply pointed at the target area and from the thermal image, a
temperature map is constructed. The passive thermography is used in condition
monitoring of equipment, medical applications and surveillance.

Figure 2: The Schematic Representation of Passive and Active Thermography

5
2.3 Method of Measurement and Analysis

There are two types of the thermal condition of the equipments which are
quantitative and qualitative.

Quantitative is simple as take the exact temperature of the equipment [3]. This
method is used to evaluate the condition of the equipment by comparing the
temperatures between identical items and baselines [7].

Qualitative approach is taking the relative temperature value of hotspot with respect
to the other parts of equipment under the similar condition [8]. This method is
suitable for collecting a large number of data and manages it to be interpreted easily.
The interpretation of the method is through comparing the thermal pattern and the
intensity variation between two similar object will determined the condition of the
equipments. In qualitative approach, a ∆T criteria is determined in order to validate
the fault of the electrical equipment. A ∆T criteria is the difference of maximum
value between the hotspot and the reference temperature [9]. The table 1 shows the
standard of the IRT based inspection of electrical equipment [3] [6]. These standards
can be used as the reference for validation of the ∆T.

6
 Table 1: Standard Available for IRT based Inspection of Electric Equipment

Temperature Difference (∆T) (oC)

Between Similar Between
Standards Components Components and Recommendation Action
under Identical Ambient air
Loading Temperature
Possible deficiency, warrants
1-3 1-10
investigation (priority:4)
Indicates probable deficiency,
4-15 11-20
repair as time permits (priority:3)
NETA Monitory continuously until
- 22-40 corrective measures can be
accomplished (priority:2)
Major discrepancy, repair
>15 >40
immediately (priority:1)
Component failure unlikely but
corrective measures required at
10-20
next scheduled routine
maintenance period.
MIL-STD 2914 Component failure probable unless
24-40
corrected.
Component failure almost certain
40-70
unless corrected
>70 Component failure imminent

Infraspection Corrective measures required as

>10-20
Institute scheduling permits
Standard for
>20-40 Corrective measure required ASAP
Electrical /
mechanical Corrective measures required
components >40
immediately

2.4 Limitation of IRT Inspection

Although, the IRT inspections is quite straight-forward, there are several parameters
that have to be considered for the analysis of the IR image. The parameters are
emissivity, reflection temperature, wind speed and relative humidity [3].

2.4.1 Emissivity
Emissivity is very important in determine the correct temperature of the
equipments. Difference materials have different emissivity due to the
different wavelengths. Thus the selection of the accurate emissivity is very
essential. Below are the standard procedures in determining the emissivity
[10].
7
 1. Place the IRT camera at the desired location.

2. Measure and compensate for the target’s reflected temperature

3. Focus the IRT camera on the target

4. Use the camera measurement function such as spot temperature to

define the measurement point.

5. Use the contact thermometer as the reference temperature.

6. Without moving the camera, adjust the emissivity until the value is
same as the reference temperature.

7. Key –in the value of emissivity in the camera system

2.4.2 Reflected Temperature

The background of the equipment may affect the reading of surface
temperature due to the difference emissivity of the background and the
equipment [11]. Thus, to reduce the effect of reflected temperature, the
equipment set up is needed before the testing is started. Below are the
standard procedures for the reflected temperature [10].

1. Set the IRT camera's emissivity control to 1.00.

2. Place the IRT camera at the desired location and distance from the target.
Estimate the angle of reflection, α, and the angle of incidence, β, when
viewing the target with the camera from this location (refer Figure 3).

3. Position the IRT camera so that it is at the angle of reflection from the
target, α, and view the sources reflected by the target (refer Figure 4).

4. Measure the average apparent temperature of these sources with the

camera. Use any camera features available (such as area averaging) that
average these reflected apparent temperatures. Note this temperature,
which is the reflected apparent temperature, Trefl, of the target.

8
5. For greater accuracy, repeat procedures b) to d) a minimum of three times
and average the temperatures.

Figure 3: Position of the Camera and the Equipment

Figure 4: Position of the Camera and the Equipment

9
 2.4.3 Wind Speed
Wind speed can change the temperature drastically that due to the convection
radiation from the surface [11]. Due to this effect the workplace for the
testing must be controlled to reduce the effect of wind speed on the
temperature.

2.4.4 Relative Humidity

Relative Humidity is refers to the amount of the water in air at the particular
temperature. However, the relative humidity just gives the minimal effect to
the temperature. It may affect due to the rain and fog [11]

2.5 Components of Electric Motor

Figure 5: Components of motor [14]

10
 Table 2: Components of Motor and its Function [14]

Components of Motor Function

Terminal Box  For connection and protection

 Stationary electrical part of motor.

Stator
 Contains a number of winding

 Rotating part of motor

Rotor  Rotates with the motor shaft due to
the magnetic field of motor.

 Reduce friction and wear on rotating

Bearing
and stationary parts

Fan For cooling system

2.5 Types of Motor Failures

Motors are one of the common used elements in almost all industrial. The
performance of the motor affect the process of a system if it getting faulty. Motor
typically fail due to these 3 categories which are low resistance, mechanical and over
current [7]. First is a low resistance failure. According to the research, it is been
estimated that about 90% of motor have problems occur at start-up and this problem
caused by low insulation resistance [7]. Second is mechanical failure. Mechanical
failure happen for a wide variety reasons such as inadequate lubrication, vibration,
bearing failure and misalignment. Lastly is over-current which happens most often
when operating conditions causes devices to draw more current than their rated load
capacity. The table 2 below shows the summary of the stress [13]. Based on the table
all the fault can be detected by the thermal approach.

11
 Table 3: The Summary of the Stresses of the Components

Stator Rotor
Types of Stress Bearing Shaft
Winding Assembly
Thermal / / / /
Electrical /
/ / /
Dielectric
Mechanical / / / /
Dynamic / / /
Shear /
Vibration /
/ / / /
Shock
Residual / /
Electromagnetic / / / /
Environmental / / / /

Figure 6: Failures Distribution Statistic from IEEE- Petro Chemical Paper

12
The figure 6 shows the failure distribution of electrical motor. The highest failure is
due to bearing failure and followed by stator winding and external that due to
environment. Thus, bearing and winding failure is chosen as the potential failures
and the narrow the scope of the project.

2.5.1 Winding Failure

Most of the winding failures are subjected by various stresses that act on the
stator winding [15]. There are thermal, electrical, mechanical and
environmental stresses. The failures happen when the insulation of the
winding burnt and lead to the motor failure.

2.5.2 Bearing Failure

Bearing is a component that helps in reducing the friction on rotating and
stationary part of motor. It is also used as the support to the shaft. There are
several types of bearing such as roller bearing, ball bearing, sleeve bearing
and needle bearing. The bearing failure is due to the friction created due to
the unbalance load, voltage, overload and lack of lubrication [14]

13
2.6 Condition Subjected to Motor Failure

In order to validate the failure of the motor specifically bearing and winding failure,
identifying the condition that lead to the failure is important. The two conditions are
overload and misalignment.

2.6.1 Overload Condition

Overload is due to the over-current failures. This failure happen when the
operating condition forced the device to use more current than their rated load
capacity [7]. This situation usually occurs suddenly and leads to the failure.
The over-current will increase the resistance to the equipment and when it
reaches the maximum, the equipment will fail. Increasing in the resistance
will also produce the friction to the bearing and cause the temperature rise.
From this situation the condition of the equipment can be monitored by using
the IRT inspection.

2.6.2 Misalignment Condition

Misalignment of shaft on the rotating equipment can affect the performance
of the motor. The offset occur between two shafts create the friction that lead
cause of premature bearing failure [12]. There are four categories of the
misalignment which are vertical offset, horizontal offset, vertical angularity
and horizontal angularity. In industry, the misalignment always occur s
between the two machines which is the static and the rotating equipment. For
example of the misalignment is between the motor and the pump. They are
coupling together and function well. However, when the misalignment occurs
it will lead to the bearing failure and winding failure.

14
 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY

3.1 Research Methodology

Methodology is the step of procedures that have to follow in order to complete the
project. The methodology of the project can be divided into two parts which are
research and experimental. For research methodology, information gathering is
retrieved from books, online articles, industrial papers and journals.

3.2 Project Design and Activities

The project is begun by designing the simple motor circuit that contains a single
phase motor, regulator, locker brake, and misalignment rod. The set up is
representing the motor operation in real life. After everything is done, the IR camera
and thermocouple are installed to detect the surface temperature and body
temperature respectively. The temperatures are recorded and then analyze to validate
effect of temperature in detecting the failure of motor.

3.2.1 Experimental Set-up

Figure 2 below show the schematic illustration of the experimental apparatus.
The AC motor and the wires are connected to the regulator. The Infrared
camera is located about 60O to the motor about 1 m in distance. The camera
cannot arrange parallel to the motor to get the sharp and accurate images.
Besides, the emissivity and reflection temperature is determined before the
experiment is started due to the limitation of infrared camera on the
emissivity and refection of light that can affect the reading of the surface
temperature.

15
Regulator Thermo-
couple

IR Camera
Motor

Figure 7: The Apparatus Set-up for Experiment

3.2.2 Types of Faults

Based on the study, there are 2 possible faults that can be created which are
overload and misalignment. Table 3 below gives s the details of the faults.

Table 4: Details of Faults

No of Fault Types of Fault Explanation

Applied by install the brake locker

Fault 1 Overload to create the overload condition,
then resulting in short circuit.

Applied the rod on the shaft and

the other end of a shaft is locked
Fault 2 Misalignment to create a load. The misalignment
is controlled by varies the degree
of the locked part of rod.

16
3.3 Project Testing and Evaluation

To validate the use of the IR approached in detecting the fault of motor, first, the
working temperature has to be determined. Working temperature is the temperature
at which the motor operate normally or in other word operating temperature. The
temperature determines can be used as the baseline or references in order to compare
the temperature during the fault created which are overload and misalignment. There
are three testing will be carried out through the project.

A. No-Load Test

Procedures:

1. The power supply is connected to the motor and then the switch is on.

2. The IR camera is used to capture the surface temperature for every 30 minutes.

3. The reading on the thermocouple is recorded.

4. The motor is switched after 3 hours.

Once the data is recorded, the graph of temperature versus, time interval is plotting to
determine the working temperature of the motor under the normal condition. The
result is then will set as a reference and used in comparison with the motor
temperature under fault condition.

17
B. Overload Test

Procedures:

1. The apparatus is set-up as the figure 8.

2. The power supply is connected to the motor and then, the switch is on.

3. The IR camera is used to capture the surface temperature for every 5 minutes.

4. The reading on the thermocouple is recorded.

5. The motor is switched after 30 minutes.

Figure 8: The Apparatus Set-up of Overload Testing

Overload testing is done by locked the rotor of the motor to the brake locker. This
will increase the resistance to the motor shaft, as it will prevent the shaft from
rotated. As a result, the load will increase and overload criteria is occurred. This can
be determined through the temperature collected during the overload condition. The
graph of temperature against the time is plotted to determine the relationship of time
effect to the temperature distribution under overload condition. The infrared images
18
collected also used to compare the temperature of the infrared camera with the actual
temperature display by the thermocouple.

C. Misalignment Test

Procedures:

1. The apparatus is set-up as the figure 9.

2. The power supply is connected to the motor and then, the switch is on.

3. The degree of the shaft is set at 0o, and the IR camera is used to capture the image
for every 5minutes.

4. The experiment is repeated by varied the degree of the shaft with 10o, 20o, 30o

5. The IR camera is used to capture the surface temperature for every 5 minutes.

6. The reading on the thermocouple is recorded.

7. The motor is switched after one hour.

Figure 9: The Apparatus Set-up for Misalignment Testing

19
In this testing, the motor is added the additional shaft that connected to the shaft of
motor and other end locked to the brake locker. The misalignment is created by
adjusting the degree of the brake locker. The data collected will be compared with
the reference and also the infrared images. Then, the graph of temperature against the
time is plotted to determine the relationship of time effect to the temperature
distribution under misalignment condition.

20
3.4 Required Tools

TOOLS FUNCTION
Thermal Imaging (IR) Camera

Primary tools to detect the motor failure for

the testing object

Motor To create the fault purposely.

Specification of the motor

Type: Single Phase Asynchronous Motor

Nominal Volt: 240 V
Nominal Current: 2.5 A
RPM: 1400rpm
Insulation Class: F

Regulator

To provide power supply and maintain the

value of voltage and current.

FLIR

Software used to analyze the infrared images

21
3.5 Project Activities

START
T

Problem Statement, Objective & Scope

Understanding Literature Review

Interviewing, Material Survey & Purchasing

Establish Laboratory Unit

Thermography Testing
NO

Data Collection

Experimental Data Results as

Result Expected
YES

Data Analysis
NO

Numerical Analysis and Infrared Thermal Images

Analysis as
Expected

YES

Figure 10: Project Activities Conclusion

22
END
 3.6 Key Milestone

Milestone is made to observe the progress updates of the activities to be completed

smoothly within the time frame. Below are the key milestones for this research
project must be achieved in order to meet the objective of this project.

Material survey /
Literature Review done experimentally procedure

Week 1 Week 6 Week 9 Week 13 Week 14

Viva:
Title Extended Interim Interim
Project
Selection/ proposal Draft Final
Defense
Proposal Report Report
and
Progress
Evaluation
Figure 11: Key Milestone for the Final Year Project 1

Documentation and
Experimentation Work
Presentation Work

Week 1 Week 8 Week 10 Week 11 Week 12 Week 13 Week 15

Experimentation Progress Pre- Draft Dissertation Oral Dissertation

Work Report SEDEX Report & Technical presenta-- (hardbound)
Paper tion

Figure 12: Key Milestone for the Final Year Project 2

23
3.7 Gantt Chart

FINAL YEAR PROJECT I (FYP-I)

WEEK
NO. DETAILS OF WORK
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
M
1 Selection of Project Title I
Preliminary Research Work and Literature D
2
Review S

3 Submission of Extended Proposal Defense ● E

M
4 Preparation for Oral Proposal Defense
5 Oral Proposal Defense Presentation
B
6 Detailed Literature Review R
7 Preparation of Interim Report E
8 Submission of Interim Draft Report A ●
9 K ●
Submission of Interim Final Report

● Suggested milestone Process

Figure 13: Gantt Chart of Project (FYP 1)

24
 FINAL YEAR PROJECT II (FYP-II)
WEEK
NO. DETAILS OF WORK
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Commencement of Experimental Work
1 M
- Experimental set-up & procedure
I
Experimental Work
D
- Establish Calibration of database
2 S
- Thermography Test on motor failure (overload, E
inadequate lubrication and misalignment. M
3 Submission of Progress Report ●
Data Analysis B
4
-- Ensure result to achieve project objective R
E
5 Submission of Draft Report
A
6 Submission of Dissertation & Technical Paper
K
7 Oral Presentation
8 Submission of Final Dissertation ●

● Suggested milestone Process

Figure 14: Gantt Chart of the Project (FYP 2)

25
 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

4.1 Data Collection & Analysis

Data gathered through the experiment will be analyze and interpreted. A detailed
approach must be done to analyze data accurately. In this experiment there are two
sources of data which are IR image and thermocouple value. Figure below show the step
of the IR image to be analyzed.

The IR image capture will show the temperature distribution as well as the location of
the fault. The analysis can be done by interpreting the temperature distribution that
would lead to failure of the motor.

4.2 Experiment Results

From the data gathering through the experiment, there are three graphs were made to
investigate the temperature distribution with the time. All the data gathered were
tabulated and plotted in graph. There are several assumption were made for the entire
experiment.

1. Reflection correlation is made to avoid the distraction to the surface temperature.

2. The emissivity is determined and set to be constant for entire experiment with the
value of 0.97.

3. The effect of ambient temperature is negligible.

26
A. No-Load Testing

Table 5: No- Load Data Result

Surface Temperature (OC) Different in

Time (min)
IR Camera Thermocouple Temperature (oC)

0 22.7 23.4 0.7

30 30.1 29.8 0.3

60 32.5 30.6 1.9

90 33.2 31.0 2.2

120 33.3 31.1 2.2

150 33.3 31.1 2.2

180 33.4 31.1 2.3

Figure 15: Graph of Temperature against Time

27
The figure 15 shows, the motor run with consistent temperature about 31oC. It
determines the temperature of the working temperature or the normal operating
temperature of the motor. The graph will be used as reference temperature and compare
with the temperature of the motor during fault. From this graph, the delta T or difference
change of temperature can be determined by comparing with the temperature of
overload fault and misalignment fault [4].

B. Overload Testing

Table 6: Overload Testing Data Result

Surface Temperature (OC) Different in

Time (min) Temperature
IR Camera Thermocouple (oC)
0 27.7 27.4 0.3

5 47.8 46.2 1.6

10 52.5 51.5 1.0

15 56.1 54.4 1.7

20 59.1 57.2 1.9

25 62.3 60.4 1.9

30 62.6 61.2 1.4

28
Figure 16: Graph of Temperature against Time under Overload Condition

29
C. Misalignment Testing

Table 7: Misalignment Data Result Figure

Surface Temperature (OC) Different of

Different in
Degree Time temperature
o Temperature
() (interval) IR Camera Thermocouple for each
(oC)
degree (oC)
1 24.7 24.6 0.1

0 2 26.5 25.8 0.7 3.2

3 28.4 27.8 1.0

1 30.8 29.4 1.4

5 2 33.2 31.9 1.3 8.1

3 38.6 37.5 1.1

1 41.8 40.7 1.1

10 2 44.5 42.9 1.6 10.6

3 52.7 51.3 1.4

1 54.8 53.7 1.1

15 2 59.8 58.8 1.0 12.7

3 67.8 66.4 1.4

The table 7 shows the data for the misalignment test, the degree of the angular
misalignment is varies from align position to 15 degree. The temperature is recorded and
the graph of temperature against time interval of 5 minutes is plotted. The table also

30
show the different of temperature for every 15 minutes time interval is increased as the
degree of angular misalignment is bigger.

Figure 17: Temperature affected by the Degree of Misalignment Fault

The figure 17 shows, the temperature of the motor depending on the degree of the
angular misalignment under the time interval. From the graph, the line represent the
angular misalignment at 15 degree has experience the highest different change in
temperature compare to the others degree of angular misalignment. It can be determined
by analyze the slope of the line graph. From all of the lines, the highest value of the
slope is temperature different on the misalignment at 15 degree. Thus, it can be
concluded, the higher the degree of the misalignment, the bigger the temperature
increased from the first time interval to the third time interval.

31
 Figure 18: Graph of Temperature against the Angular Misalignment

The figure 18 above is from the previous data graph that shows the entire angular
misalignment fault at every degree. The angular misalignment is increased for every 15
minutes and the reading is taken for every 5 minutes. From the result gather and the
discussion, as the misalignment developed, it will cause the increasing in friction and
hence, the temperature increased.

32
 Figure 19: Comparison of Temperature of Motor between the Normal Condition and under
Abnormally

From the data and analysis made, both faults which are the overload and misalignment
had show the expected result as the temperature is increased when the fault occur on the
motor. The figure 19 above shows the comparison between the temperature under
overload and angular misalignment condition with the reference temperature or known
as working temperature. From the graph, it can be interpreted; the motor is subjected to
the friction force due to the faults created and affect the temperature of the motor.

33
4.3 Infrared Image Analysis

The purpose of infrared image in this project is to interpret the condition of the motor by
comparing the surface temperature to the reference image. The infrared image emphasis
the effect of the temperature when the object is subjected the fault created. This
technique is known as qualitative temperature measurement system. The infrared image
is used to compare the ∆T of the equipment between the “no-load” conditions and when
experience the faults.

4.3.1 No-Load Condition.

(a) (b)

Figure 20: The IR Images under Normal Operating Condition,

a) The Temperature of Motor at the First minutes of Operating, b) The Temperature of the Motor
after 3 hours of Operating.

Figure 20 shows the motor operating under normal condition. From the IR
images it can be interpreted that, the color of infrared image represent the
temperature distribution of the motor and determine the condition of the object.

34
Different colors of the infrared represent different thermal distribution. The
figure 25a shows the temperature when the motor start operating while the figure
25b shows the condition of the motor after three hours operating. The condition
of the motor is justified by the value of ∆T, by comparing the temperature
difference between spot 1 and 2. The value of ∆ T is based on the standard from
International Electrical Testing Association. Based on the motor above, the value
of ∆ T is determined as below:

∆ T = T2 – T1

= 32.0oC – 30.7oC

= 1.3oC

According to the standard provided by NETA in Table 1, the value of ∆ T is

justified as the normal since the value of ∆ T is less than 10 which is 1.3oC.

35
 4.3.2 Overload Condition

(a) (b)

Figure 21: The IR Image under Overload Condition

a) The Temperature of the Motor at the First minutes of Operation, b) The temperature of Motor
after two hours under overload condition.

The Figure 21 shows the IR image under overload Condition. The temperature
increased from 35.7 to the 70.6 within 30 minutes. To determine the condition of
the motor, the value of ∆ T is calculated.

∆ T = T2 – T1

= 77.6oC – 70.6oC

= 7.0oC

Based on the standard of NETA, the motor is in the phase of possible deficiency
as the value of ∆ T is less than 10.

36
 4.3.3 Misalignment Condition

(a) (b)

Figure 22: The IR Images under Misalignment Condition

The Temperature of the Motor at the early stages of Operation, b) The Temperature of motor after
an hour.

The figure 22 shows the IR image under misalignment condition, the temperature
increased throughout the testing. To determine the condition of the motor, the
value of t he ∆ T is calculated.

∆ T = T2 – T1

= 57.8oC – 54.0oC

= 3.8oC

Based on the standard of NETA, the motor is in the phase of possible deficiency
as the value of ∆ T is less than 10.

From the data analysis, the qualitative approach is relevant and can be used to
validate the condition of the motors. These testing should be hold for a long time
until failure, so the maximum ∆ T is determined. In brief, the temperature can be
a key parameter to detect the fault of the equipments.

37
4.4 Motor Failure

b) b)
a) a)

Figure 23: IR Images subjected to Bearing and Winding Possible Failure

From the figure 23, the misalignment and overload condition show the possibility to lead
to the bearing and winding. The circle a) represents the potential failure at stator
winding. From the both images, the highest temperature is captured around the winding
area. This situation interpreted the deterioration in thermal happen when the motor is
subjected on the misalignment and overload. The circle b) represents the potential failure
of bearing. The bearing experience the increasing in temperature due to the friction
produced from misalignment and overload condition. In brief, the friction created, affect
the deterioration of thermal stress and finally lead to the failure of the motor.

38
 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATION

5.1 Conclusion

Throughout the result of testing, calculation and analysis, the infrared thermography is
justified to be used as fault diagnosis of rotating equipment. Thus, the first objective is
achieved. As conclusion, the temperature can be one of the parameter to be used in fault
diagnosis.

However, for the second objective to establish the calibration process for motor failures,
the progress only cover the 50 percent of the work due to the limitation of the time and
wrong approach used. Thus, some recommendations are proposed for the way forward.

5.2 Recommendation

From this project, there are three recommendations to improve the quality of the IRT
inspection.

1. A several improvement on the parameter of the procedures needs to be taken into

the account for the accurate results obtained. For example the external effect that
may affect the temperature reading such as the humidity and the wind speed.

2. From the result gathered, the failure of motor can be detected. However, it is
better improvement if the IR camera can detect the failure just based on the
location of the hot spot. Thus, it needs extensive studies.

3. The IRT is used to compare the difference temperature or delta T of the similar
equipment. The diagnosis is just depends on the prediction of hot spot at full load
and then, the fault is determined. The new method is needed to be explored in
order to predict the reliability of the equipment. These are the good combination
in the maintenance of the equipments.

39
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[9] Huda, A. S. N. and S. Taib., 2013. “Application of Infrared Thermography for
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