The design requirements, the design, development tests and problems, the qualification and life test and the findings of the strip examination of a dual wound DC brushed motor gearhead are described. It is the only space qualified dual wound dc brushed motor gearhead in Europe

Henson, Barrie W.

English

NASA Technical Reports Server

N87- 16333
DUAL WOUND DC BRUSH MOTOR GEARHEAD
Barrie W. Henson*
This paper describes the design requirements, the design, development
tests and problems, the qualification and life test and the findings of the
strip examination of a dual wound DC brushed motor gearhead. At the time of
writing it is the only space qualified dual wound DC brushed motor gearhead
in Europe.
INTRODUCTION
The dual wound DC brushed motor gearhead which is described herein was
developed under the auspices of the ESA Space Telescope Solar Array Project.
Moore Reed & Co. Ltd., Andover designed and manufactured the motor and OTM
Servomechanism Ltd., Staines was responsible for the gearhead.
Brush motors have been a cause for concern with regard to reliability of
the brush/commutator interface. However, they do have advantages over stepper
and brushless types, in particular simplicity of electronics and lower costs•
This unit has also demonstrated that a long life and reliable performance can
be obtained•
R_IRE_rrS
The unit was designed especially to fulfill the requirements and
interfaces of a drive unit in the Hubble Space Telescope Solar Array. However,
it is suitable for general use on space projects. It was necessary for the
unit to be compatible with the existing electronics and, therefore, the motor
had to be a direct current "brushed" type. A picture of the unit is shown in
Figure I.
The specification defined by ESA identified the following key aspects :
I • Performance parameters:
The unit should operate at a nominal Voltage of 28 vdc.
The design rating should be 1.5 Nm output torque with a shaft speed
greater than 30 r.p.m.
Note: The qualification and life test was performed at a torque of
1.27 Nm (180 oz. in) based on the project requirement.
*European Space Agency, Noordwijk, Holland.
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Interface requirements:
The mounting interfaces at the front and back should facilitate mounting
in a tube with access from one end.
Configuration:
To provide electrical redundancy the motor design should comprise a dual
wound armature with a con_nutator at each end.
The motor power should be routed via terminal posts mounted in the rear
end cap. Provision should be made to facilitate purging with inert gas if
required for the brush material.
Special aspects:
The brush material, bearings and lubrication should utilise space
qualified materials, parts and techniques•
Environment:
The following qualification levels should be demonstrated:
Vibration : 10g Sine, 19.5 g(rms) Random
• Temperature : Survival + 95°C to - 60°C.
Operational + 80°C to - 45°C.
In addition to the basic performance parameters above, the unit had to
be capable of being backdriven to enable astronaut manual over-ride.
DESIGN
Motor
The motor is a two pole permanent magnet device in a frame size 18. A
fundamental feature of the unit is the dual wound armature with a commutator
at each end. This arrangement provides electrical redundancy using a common
armature, shaft, housing and magnet system. The configuration is shown in
Figure 2.
The principal electrical system is duplicated to provide redundancy in
the event of winding or connection failure• The two windings are radially
separated and electrically isolated in the armature stack by wrappin_ the
respective windings in Melinex slot liners. The winding layout is shown in
Figure 3. The inner winding (redundant) is connected to the front commutator
and the outer winding (prime) is connected to the rear commutator.
The armature wire size has been carefully chosen to give the same torque
from each winding and the number of turns per winding is identical to ensure
the no-load speed is equal. The resulting performance per winding is higher
than a normal size ii motor and the stall torque is approximately double.
_, , ]66
=,=,,. - .,- ,,.
Two ceramic magnets are bonded to the stainless steel housing. They are
made of barium ferrite which was chosen because it has a good resistance to
demagnetisation. This permits the rotor to be removed and replaced without
affecting the performance. Although the magnetic characteristics of the
material exhibits a knee in the BH curve, it is not possible to demagnetise
the motor under normal operations or by reversing the motor whilst running at
ambient temperature.
The commutators are made of copper and are comprised of eleven segments
set in a moulding. A pair of spring loaded brushes are located in a holder
adjacent to each commutator. The wires from the front brush assembly pass
through a tube located in the gap between the magnets and exit through the
rear end cap where terminal posts are provided for external connections.
The brush material is Boeing compound 046-45. The material is supplied in
a compact form and comprises mainly molybdenum disulphide. It has a low rate
of wear in vacuum but has the disadvantage that it requires purging when used
in air. Because it has a high MoS 2 content the conm_utator film has a
relatively high and variable resistance which influences the performance
characteristics at low voltages and loads. In normal operation these effects
disappear. For this reason the motor run-in tests are made at 28 Volts and a
torque of i00 gcm. The motor shaft is supported on Bartemp dry lubricated
bearings. Lubrication is achieved by transfer from a sacrificial cage made of
a PTFE/MoS2/glass fibre composite.
Gearhead
The gearhead is manufactured entirely from stainless steel. It has a
conventional spur gear and layshaft configuration and has a ratio of 160:1.
There are five layshafts and each one is mounted on miniature ball bearings.
This arrangement results in a high overall efficiency (_90%) and permits the
unit to be backdriven. A cross-section of the gearhead is shown in Figure 2.
The bearings used are mainly the caged type with shields, but in two cases
different bearings had to be used to accommodate the loads and envelope
constraints. All bearings are lubricated with Braycote 601 grease.
All the gears and layshafts are hardened by a diffusion process known as
"Tufftriding". This is a proprietary type of nitriding process and is used to
improve the wear characteristics. It also improves the fatigue life.
Motor Gearhead Assembly and Mounting Arrangements
The motor-gearhead interface comprises a spigot location with a screw
fixation and the motor shaft pinion meshes directly with the first layshaft
gear in the gearhead. Locking of the interface is achieved by four small spots
of adhesive.
]67
Performance of the unit with one windinE powered at 28 Volts is shown
below and is illustrated in Figure 4.
No load speed (r.p.m.)
No load current (mA)
Speed at 1.5 Nm (r.p.m.)
Current at 1.5 Nm (mA)
: 38 - 43
: 50- I00
: 30 - 34
: 300 - 420
The performance with both windings powered is very similar to Figure 4
but the speed at rated torque is slightly higher and of course the total
current is shared between the two windings. The torque required to backdrive
the unit is less than 0.7 Nm (I00 oz.in.).
The purpose of the two windings is to provide redundancy rather than to
increase the torque capability. The gearhead is designed for the rated torque
of 1.5 Nm and has a factor of safety of 2 based on static loads. The motor
gearhead should not be operated above the rated torque.
In the specific application for which it was designed the motor gearhead
is mounted inside a tube. This is achieved by using a special collar at the
front end and a Delrin spider at the rear end as shown in Figure 5. Various
alternative methods of mounting may be considered but they should always
provide support at the front and rear.
DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
Choice of Lubricant
Previous experience indicated that Braycote 601 grease (formerly 3L38RP)
was the preferred lubricant for the gearbox bearings. However, for the gears,
it was decided to make a comparison test with Braycote Y Vac 3 grease, because
of its reported good behaviour in an industrial application.
Two identical gearheads, size 18 with a IO0:I ratio, fitted to a size Ii
motor were evaluated at ambient temperature and in vacuum over a temperature
range of + 85°C to - 45°C with a torque load of 0.7 Nm (I00 oz.in).
The main difference in the performance of the two gearheads was at low
temperature (-45°C) when the gearhead containing Y Vac 3 grease required a
significantly higher motor current than the one with 601 grease for the same
output torque. This was attributed to the increased viscosity of the base oil
(Fomblin Y 140) in the Y Vac 3 which has a pour point of - 25°C and therefore
was semi-solid in this test. Thus considering the required environmental range
Braycote 601 was chosen because its low pour point ensured consistent
performance even at - 45°C.
168
Choice of Brush Material
Many types of material have been considered by engineers for use in DC
brushed motors. The ideal solution has still to be found as most materials
have some disadvantage when operation in both air and vacuum is required.
Normally the most critical problems occur in vacuum (often at low temperature)
when high wear rates are observed.
The motor used in the gearhead lubrication tests was fitted with brushes
made from a material designated Sperry 318 E. The motor gearhead performed
very well but after 95 hours (33 hours in vacuum) the motor stopped.
Investigation revealed that the brushes were completely worn out, a length of
some 6 r_n being consumed. Consequently the commutator area was full of
powder. This result persuaded us to return to a known material, namely Boeing
compound 046-45, because previous experience indicated that it had good wear
resistance.
Bearing Failures
The first 160:1 gearhead tested was coupled to a size II motor. The unit
was subject to thermal vacuum testing and a life test. After 39 hours
operation a gearhead failure was observed. Investigation revealed that a
bearing on the third layshaft had collapsed although the rest of the gearhead
was in good condition. This was an unexpected failure mode and from a brief
examination it was considered to be a random failure.
The second 160:1 gearhead was coupled to a dual wound size 18 motor. The
unit was subject to sine and random vibration at qualification levels.
Subsequent derivation of Q factors due to fixture design and mounting
resonances indicated that the unit was subject to random levels of the order
of I00 g(rms). To improve this situation for future vibration tests a new
fixture was designed. The unit was then subject to thermal vacuum testing and
life testing. A total of 82 hours running time had been accomplished when the
unit failed. Investigation revealed that the identical bearing on the third
layshaft had collapsed. The gearhead was generally in good condition, but the
appearance of the grease had deteriorated and some evidence of debris
existed. This failure eliminated the "random" bearing failure theory
previously supposed.
A detail design assessment of the gearhead was initiated. This resulted
in the following conclusions:
- drawing dimensions allowed axial pre-load to occur under worse case
tolerance conditions.
- dimensions of the third shaft resulted in the bearing being under an
axial pre-load and induced a small angular misalignment of the bearing.
- the failed bearing had higher loads than all other identical bearings
in the gearhead and these were not conducive to a long life.
169
Resolution of these difficulties was achieved by implementing the
following design changes: -
- Revision of axial dimensions to ensure clearance existed under all
tolerances.
- Inclusion of a double bearing in the failed location on the third
shaft.
- Application of the Tufftride process to the gears and shaft. This
change was made to reduce wear debris which could promote breakdown of
the grease and become a source of contamination in the bearings.
To ensure that these changes had eliminated causes of the bearing failure
a modified gearhead was subject to a 200 hour life test. This test was
completely successful.
Shaft Failure
The gearhead which had accomplished 200 hours operation was still running
smoothly and it was decided to continue the test to obtain more confidence. At
240 hours a catastrophic failure occurred. The third layshaft fractured at a
change in the cross-section from a gear face to the bearing spigot. This
formed an almost square corner, less than 0.125 mm (0.005") radius to
facilitate seating of the bearing.
A thorough metallurgical examination revealed that during final machining
the Tufftride layer had been ground away on the bearing spigot. Thus at a
critical change of section with a sharp radius attracting a stress
concentration factor of about 4 the material properties also changed. The
section and surface structure are shown in the scanning electron microscope
picture, Figure 6, and the fracture line is shown in Figure 7.
The running time equated to approximately 3 million revolutions of the
shaft, i.e. some 6 million stress reversals. Analysis of the load/fatigue
curve indicated that the 'expected' life had been reached. Whilst the running
time was some 5 times more than required for the intended application, it was
considered essential to initiate design and process changes to improve the
product in view of the wide variations associated with fatigue failures. The
changes required were quite straightforward, viz.:
I)
2)
increase the blend radius from 0.125 mm (0.005") to 0.250 nun (0.010"),
and thus reduce the stress concentration factor from 4 to 1.5.
finish grinding the bearing spigot prior to applying the Tufftride
process because the growth in size due to the Tufftride process is
insignificant.
These changes were consequently incorporated in the Qualification and
Life Test model for formal testing.
170
QUALIFICATION AND LIFE TESTS
The planned test programme comprised:
- performance tests at motor level.
- performance tests at motor gearhead level.
- vibration tests.
- performance tests at ambient and in thermal vacuum.
- a I00 hour life test at ambient and in thermal vacuum.
The life tests were extended to 250 hours because performance remained
satisfactory and time permitted.
The performance tests at motor and motor Rearhead level confirmed that
the unit complied with its specification.
Vibration
The motor gearhead was mounted using the collar and spider shown in
Figure 5.
The qualification level vibration test comprised:
a. Sinusoidal
5 - 20 Hz
20 - I00 Hz
Duration
: 20 mm peak to peak
: 16.3 g.
: I sweep per axis at 2 octaves/min.
b. Random
Level
Spectrum
Duration
: 19.5 g(rms)
: See Figure 8
: 3 minutes per axis
During these tests the actual level on the motor was also monitored. It
was noted that a substantial degree of cross-coupling occurred even with the
new fixture. Q factors up to 3 resulted in levels up to 60 g(rms) on the
motor. Post vibration function tests confirmed that the unit was still in
good working order.
Thermal Vacuum
The thermal vacuum and life tests were performed at the European Space
Tribology Laboratory, Risley U.K.
The motor gearhead was subject to function tests at a torque of 1.27 Nm
(180 oz.in) at ambient temperature with a nitrogen purge and in vacuum over a
temperature range of + 80°C to - 45°C. The unit was also subject to
temperature survival tests at + 95°C and - 60°C. Performance was nominal
throughout the tests and all motor configurations were demonstrated.
171
Life Tests
The planned life test comprised of operations on each winding at a torque
of 1.27 Nm (180 oz.in) at ambient and in vacuum over a temperature range of
+ 50°C to - 30°C. During the initial phase of the ambient life test the
winding i current trace became noisy and the shaft speed reduced. After some
brief checks of no-load speed, start voltage and breakaway torque
measurements, the performance reverted to nominal. It was concluded that the
temporary anomalous performance was caused by a brush fragment. The motor
gearhead continued to function well for the planned duration of I00 hours, 50%
of which were in vacuum.
Extended Life Test
Due to the satisfactory performance obtained, the life test was extended
until a total running time of over 250 hours had been accomplished. Fifty
percent of this testing was in vacuum and the motor gearhea_ was still giving
a nominal performance.
STRIP EXAMINATION AND ANALYSIS
The motor gearhead was progressively stripped and subject to a full
examination. The main observations were:
the motor condition and general appearance was good.
the gearhead condition and general appearance was clean and good with
adequate grease coverage.
the brushes were in good condition but had worn slightly unevenly, at
least 50% of their length remaining.
the commutators were showing slight wear as expected.
some brush debris was evident in various places, obviously having been
blown around by the gaseous purge used when operated in air.
insulation resistance had reduced to values of I0 KJI and 80 KJ_ . It is
believed this was due to tracking across debris paths possibly formed by
centrifugal deposition of MoS 2.
all gears were in good condition and there was no evidence of wear.
SUMMARY
The motor gearhead has performed extremely well and completed a life test
far in excess of that originally planned. The development problems encountered
were very instructive and indicate the care and detail consideration that
needs to be taken in the construction of reliable motor gearheads.
172
The author  w i s h e s  to  thank t h e  f o l l o w i n g  personnel  f o r  t h e i r  c o n t r i b u t i o n s  
towards t h i s  s u c c e s s f u l  p r o j e c t .  
Mr. R .  Smith ,  Mr. A .  F l e w  
Mr. A .  Yardley 
Mr. J. Anderson 
My c o l l e a g u e s  
- Moore Reed and Company Ltd.  
- OTM Servomechanism Ltd.  
- European Space T r i b o l o g y  Laboratory ,  
(ESTL) , R i s l e y ,  U . K .  
a t  t h e  European Space Agency, Noordwijk 
F i g u r e  1. - Dual wound motor gearhead.  
173 
GEARHEAD 18RI. 0
MOTOR 18PM026
OUTPUT SHAFT Ist LAYSHAFT PERMANENT
MAGNETS
3rd LAYSHAFT
C OH M UTAT O R
Figure 2. - Section view of dual wound motor gearhead.
omitted for clarity.
DUAL WOUND
ARMATURE
COMMUTATOR
Note second layshaft
Slot liner
Slot Wedge
Prime Winding
(2 coil halves
per slot)
Redundant Winding
(2 coil halves
per slot)
Figure 3. - Winding layout.
174
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176 
ORIGtNAL PAGE tS 
OF POOR QUALiTY 
Figure 6. - Cross section of gearhead shaft. 
Figure 7. - Cross section of fracture line. 
177 
I,
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0.1
.01
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Acceptance overall g(rms) I
i
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Frequency, Hz
Figure 8. - Random vibration test requirements.
178


Dual wound dc brush motor gearhead

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