Plain bearing failure index

8.0 Electrical damage

Electrical Damage Index


8.5 Electrostatic Erosion Damage on Thrust Pad

Click on photograph to enlarge
	Electrostatic erosion damage on thrust pad
Main Characteristics	Note the characteristic 'frosting', that is caused by spark erosion pitting. The shiny melt pits are obvious at low magnification (5-10X)
Cause	Electrostatic built up on rotor of centrifugal compressor caused by droplet impingement on the wheels.
Note	Note that the damage to the bearing is limited to the outer edge of one pad. This suggests that this particular pad was misaligned and proud of the other pads
Possible Confusion with Other Types of Damage
Comment	Electrostatic build up can result from either solid particle or liquid droplet impingement on the rotor. A build up of about 20V at least is necessary for damage to be caused.

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