Analysis of the vibration spectrum based on the input voltage spectrum

Pulse width modulation, present in most drives, gives rise to harmonics in the current and this generates radial forces that cause vibrations in the motor shell. This paper derives an analytical expression for the estimation of the spectrum of the radial force in a machine with an air gap, based on the spectrum of the applied voltage. The measurements show that the spectral components are caused mainly by the modulation, which agrees with the results from the analytical solution. A method to determine the dominant frequency components from the radial force spectrum based on current measurements is also presented.