An acoustic diagnostic technique for use with electric machine insulation

Many of the electrical failures of large electric machines have mechanical precursors. This premise has led to the attempts described here to detect mechanical changes, such as groundwall delamination, by acoustic methods as a means of early detection of incipient failure. By optimally launching an ultrasonic wave into a stator bar and using the conductor as a waveguide, it has been shown possible to interrogate the groundwall insulation and the critical interface region adjacent to the conductor. Laboratory studies using an epoxy mica stator bar subjected to thermal cycling have demonstrated that the acoustic signatures obtained with this method are mirrored by conventional corona spectroscopy conducted simultaneously, although earlier damage is clearly discernible. Based on the results of this study, the acoustic technique appears to have substantial promise as an advanced detection tool