Selection, installation and malfunction of motor brushes for a vacuum cleaner

Brushes in an electric motor play a very important role. Their lifespan may depend on various reasons. The faster the speed of the vacuum cleaner, the faster the wear on the brushes usually occurs. It is believed that with proper use of the brush technique, you can not change it for 5 years. There are cases when they have not been changed for 10 years or even more. The high wear of the brushes leads to their replacement. There are a number of reasons for the failure of brushes, we will consider them in more detail.

Electricity is supplied to the armature windings of the electric motor using the collector assembly. During the operation of the apparatus, the armature rotates, contact appears, the number of revolutions is quite large, this leads to strong friction. The brushes form a "sliding" contact that converts mechanics into electrical energy. Their main task is: to remove and supply current to the collectors. Electric current is removed from the slip rings. The main thing is that the brushes are correctly installed. The set with them includes lugs with wires aimed at the high-quality fastening mechanism of the bolts located on the brushes.

There are different types of them:

• graphite - aimed at simple switching, consist of graphite;
• carbon-graphite - they are characterized by low strength, they are more often used on equipment with minimal loads;
• electro-graphite - are highly durable, withstand the average mode of contacts;
• copper-graphite - have good strength, have strong protection, which saves from gases, as well as various liquids.

There are also improved models of brushes in a plastic case. In terms of types, they are no different from the above, only they have protection in the form of a body or a plastic shell.

Sparks appear due to mechanical action of the brush and collector. This phenomenon occurs even with a serviceable engine. The brush moves along the collector, in turn forms, and then breaks the connection with the contacts. A small amount of sparks that burn is considered an acceptable phenomenon for a working unit, but if it sparks a lot, then it is necessary to diagnose the vacuum cleaner.

Incorrect angle of inclination may be the actual cause of the breakdown. Correct position: two brushes rotate parallel to each other and along the same path. In the case of a long-term operation of the device, the brushes in it may shift, therefore it is necessary to control this process so that there are no curvatures. If pops occur, strong sparking appears, the body of the product turns black, we can talk about an inter-turn circuit.

Another reason for the malfunction is wear of parts. In this case, the vacuum cleaner is completely disassembled. Brushes create contact between special electrodes, they are components of an electric motor, so you first need to diagnose it, replace old parts and then use the technique. Some experts advise to purchase additional spare parts in the kit for a new product.

Poor contact between elements of technology can occur when new brushes are installed. They must be tightly fitted. The malfunction occurs in the presence of dust, in this case, regularly clean the contacts. If the contact is poor, then you can let the device work for 10 minutes at neutral speed.

Excessive stress, which is associated with high friction, creates dirt. The more carbon deposits appear, the faster the unit breaks down. Contacts must always be clean.

The main task of the brush holders is to ensure pressure on the brush, its correct pressing, free movement, as well as free access for brush replacement. The brush holders differ in their pressing mechanisms and windows for the brush. Such elements are designated by letters, where the first letter is the general name of the element, the second is its type (radial, inclined, etc.), the third is the type of mechanism (tension spring, compression spring, etc.).

The brush holders are divided for industrial and transport applications. For vacuum cleaners they use general industrial ones, we will not list their types, we will dwell on only one of the most effective ones - RTP. It has a constant pressure coil spring. In this regard, it is possible to use high brushes (up to 64 mm), which increase the resource of the units. This type of holder has found its application in many electric machines, in particular, vacuum cleaners.

Vacuum cleaner malfunctions can be associated with a cracked holder. We just change it to a new one. If it has shifted due to weakened fasteners, then we return it to its original state, we strengthen the fastening on both sides.

You can find out how to replace the brushes on the motor from the vacuum cleaner below.