Squeaking Generator Brushes Are A Pain!

ItsA31

Member
Darn squeaking generator brushes!

I disassembled the generator to take a look...
Commutator- Good. Nice undercuts. Cleaned with Scotch-brite. Air blow.
Brushes- About 1/4 worn. Good shape. Air blow.
Reassembled. Still squeaking.

So why are the brushes squeaking?? Its really annoying! Bearings are not the source of the noise.
 
The squeaking may actually be a vertical resonance bounce rather than a sliding friction issue. Quite a bit of research has been done on DC motor brushes over the years, including FEA modeling of noise issues.

Two issues come to mind: 1) The tension of the brush holder springs may be incorrect for the brush inertial mass and contact area. It is not uncommon for part of the current (amperage) to flow through the spring rather than the braided copper lead. This anneals the spring. 2) Current flowing through the brush creates a circular magnetic field around the brush itself. This stray field interacts with the motor or generator field itself. The variance in the fields caused by the switching as the brush crosses commutator segments creates a high pitched vertical vibration in the brush. Modern brush holder design addresses this by either relocating the commutator brush interface indexing relative to the fields or by using a magnetic material rather than brass as a brush guide. I believe we can eliminate #2 because not all A generators exhibit this problem.

If seating the brushes and run-in does not stop the squeal replace the brush tension springs. Check the brushes to insure the braided leads are sound. Old brushes may develop unseen corrosion where the wire is inserted, even if they are NOS. Try different brushes.

A third possibility relates to the brush composition itself. Simply put, not all brushes are the same. Some are pure graphite. The grain direction of the graphite comes into play. Brushes made from monolithic block vary in grain structure orientation. They are very long lasting IF the graphite layers are tangent to the commutator contact. Brushes made from compacted sintered graphite are much cheaper to produce but have only half the life. To increase the conductivity and reduce brush heating many brushes are made of a large % of sintered bronze or silver alloy mixed with the graphite. You see these mostly in intermittent high amperage apps, like starter motors, power tools, etc. These brushes are known to be noisy, but nobody cares for the apps they serve. If your generator brushes have any metallic appearing tint on the sides when rubbed against a piece of paper to clean the surface they are not stock spec. Again, try a different brand of brush.
 
The squeaking may actually be a vertical resonance bounce rather than a sliding friction issue. Quite a bit of research has been done on DC motor brushes over the years, including FEA modeling of noise issues. Etc...


BTW, I forgot to mention that the sqeaking occurs at nearly all RPM variants, so the probability of the anomaly occurring due to vertical resonance bounce is nil.
 
I've only had one generator with squeaking brushes, and they were quiet as soon as I drew some fine sandpaper through to seat them. You mentioned your brushes are already worn in, so I'd do as Mike said, and try another set of brushes. Remember, the thin brush is the adjustable field brush, and the shorter side of the brush faces the pivot for each brush.
 
BTW, I forgot to mention that the sqeaking occurs at nearly all RPM variants, so the probability of the anomaly occurring due to vertical resonance bounce is nil.

Vertical brush resonance is independent of RPM. If the sound you hear changes in volume but maintains pitch it is definitely vertical resonance. If it swings through several octaves of pitch from idle (~500 rpm) to running speed (~2000 rpm) the sound is related to tangential commutator contact and friction modulated. Multiplying the number of interruptions (commutator segment slots) by 2000 rpm gives a number above the human ear range. If the 'squeak' can still be heard at speed you cannot rule out vertical brush resonance. Swap brushes and springs.
 
Are you sure it's the brushes? Take the fan belt off and see if the squeak is still there. Had that once and it turned out to be the front motor mount springs that were squeaking.
 
Are you sure it's the brushes? Take the fan belt off and see if the squeak is still there. Had that once and it turned out to be the front motor mount springs that were squeaking.

It was squeaking on the bench. My dog barked in the other room every time I turned it a little...it was pretty funny. Thanks for your thoughts!
 
I had a squeaky generator once, it turned out to be one of the washers inside. It was either bent, or the hole inside was larger than the shaft and it was off center, I can't remember exactly. Either way, it was rubbing and making a nice steady squeak.
-DAN
 
Yes, as Dan said, those two locking rings for the front bearing are made of soft steel, and if they aren't squeezed tight into the groove, they will contact the metal around them and squeal.
 
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