Bearing Electrical-Erosion Damage in Electrical Drive Systems: A Review

The demand for safer and more reliable drive systems for renewable energy and vehicle electrification continues to increase, requiring effective ways for the drive motors to determine the safety and reliability of the vehicle powertrains. In recent years, the problem of bearing electrical-erosion damage caused by bearing currents—which results in drive motor faults—has become increasingly serious, limiting the life of motors. Consequently, research on bearing currents and electrical-erosion damage has become key for the development of electric vehicle motor drive systems. This review explains the generation and conduction mechanism of bearing electrical-erosion damage based on the formation mechanism and changing law of bearing currents. Additionally, actual electrical-erosion suppression measures are summarized from two perspectives: hardware and software. Finally, crucial technical deficiencies in the current research are highlighted and potential future research areas are proposed.