Method of conducting broadband impedance response tests to predict stator winding failure

1. Field of the Invention A broadband test procedure detects the onset of stator winding insulation damage, identifies the failure mechanism, determines the winding's susceptibility to further damage, and predicts stator winding failure. This is accomplished by realizing that changes in the stator winding insulation and/or geometry are reflected as changes in the capacitance between the individual windings and, hence, as changes in the stator winding's broadband impedance response. In the currently preferred approach, the impedance response includes the frequency, magnitude, width, and phase of the resonant impedance.