Brush – RA1020545-517

This Raymond carbon brush is the wearing contact that carries current into the spinning commutator of an electric motor, riding under spring pressure against the copper bars so power reaches the armature as it turns. Carbon is used because it conducts while sacrificing itself rather than the far costlier commutator, so the brush is designed to wear down over the motor's service hours.

As a brush wears toward its limit, contact pressure drops and the motor starts to spark, lose power, and run hot, the signal that the brushes are due before commutator damage sets in. Brushes are replaced as a set so the motor seats evenly and shares current across all positions. Match the brush's cross-section, length, and lead and terminal style to the ones coming out, since a brush is sized to the specific motor's brush holder and commutator.