in what way the defective winding damages the bearing? read a short article saying the bearing may get damage if the winding is defective. the article did not explain how.

What is the motor voltage that we are talking about? I can't imagine a MV motor (3.3 kV & above) continuing to operate with a fault. Maybe related to shaft currents or VFDs. Could you post a copy of the article over here?

Regards,

Aditya

If a motor goes to ground, current can pass through the bearing causing damage.