Dong Nai Technology University

Lesson 4: ELECTRIC MOTOR – DC MOTORS

Reading passage 1:
Most magnetic motors are rotary, but linear types also exist. In a rotary motor, the rotating
part (usually on the inside) is called the rotor, and the stationary part is called the stator. The
rotor rotates because the wires and magnetic field are arranged so that a torque is developed
about the rotor's axis. The motor contains electromagnets that are wound on a frame.
Though this frame is often called the armature, that term is often erroneously applied.
Correctly, the armature is that part of the motor across which the input voltage is supplied.
Depending upon the design of the machine, either the rotor or the stator can serve as the
armature.

One of the first electromagnetic rotary motors was invented by Michael Faraday in
1821.The modern DC motor was invented by accident in 1873, The classic DC motor has a
rotating armature in the form of an electromagnet with two poles. A rotary switch called a
commutator reverses the direction of the electric current twice every cycle, to flow through
the armature so that the poles of the electromagnet push and pull against the permanent
magnets on the outside of the motor. As the poles of the armature electromagnet pass the
poles of the permanent magnets, the commutator reverses the polarity of the armature
electromagnet. During that instant of switching polarity, inertia keeps the classical motor
going in the proper direction.

True/ False:

1. Most magnetic motors are stationary.

2. The rotor rotates because the wires and magnetic field.
3. Depending upon the design of the machine, not only rotor but also stator serve as the
armature.
4. DC motor was invented by accident in 1873.

5. The classic DC motor has a rotating armature in the form of an electromagnet

with a couple of poles.

Describe the process as drawn below by using information from

passage 1 :

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Reading passage 2:
DC motor speed generally depends on a combination of the voltage and current flowing in
the motor coils and the motor load or braking torque. The speed of the motor is proportional
to the voltage, and the torque is proportional to the current. The speed is typically controlled
by altering the voltage or current flow by using taps in the motor windings or by having a
variable voltage supply.

As this type of motor can develop quite high torque at low speed it is often used in traction
applications such as locomotives.

However, there are a number of limitations in the classic design, many due to the need for
brushes to rub against the commutator. The rubbing creates friction, and the higher the
speed, the harder the brushes have to press to maintain good contact. Not only does this
friction make the motor noisy, but it also creates an upper limit on the speed and causes the
brushes eventually to wear out and to require replacement. The imperfect electric contact
also causes electrical noise in the attached circuit. These problems vanish when you turn the
motor inside out, putting the permanent magnets on the inside and the coils on the outside
thus designing out the need for brushes in a brushless design. However such designs need
electronic circuits to control the switching of the electromagnets (the function that is
performed in conventional motors by the commutator).

Wound field DC motor

The permanent magnets on the outside (stator) of a DC motor may be replaced by

electromagnets. By varying the field current it is possible to alter the speed/torque ratio of
the motor. Typically the field winding will be placed in series (series wound) with the
armature winding to get a high torque low speed motor, in parallel (shunt wound) with the
armature to get a high speed low torque motor, or to have a winding partly in parallel, and
partly in series (compound wound) for a balance. Further reductions in field current are
possible to gain even higher speed but correspondingly lower torque. This technique is ideal
for electric traction and many similar applications where its use can eliminate the
requirement for a mechanically variable transmission. Generally speaking the rotational
speed of a DC motor is proportional to the voltage applied to it, speed control can be
achieved by variable battery tappings, resistors or electronic controls. The direction of a
wound field DC motor can be changed by reversing either the field or armature connections
but not both, this is commonly done with a special set contactors (direction contactors).

Work in group of 5 students to discuss about these details as said

below and then present in front of class :

1. The speed of DC motors.

2. Advantages and disadvantages of DC motors. Give solution for disadvantages.
3. Types of wound field.

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4. The characteristic of series wound, shunt wound, compound wound.
5. How to control the speed of DC motors.
6. How to change the direction of a wound field DC motor.
7. Applications of DC
motor. ..................................................................................................................................
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Reading passage 3:
Universal motors

A variant of the wound field DC motor is the universal motor. The name derives from the
fact that it may use AC or DC supply current, although in practice they are nearly always
used with AC supplies. The principle is that in a wound field DC motor the current in both
the field and the armature (and hence the resultant magnetic fields) will alternate (reverse
polarity) at the same time, and hence the mechanical force generated is always the same. In
practice the motor must be specially designed to cope with the AC current
(impedance/reluctance must be taken into account), and the resultant motor is generally less
efficient than an equivalent pure DC motor.

The advantage of the universal motor is that AC supplies may be used on motors which have
the typical characteristics of DC motors, specifically high starting torque and very compact
design if high running speeds are used. The negative aspect is the maintenance and
reliability problems caused by the commutator, and as a result such motors will rarely be
found in industry but are the most common type of AC supplied motor in devices such as
food mixers and power tools which are only used intermittently.
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Continuous speed control of a universal motor running on AC is very easily accomplished
using a thyristor circuit while stepped speed control can be accomplished using multiple taps
on the field coil. Household blenders that advertise many speeds frequently combine a field
coil with several taps and a diode that can be inserted in series with the motor (causing the
motor to run on half-wave DC with half the RMS voltage of the AC power line).
Fill in the gaps in the following sentences by using information from
passage 1 and 3 :
1. Commutator is an electrical switch that periodically reverses the current in an
electric motor or electrical generator.
2. Thyristori a solid-state semiconductor device with four layers of alternating N and P-
type material.
3. The rotoris one of the two principal components of an electro-mechanical machine-a
motor or generator.
4. Torque can be thought of informally as "rotational force".
5. Alternating current is abbreviated to AC
6. Directcurrent is abbreviated to DC
7. Rootmeansquare is abbreviated to RMS
8. Roundper minute is abbreviation to RPM
9. Potential Earth is abbreviated to PE

Grammar:

Article : A / An

Prepositions: up, of, with, into

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Conjunctions:

Co-ordinating conjunctions : and, but, both...........and, or, either ...........or, neither.........nor,

not only....but also.

Eg : Not only rotor but also stator serve as the armature.

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