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DC MOTORS

DC Motors
DC Motor is a Machine which converts Electrical energy into
Mechanical energy. Dc motors are used in steel plants, paper mills,
textile mills, cranes, printing presses, Electrical locomotives etc.

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Working principle
It works on principle that ‘When a current carrying

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conductor is placed in magnetic field, it experiences a force and the direction of the force is
given by Fleming’s left hand rule’. Fleming’s left hand rule states that “Stretch out the first

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finger, second finger and thumb of your left hand so that they are at right angles to one
another. The first finger points the direction of magnetic field from N-pole to S-pole, second

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finger points the direction of current and thumb will indicates the direction rotation of
conductor”
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ed
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a ks
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Consider a conductor is placed in magnetic field. When a DC supply is connected to

conductor, current flows through it which sets up its own flux around the conductor as shown
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in fig.(1). Let, the flux from N-pole to S-pole is main flux and the flux around the conductor is
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flux due to current carrying conductor. Now the interaction of both main flux and flux due to
current carrying conductor, a force may act on conductor and conductor moves in anti-clock
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wise direction as shown in fig. (2).

Back EMF & its Significance
When a current carrying conductor (Armature winding) is
placed in a magnetic field, torque develops and conductor (Armature)
rotates the armature conductors cutting the magnetic field and an emf
will be induced across the armature conductors. The direction of
induced emf is opposite to the applied voltage. That is why this

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Φ ZN P
induced emf is called back emf (Eb) and the magnitude of the back emf is (Eb) = *
60 A
The equivalent circuit of dc motor is as shown in fig. (3). From the diagram the
Vt - Eb
armature current (Ia) = . The main significance of the back emf is when the back emf is
Ra
zero, the armature current may be 4to 5 times the normal current. When the back emf is
increases, the armature current is limited to its normal current i.e the back emf acts as safety
valve.

Types of D.C. Motors

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DC Motors are generally classified into three groups according to their field excitation. Those

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are
(i) d.c. Shunt Motor

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(ii) d.c. Series Motor

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(iii) d.c Compound Motor

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DC Shunt Motor
In a DC Shunt Motor, the field winding is connected in parallel with the armature
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winding as shown in fig (5). The shunt field winding has many turns of thin wire having high
resistance. Therefore, a part of armature current flows through shunt field winding and the
remaining current flows through the load.
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From the diagram,

Shunt field current Ish = Vt / Rsh
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Armature current IL = Ia + Ish (or) Ia = IL - Ish

Terminal voltage Vt = Eb + Ia Ra + B. D
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Generated EMF Eb = Vt - Ia Ra - B. D
Power developed in armature = Eg Ia
a

Power delivered to load = Vt IL = Vt (Ia – Ish)

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Where Ia = Armature current, Ra = Armature

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Resistance, Vt = Terminal voltage, IL = Load current

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and B.D = Brush contact drop

DC Series Motor
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If the field winding is connected in series with armature winding as shown in fig.(6) is
called DC Series Motor. The series field winding has a few
turns of thick having low resistance.
From the circuit,
Armature current = Series field current = Load current
i.e Ia = Ise = IL
Terminal voltage, Vt = Eb + Ia Ra + Ise Rse + B. D
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= Eb + Ia (Ra + Rse) + B. D
Generated EMF Eb = Vt - Ia (Ra + Rse) - B. D
Power developed in armature = Eb Ia
In put Power = Vt IL = Vt Ia (since Ia = IL)
Where Ia = Armature current, Ra = Armature Resistance, Vt = Terminal voltage, IL = Load
current and B.D = Brush contact drop

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DC Compound Motor
In a DC compound motor, there are two sets of field windings on each pole, one is in

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series with the armature and the other in parallel with the armature. Based on these field
winding connections, the DC compound moors are classified into
(i) Long shunt compound motor

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(ii) Short shunt compound motor

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Long shunt compound motor

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In a Long Shunt Compound motor, the shunt field winding is in parallel with both series
field and armature winding as shown in fig. (7).
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From the diagram
Shunt field current Ish = Vt / Rsh
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Armature current IL = Ia + Ish (or) Ia or Ise = IL - Ish

Terminal voltage Vt = Eb + Ia Ra + Ise Rse) + B. D
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Generated EMF Eg = Vt - Ia Ra - Ise Rse - B. D

= Vt - Ia (Ra + Rse) - B. D
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Power developed in armature = Eb Ia

Input Power = Vt IL = Vt (Ia + Ish)
a

Where
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Ia = Armature current,
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Ra = Armature Resistance,
Vt = Terminal voltage,
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IL = Load current and

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B.D = Brush contact drop

Short shunt compound motor

In a Short Shunt Compound motor, the shunt field
winding is connected in parallel with armature winding only
as shown in fig. (8).
From the diagram

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Series field current Ise = IL = Ia + Ish
Armature current Ia = Ise - Ish
Terminal voltage Vt = Eb + Ia Ra + Ise Rse + B. D
Generated EMF Eb = Vt - Ia Ra - Ise Rse - B. D
Power developed in armature = Eb Ia
Input Power = Vt IL
Where Ia = Armature current, Ra = Armature Resistance, Vt = Terminal voltage, IL = Load

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current
and B.D = Brush contact drop

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Armature Torque (Ta) Equation of D.C. Motor

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Torque is defined as ‘turning and twisting movement of force about an axis’.
Mathematically, Torque can be defined as product of force and the radius at which the force is

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act i. T = F*r.

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Let a pulley with a radius of ‘ r ‘ is rotating with a speed of N rpm, a
force of F newtons is acting on the pulley. Then
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Work done by the force = Force * Distance
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= F * 2 π r joules

Power developed = Work done * time

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[time = time required to complete a revolution = N/60]

= F * 2 π r * N/60
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= (F * r ) 2 π N/60
= T 2 π N/60 watts
If the torque developed by the motor is Ta ,
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The Power developed in armature (Pa ) = Ta 2 π N/60 watts --------------------- (1)

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But Power developed in armature (Pa ) = Eb Ia ------------------------------- (2)

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From equations (1) & (2), Ta 2 π N/60 = Eb Ia

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Eb Ia
Ta =
2Π N / 60
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1 P
Ta = * φZIa
2Π A
P
Armature torque Ta = 0.159 φZIa
A
Shaft Torque (Tsh)
A part of armature torque is lost as Iron & Mechanical losses, the remaining torque is
available at shaft of the motor, this torque is called shaft torque (Tsh). Practically, shaft torque
(Tsh) is less than armature torque (Ta).

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Output Power
Shaft torque (Tsh) = 9.55
N

Losses & Effiency of a D.C. Machine

Losses of a D.C. Machine
The losses in a d.c. machine (generator or motor) may be divided into three classes. Those are
(i) copper losses
(ii) iron or core losses and
(iii) mechanical losses.

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Copper losses
The copper losses are directly proportional to square of the current passing through the
winding. Copper losses due to currents in the various windings of the machine are:

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(i) Armature copper loss = Ia2 Ra ; Where Ia is the armature current and Ra armature

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resistance.

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(ii) Shunt field copper loss = Ish2 Rsh ; Where Ish is the shunt field current and Rsh shunt field
resistance.
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(iii) Series field copper loss = Ise2 Rse ; Where Ise is the series field current & Rse series field
resistance.
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Iron or Core losses

These losses occur in the armature of a d.c. machine and are due to the rotation of
armature in the magnetic field of the poles. They are of two types
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(i) Hysteresis loss

(ii) Eddy current loss.
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Hysteresis loss
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The Hysteresis loss, Ph α η Bm 1.6 f V watts

Where Bm = Maximum flux density in armature, f = Frequency, V = Volume of armature in
.s

m3
η = Steinmetz hysteresis co-efficient
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In order to reduce this loss in a d.c. machine, armature core is made of silicon steel
material, because the silicon steel material has a low value of Steinmetz hysteresis co-efficient.
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Eddy current loss:

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The Eddy current loss, Pe α Ke Bm2 f2 t2 V watts

Where Ke = Constant , Bm = Maximum flux density in Wb/m2, f = Frequency t = Thickness of
lamination in mts and V = Volume of core in m3
Eddy current losses can be reduced by laminating the armature core and pole core.
Mechanical losses
These losses are due to friction and windage effects. Mechanical losses are classified into
two classes, those are
(i) Friction loss (These losses are due to friction at bearings and brushes)

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(ii) Windage loss (These losses are due air friction of rotating armature).
These losses depend upon the speed of the machine. But for a given speed, they are practically
constant.
Since the iron and mechanical losses are independent of load, these losses are called as
constant losses. But the copper loss depends on load or load current, so the copper losses are
called as variable losses. The constant losses and Shunt field copper losses are combinely
called as stray losses. Therefore the total losses are the sum of constant losses and variable
losses.
Effiency of a D.C. Machine

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The power stage diagram of a DC Machine is as shown in figure(9).

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for DC Generator
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The efficiency of a d.c. generator is not constant but varies with load. Consider a shunt
generator delivering a load current IL at a terminal voltage Vt .
Generator output = Vt IL
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Generator input = Output + Losses

= Vt IL + Variable losses + Constant losses
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= Vt IL + Ia2 Ra + Pi
= Vt IL + (IL + Ish) 2 Ra + Pi (Ia = IL + Ish)
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Output power VtIL

Generator Effiency (ηgen) = * 100 = * 100
.s

2
Input power VtIL + (IL + Ish) Ra + Pi
For DC Motor
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The efficiency of a d.c. motor is not constant but varies with load. Consider a shunt motor
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delivering a load current IL at a terminal voltage Vt .

Motor Input = Vt IL
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Motor Output = Input - Losses

= Vt IL - Variable losses - Constant losses
= Vt IL - Ia2 Ra - Pi
= Vt IL - (IL - Ish) 2 Ra - Pi (Ia = IL - Ish)
Output power VtIL
Motor Effiency (ηmotor) = * 100 = 2
* 100
Input power Vt IL - (IL - Ish) Ra - Pi

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D.C. Motor Characteristics

The performance of a d.c. motor can be measured from its characteristic curves known
as motor
Characteristics, below mentioned are the three important characteristics of a d.c. motor:

(i) Torque and Armature current characteristic (Ta/Ia)

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It is the curve between armature torque Ta and armature current Ia of a d.c. motor.
It is also known as electrical characteristic of the motor.

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(ii) Speed and armature current characteristic (N/Ia)
It is the curve between speed N and armature current Ia of a d.c. motor. It is very

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important characteristic in the selection of the motor for a particular application.

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(iii) Speed and torque characteristic (N/Ta)
It is the curve between speed N and armature torque Ta of a d.c. motor. It is also

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known as mechanical characteristic.
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Characteristics of Shunt Motor
The connections of a d.c. shunt motor is shown in fig.(9). The field current Ish is
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constant since the field winding is directly connected to the constant supply voltage Vt. Hence,
the flux in a shunt motor is constant (Φ sh).
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a ks
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(i) Ta/Ia Characteristic: We know that in a d.c. motor, Ta /Ia. Since the motor is operating
from a Φ constant supply voltage, flux is constant.
Ta Ia
Hence Ta/Ia characteristic is a straight line passing through the origin as shown in Fig. (10).
It is clear from the curve that a very large current is required to start a heavy load. Therefore, a
shunt motor should not be started on heavy load.

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(iii) N/Ia

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Characteristic
Eb
The speed N of a. d.c. motor is given by N α . The flux (Φ) in a shunt motor is
φ

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almost constant under normal conditions. Therefore, the speed of a shunt motor will
remain constant as the armature current varies. But practically, when load is increased,

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load current IL and armature current Ia also increased (since Ia = IL+ Ish). Therefore
the back emf Eb =(Vt- Ia Ra) decrease due to the armature resistance drop and results

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in slightly decrease in the speed of the motor.

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(iv) N/Ta Characteristic
The curve is obtained by plotting the values of N and Ta for various armature currents.
It may be seen that speed falls as the load torque increases as shown in N/Ta
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characteristics.
Characteristics of Series Motor
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The connections of a d.c. series motor is shown in fig.(11).

From the circuit IL = Ise = Ia.
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If the load on the motor increases, then the armature current also increases. Hence, the flux in a series
motor increases with the increase in armature current (Φ If ) and vice-versa.
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(i) Ta/Ia Characteristic:

We know that: Ta Ia
Before saturation, Φ Ia so that Ta I2a and after magnetic saturation, Φ is constant so
that Ta Φ Ia. Therefore up to saturation, Torque Vs Armature current curve is a parabola and

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after saturation, torque is directly proportional to the armature current. Therefore, Ta/Ia
curve after saturation is a straight line as shown in fig.(12).

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(ii) N/Ia Characteristic:
Eb 1
The speed N of a. d.c. motor is given by N α . For constant back emf, speed N α

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φ φ
1
but the flux (Φ) field current (Ise = Ia). Therefore the speed N α . Thus, the Speed

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Ia
(N) Vs armature current (Ia) curve is hyperbolic as shown in Fig. (13).
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(iii) N/Ta Characteristic: The speed (N) Vs Torque (Ta) characteristic of a series motor is
shown in
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Fig. (14).

Speed Control of D.C. Shunt Motor

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There are two methods to control the speed of a d.c. motor, namely:
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(i) Armature Control Method (ii) Flux Control Method

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Armature Control Method

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Eb
We know that the speed of a d.c. motor is N α
φ
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Vt - Ia Ra
or N= K
φ
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From the above equation it is clear that, by varying the back emf (Eb) the speed of the motor
can be varied. The following figure shows the arrangement for armature control method. In
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this method an additional resistance of R ohms is connected in series with the armature.

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Now the speed of the motor N Eb i.e N Vt – Ia (Ra + R). Due to the voltage drop in
resistance (R), the back e.m.f. (Eb) is decreased. Since N Eb, the speed of the motor is reduced
from the normal speed. This method gives the speeds always less than the normal speeds.
The main drawbacks of this method are
(i) A large amount of power is wasted in the resistance (R) since it carries full armature

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current Ia.

(ii) The output and efficiency of the motor are reduced due to large amount of power is

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wasted in the resistance (R).

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(iii) This method results in poor speed regulation.
Flux or Field Control Method

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Eb
We know that the speed of a d.c. motor is N α
φ

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From the above equation it is clear that, by varying the flux (Φ), the speed of the motor can be
varied hence it is called flux or field control method. The following figure shows the
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arrangement for flux control method. In this method an additional resistance of R ohms is
connected in series with the shunt field winding.
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a ks
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By increasing the additional resistance, the flux (Φ) decreases, this results in increase in speed
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from the normal speed. This method always gives the speeds above the normal speed.
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Advantages
(i) This is an easy and convenient method.

(ii) It is an inexpensive method since very little power is wasted in additional resistance (R)
due to shunt field current Ish.

The main drawback of this method is only speeds higher than the normal speed can be
obtained since the total field circuit resistance cannot be reduced below the shunt field
resistance (Rsh).
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