ELECTRICAL SKILLS (EEPW2241)

DC Motors

The DC motor is similar to a DC generator; in fact, the same machine can act as a
motor or generator. The only difference is that in a generator the EMF is greater
than the terminal voltage, whereas in a motor the generated EMF (counter EMF) is
less than the terminal voltage. That is, the motor converts electrical energy into
mechanical energy, the reverse process of that of the generator.

Advantages of a DC motor

1. Highly versatile machines.

2. Better suited for many industrial processes that demand a high degree of
flexibility in the control of speed and torque.
3. Can provide high starting torques as well as high decelerating torques for
applications requiring quick stoppage or reversals.
4. Speed control over a wide range is relatively easy to achieve in comparison
with all other electromechanical energy conversion devices.

Counter EMF of a DC motor

When a voltage is applied to the DC motor, current will flow into the positive brush
through the commutator into the armature winding. The motor armature winding is
identical to that of the generator armature winding. Thus conductors under the
north field poles carry current in one direction, while all conductors under the south
field poles carry current in the opposite direction. When the armature carries a
current it will produce a magnetic field of its own, which will interact with the main
field. The result is that there is a force developed in all conductors, tending to turn
the armature.

Source:
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With the armature rotating as a result of motor action, the armature conductors
continually cut through this resultant field. Thus voltages are generated in the very
same conductors that experience force action. When operating, the motor is
simultaneously acting as a generator. Naturally, motor action is stronger than
generator action, because the current is fixed by the polarity of the supply.
Although the counter EMF opposes the supply voltage, it cannot exceed the applied
voltage. In this respect, the counter EMF serves to limit the current in the armature
winding. The armature current will be limited to a value just sufficient to take care
of the developed power needed to drive the load.

If no load is connected to the motor shaft, the counter EMF will almost equal the
applied voltage. The power developed by the armature in this case is just that
power needed to overcome the rotational losses.

Basic Construction of a DC Motor

1. Body-The body constitutes the outer shell within which all the other parts are
housed. This will be closed at both the ends by two end covers which also support
the bearings required to facilitate the rotation of the rotor and the shaft. Even
though for the generation of an emf in a conductor a relative movement between
the field and the conductor would be enough, due to practical considerations of
commutation, a rotating conductor configuration is selected for d.c. machines.
Hence the shell or frame supports the poles and yoke of the magnetic system. In
many cases the shell forms part of the magnetic circuit itself. Cast steel is used as a
material for the frame and yoke as the flux does not vary in these parts. In large
machines these are fabricated by suitably welding the different parts. Those are
called as fabricated frames. Fabrication as against casting avoids expensive
patterns. In small special machines these could be made of stack of lamination
suitably fastened together to form a solid structure.

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2. Main poles– Solid poles of fabricated steel with separate/integral pole shoes are
fastened to the frame by means of bolts. Pole shoes are generally laminated.
Sometimes pole body and pole shoe are formed from the same lamination.
Stiffeners are used on both sides of the lamination. Riveted through bolts hold the
assembly together. The pole shoes are shaped so as to have a slightly increased air
gap at the tips.

Inter-poles-These are small additional poles located in between the main poles.
These can be solid, or laminated just as the main poles. These are also fastened to
the yoke by bolts. Sometimes the yoke may be slotted to receive these poles. The
inter poles could be of tapered section or of uniform cross section. These are also
called as commutating poles or compoles. The width of the tip of the compole can
be about a rotor slot pitch.

3. Armature– The armature is where the moving conductors are located. The
armature is constructed by stacking laminated sheets of silicon steel. Thickness of
this lamination’s kept low to reduce eddy current losses. As the lamination’s carry
alternating flux the choice of suitable material, insulation coating on the
laminations, stacking it etc are to be done more carefully. The core is divided into
packets to facilitate ventilation .The winding cannot be placed on the surface of the
rotor due to the mechanical forces coming on the same. Open parallel sided equally
spaced slots are normally punched in the rotor laminations. These slots house the
armature winding. Large sized machines employ a spider on which the laminations
are stacked in segments. End plates are suitably shaped so as to serve as ’Winding
supporters’. Armature construction process must ensure provision of sufficient axial
and radial ducts to facilitate easy removal of heat from the armature winding

4. Field windings- In the case of wound field machines (as against permanent
magnet excited machines) the field winding takes the form of a concentric coil
wound around the main poles. These carry the excitation current and produce the
main field in the machine .Thus the poles are created electromagnetically. Two
types of windings are generally employed. In shunt winding large number of turns
of small section copper conductor is used. The resistance of such winding would be
an order of magnitude larger than the armature winding resistance. In the case of
series winding a few turns of heavy cross section conductor is used. The resistance
of such windings is low and is comparable to armature resistance. Some machines
may have both the windings on the poles .The total ampere turns required to
establish the necessary flux under the poles is calculated from the magnetic circuit
calculations. The total mmf required is divided equally between north and south
poles as the poles are produced in pairs. The mmf required to be shared between
shunt and series windings are apportioned as per the design requirements. As these
work on the same magnetic system they are in the form of concentric coils. Mmf
’per pole’ is normally used in these calculations.

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5. Armature winding -As mentioned earlier, if the armature coils are wound on
the surface of the armature, such construction becomes mechanically weak. The
conductors may fly away when the armature starts rotating. Hence the armature
windings are in general pre-formed, taped and lowered into the open slots on the
armature. In the case of small machines, they can be hand wound. The coils are
prevented from flying out due to the centrifugal forces by means of bands of steel
wire on the surface of the rotor in small groves cut into it. In the case of large
machines slot wedges are additionally used to restrain the coils from flying away.
The end portion of the windings are taped at the free end and bound to the winding
carrier ring of the armature at the commutator end. The armature must be
dynamically balanced to reduce the centrifugal forces at the operating speeds.

6. Compensating winding– One may find a bar winding housed in the slots on
the pole shoes. his is mostly found in d.c. machines of very large rating. Such
winding is called compensating winding.

7. Commutator- Commutator is the key element which made the d.c. machine of
the present day possible. It consists of copper segments tightly fastened together
with mica/micanite insulating separators on an insulated base. The whole
commutator forms a rigid and solid assembly of insulated copper strips and can
rotate at high speeds. Each commutator segment is provided with a ’riser’ where
the ends of the armature coils get connected. The surface of the commutator is
machined and surface is made concentric with the shaft and the current collecting
brushes rest on the same. Under-cutting the mica insulators that are between these
commutator segments has to be done periodically to avoid fouling of the surface of
the commutator by mica when the commutator gets worn out..

8. Brush and brush holders– Brushes rest on the surface of the commutator.
Normally electro-graphite is used as brush material. The actual composition of the
brush depends on the peripheral speed of the commutator and the working voltage.
The hardness of the graphite brush is selected to be lower than that of the
commutator. When the brush wears out the graphite works as a solid lubricant
reducing frictional coefficient .More number of relatively smaller width brushes are
preferred in place of large broad brushes. The brush holders provide slots for the
brushes to be placed. Brush holder with a Brush and Positioning of the brush on the
commutator from the brush is taken out by means of flexible pigtail. The brushes
are kept pressed on the commutator with the help of springs. This is to ensure
proper contact between the brushes and the commutator even under high speeds
of operation. Jumping of brushes must be avoided to ensure arc free current
collection.

9. Other mechanical parts- End covers, fan and shaft bearings form other
important mechanical parts. End covers are completely solid or have opening for

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ventilation. They support the bearings which are on the shaft. Proper machining is
to be ensured for easy assembly. Fans can be external or internal. In most
machines the fan is on the non-commutator end sucking the air from the
commutator end and throwing the same out. Adequate quantity of hot air removal
has to be ensured.

10. Bearings- Small machines employ ball bearings at both ends. For larger
machines roller bearings are used especially at the driving end. The bearings are
mounted press-fit on the shaft. They are housed inside the end shield in such a
manner that it is not necessary to remove the bearings from the shaft for
dismantling. The bearings must be kept in closed housing with suitable lubricant
keeping dust and other foreign materials away. Thrust bearings, roller bearings,
pedestal bearings etc. are used under special cases. Care must be taken to see that
there are no bearing currents or axial forces on the shaft both of which destroy the
bearings.

Classification of a DC Motor

1. Series DC Motor

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2. Shunt DC Motor

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 3. Compound DC Motor

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Sample Problems:

1. A DC motor operates at 1680rpm when drawing 28A from a 230V supply. If

the armature resistance is 0.25Ω, calculate the no-load speed if Ia = 0A at
no load. (This amounts to assuming that all losses are negligible.)
2. For the motor of example #1, determine;
a. The developed power under loaded condition
b. The torque developed under the given load
3. A series motor takes 40A at 460V while hoisting a load at 6 m/s. The
armature plus field resistance is 0.48Ω. Determine the resistance to be
placed in series with the motor to slow the hoisting speed to 4 m/s. Assume
linear operation on the magnetization curve.
4. A 120V shunt motor has the following parameters: Ra = 0.40Ω, Rf = 120Ω,
and rotational loss 240W. On full load the line current is 19.5A and the motor
runs at 1200rpm. Determine (a) developed power (b) output power (c)
output torque (d) efficiency at full load

Reference

Peter F. Ryff, Electrical Machinery, Prentice Hall Career and Technology, 2nd
Edition, 1994, ISBN 0-13-475625

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