Types of Electric Motor | AC and DC Motor Types

In this article, we shall discuss about different types of electric

motor. As on today, the electric motors play an important role in
almost every segments of industry, as well as also used in a wide
variety of domestic applications. There are several types of
electric motor available in market, based on their voltage and
operation you can choose the suitable one.
Electric motors are classified in three major segments, that is DC
motor, AC motor and special purpose motors. In which, different
types of DC motor are: Series wound, Shunt wound, Compound
wound and PMDC Motor. In the other hand, different types of AC
Motor are: synchronous motor and asynchronous induction motor.
And some commonly used special purpose motors are stepper
motor, servomotor, linear induction motor etc.
Types of DC Motors
We know that, any motor has two main components inside it,
namely the field winding and the armature winding. Field winding
generates the static magnetic field, and the armature coil
resembles a piece of conductor kept into the magnetic field. Due
to the magnetic field, armature experiences a force and which
cause to generate a sufficient torque to rotate the motor shaft.
Now, the main classification of DC motor can be done by the
different connections of field winding and armature winding. In
other words we can say, types of DC motors are purely based
on how the field coil and armature is connected with each other.
DC SERIES MOTOR
You can get an idea from the name itself. The word series defines
that, here the field coil and armature coil is connected in a series
circuit. The same current will flow through the armature and field.
Let us consider the armature current is Ia and field current is Ise.
As per the Kirchhoff current law, Total current will be I = Ia = Ise.
Now check the diagram carefully. It is clear that, the field coil is
carrying the total armature current through it. So the field coil
should be low in resistance. That is why, a few turns of thick
copper wire is used to design the field coil.

DC SHUNT MOTOR
Same way, in DC shunt Motor the field coil and armature winding
is connected in parallel connection. In electrical dictionary, the
word “shunt” means parallel connection. The type of DC motor is
very common in practical use. Let us consider the armature
current is Ia and field current is Ish. As per the Kirchhoff current
law, Total current I = Ia = Ish, where Ish is shunt field current. As
per the connection diagram you can clearly observe that, the field
coil is connected with the full supply voltage. To withstand with
this voltage, the field coils are designed with fine copper wires
and consist several number of turns.
DC COMPOUND MOTOR
This type of DC motor is basically a hybrid module of DC series
motor and DC shunt motor. In a compound motor, both series
field and shunt field are present. Applying the concepts of earlier
discussion, the shunt coil is designed with several turns of fine
copper wires, in order to receive the full input voltage. Whereas,
the series field coil is made with few turns of thick copper wires,
to provide a low resistance path. In fact, the DC compound motor
can be classified again in two categories, namely short shunt
compound motor and long shunt compound motor.

PERMANENT MAGNET DC MOTORS

As on now, we have discussed the DC motors which copper coils
or winding to develop the magnetic field. But PMDC motors use
permanent magnets to develop the field excitation. The field
magnets are mounted inside the casing, and the other parts
remain the same, like DC armature, carbon brushes and
commutators. As the field flux is not changeable, so the speed of
a PMDC motor can be only controlled by regulating the armature
voltage. This motors are used in several battery operated
applications, like portable drills, mixers, grinders, trimmer,
electric tooth brushes etc.
Types of AC motors
Now we have covered a small portion on different types of electric
motor. As on today, AC power is more common as compared with
DC power.  An AC motor has several advantages over DC motor,
they provide good speed regulation features. The types of AC
motor are based on their internal construction and operation
method. We shall briefly discuss for the most common types with
their connection diagram. There are two types of AC supply,
single phase 230 Volt AC and three phase 415 Volt AC. Single
phase supply is used in domestic applications, whereas three
phase is mainly used in industrial segments. As per the principle
of operation, AC motors can be categorized in two basic category,
Asynchronous induction motor and synchronous motor.

Synchronous Motor: It is usually operated by three phase AC

supply. The field current generated by the stator part, rotates in a
constant speed depending the AC frequency. And the rotor follows
the same speed of stator current. There is no gap in between
rotor speed and the speed of stator current, in case of an ideal
synchronous motor. The tendency of running synchronously with
respect to the stator current, is the main reason behind the name
“Synchronous motor”. As the precision level of rotation is quite
high, so this motors are used in modern robotics, high intensity
automation etc.
Single Phase Induction Motor: This is most common type of
AC motor you can see in daily applications. Here the speed of
rotor is slower than the speed of synchronous speed, and always
depends on the applied load. That means, if you increase the
connected load, the speed of motor will be decreased. As per the
rotor construction, there are two types of AC induction motor,
namely slip ring and squirrel cage type. You can find these motors
in water pumps, small table fans, mixer grinders, fruit juicers and
many more appliances, those are operated by 230 Volt AC supply.
Three Phase Induction Motor: The principle of operation is
same here, but the basic difference is in applied voltage. Instead
of single phase 230 VAC supply, here we use 415 Volt three phase
supply to operate the motor. These motors are used in heavy
applications like air conditions, air compressors, blowers, big size
cooling fans etc.
Special purpose Motors
You can guess from the name, these type motors are very
specially designed to perform specific actions. Modern age
scientists did several researches on conventional DC and AC
motors, and developed special motors like reluctance motors,
servomotors and stepper motor etc.
DC and AC Servomotor: As on now, we have discussed such
motors which are giving continuous mechanical energy by a
constant rotary movement. However, servomotor operation is
completely different than others. They are basically used as
control motors, where very fast response speed is required. The
speed of rotation is not the prime factor here. According to the
design, servomotors can be used in DC or AC power. Their size is
typically smaller as compared with conventional motors. You can
find servomotors in robotics, radars, process control equipment,
guiding systems where the precision of the operation is the main
concern.
Stepper Motor: This motor can provide step angle rotation,
instead of constant rotation. Let us explain the matter in brief. We
know that the complete rotation angle for any rotor is 180 degree.
In a stepper motor the full rotation angle is divided in several
steps, like 10 degree X 18 steps. That means, in a complete
rotation cycle the rotor will move stepwise 18 times, each time 10
degree. They are used in robotics based automations like circuit
fabrications, plotters, automatic movement generators, process
control equipment etc.
Linear Induction Motor: A linear induction motor (in short LIM),
provide linear scale movement, instead of rotary movement. They
are mainly operated by three phase AC power, and used in short
gap transportation for heavy goods, material handling etc.
Reluctance Motor: This is basically a single phase synchronous
motor, and the construction is quite similar with cage type
induction motor. The rotor is squirrel cage type and the stator
consist of two set of windings, namely main winding and auxiliary
winding. The auxiliary winding is useful during the starting time of
the motor. They provide a smooth operation with a constant
speed, and widely used in synchronization applications like
recorders, signal generators etc.
Hysteresis Motor: The operation is very unique in case of
hysteresis motor. Here the rotor induced eddy current and
hysteresis both are used to generate the useful torque.
Depending upon the construction, this motor maybe operated by
single phase supply or three phase supply. They also provide very
smooth operation with a constant speed, same like other
synchronous motors. Their noise level is quite low, and that is why
they are used in several sophisticated applications where sound
proof motor is the requirement, like audio recorder or sound
player etc.