Rotor Bar Current: How To Determine
1 pole pitch
By Chuck Yung
EASA Technical Support Specialist
Occasionally, someone asks how
much current a squirrel cage rotor bar
carries. That’s an interesting question,
and the answer depends on several
factors. The rotor kVA* of a wound
rotor motor is typically about 0.8
times the stator kVA.
The rotor rated voltage is open
circuit—a condition than cannot exist
in a functional squirrel cage rotor—
and the amps are at rated-load; the
two don’t “coincide,” thus the 0.8
factor. For a squirrel-cage induction
rotor, a multiplier of 0.96 is used
because the magnetizing current
comes from the stator rather than
from the rotor.
Since the rotor is the secondary
winding to the primary stator wind-
ing, the turns ratio of the stator to the
rotor can be calculated if we know the
stator winding data and the number of
rotor bars. (See Figure 1.) To
determine the rotor bars/pole:
Count the rotor bars, divide by the
* kVA is a unit of electrical load equal to (1000 x volts x amps) x 1.732 for 3
phase
** Slip is the difference between synchronous speed and the speed at which the
rotor is actually turning. A 4-pole, 60 Hz machine has a synchronous speed of
1800 rpm. If it actually turns 1780 rpm, the difference of 20 rpm is the slip.
Figure 1. Simplified illustration of the current path and pole pitch of a
squirrel cage rotor.
number of poles, and then divide the
result by 2 (because each bar is only a
half-turn.) The result is the number of
rotor turns/pole. Because of slip**,
the poles rotate slightly faster than the
rotor itself, so it is not uncommon for
the above calculation to result in
fractional turns.
Since the stator and rotor have the
same number of poles, we can ignore
poles when making the calculations.
To calculate the approximate rotor bar
current, use the following equation:
(.96 x stator slots x turns/coil x
stator amps) ÷ [(rotor bars / 2) x
stator circuits x k]
where
k = 1.0 for a wye connection
= 1.732 for a delta connection
For example, consider a 100 hp,
EASA CURRENTS ■ August 2006
1 pole pitch
4-pole motor with 48 slots, 11 turns/
coil, and connected 2-delta @ 460
volts and rated 120 amps. The rotor
has 39 bars.
(.96 x 48 x 11 x 120) ÷ [(39/2) x 2 x
1.732] = 900 rotor amps
The Effect Of Open Bars
Open rotor bars can reduce torque,
causing increased slip. It is the nature
of an induction motor to try to
produce the torque required by the
load. It accomplishes this by slipping
more. Increased slip causes more
current in both the rotor and stator
which in turn produces heat.
So, what happens when a rotor bar
becomes open and can no longer
carry its share of the current? The
nearby bars, under the same magnetic
pole as the open bar, must carry the
additional current that should have
passed through the open bar
(Figure 2). More current raises the
temperature of those bars, increasing
the chance of failure. Subsequent
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 Rotor Bar Current: How To Determine
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rotor bar failures occur close to the

first one(s). Because of slip, bars
within half a pole-pitch either side of
the open bar can be directly affected.
The bars in parallel with that open bar
are continuously changing; visualize a
crowd doing the “wave” at a football 5 parallel bars 1 open bar of 5
game. That is why we often see
clusters of failed bars. 1000 1000
= 200 amps/bar = 250 amps/bar
Of course, fabricated rotors may 5 4
also fail because of metal fatigue—
Figure 2. If 1 of 5 parallel bars becomes open, the remaining 4 bars
strictly a mechanical failure. Each bar
must carry the additional current.
in the rotor is subject to the same
fatigue and thermal cycles, so random
distribution of broken bars does Table 1
occur. Even so, the combination of Stator slot-rotor bar combinations.
fatigue and increased thermal stress
can accelerate the failure rate for bars Poles Noise Cogging Cusp
under the same pole-pitch as each 2 +/- 1, 2, 3, 4 +/- 6, 12, 18, 24 +/- 2, -4, -10
failed bar. 4 +/- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 +/- 12, 24, 48, 60 +/- 4, -8, -20
Increased rotor current in those 6 +/- 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8 +/- 18, 36, 54, 72 +/- 6, -12, -30
bars also affects stator current. 8 +/- 1, 2, 6, 7, 9, 10 +/- 24, 48, 72 +/- 8, -16, -40
Current signature analysis can
reliably detect the resulting pole-
electrical noise, cogging or a cusp primary winding with the secondary
modulated fluctuation in stator
(Table 1). The customer might not open? Only magnetizing current (“no-
current. Other technologies (vibration
realize there is a problem until the load amps”) develops. If you were to
analysis, growler, core tester, so-
motor either fails to start, or fails to try the same thing with a closed
called black boxes, etc.) might reveal
accelerate the load. If the faulty rotor secondary winding (secondary leads
a defective rotor—or not. There are
causes the stator connected to-
several technologies other than
windings to fail, an gether—and
current signature analysis that can Even if multiple tech-
open rotor is easy to definitely not
reveal a defect. For more information, nologies do not reveal
miss. Because a rotor suggested), the
refer to Tech Note 23: Testing of a defective rotor, it
design could have primary winding
Squirrel Cage Rotors under “Tech does not necessarily
any number of bars, draws short-circuit
Notes” in the “Members Only” mean the rotor is good.
there is no quick magnitude current.
section of EASA’s Web site at However, when the
answer to the The results for a
www.easa.com. Unfortunately, even if
question “How many results of several wound-rotor motor
multiple technologies do not reveal a
rotor bars can break technologies agree, the are similar. The
defective rotor, it does not necessarily
without affecting confidence level in- locked rotor current
mean the rotor is good. However,
motor perfor- creases. of the stator is much
when the results of several technolo-
mance?” For one higher when the
gies agree, the confidence level
design, a single open rotor bar can rotor leads are shorted together than
increases.
spell trouble. For another design, with the rotor leads open.
Progressive Bar Failures several open bars may have no When an induction motor attempts
Each additional open bar changes apparent effect on performance. to deliver the torque required by the
the stator slot-rotor bar combination. Using a transformer comparison, load, current increases with slip. This
Eventually, the combination causes what happens when we energize the remains true as additional bars

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Rotor Bar Current: How To Determine
Continued From Page 2

become open. If an endring literally by 3x the poles. For slower machines

falls off—or if most of the rotor bars (6 poles or more), use 1.5x the area of
become open—the stator current a single bar instead. Note that these
would decrease, as the motor ap- estimates are only useful when the
proaches the “open secondary” endrings and bars are of same
condition of our transformer / wound material.
rotor examples. And the rotor would
Conclusion
stop rotating.
The next time a customer insists
Referring back to Figure 1, it is
that he has seen motors run with
evident that the endring carries
broken rotor bars, you can tell him
current for the distance of the pole-
that you have seen people cross the
pitch. The more poles the motor has,
street without looking, too – but you
the shorter the pole-pitch, and the
don’t recommend either one. The fact
fewer the bars connected within the
is that a motor could operate with
pole-pitch. The required endring
open rotor bars, if the torque require-
cross-section therefore decreases.
ment was much less than rated; or
Given a 3-phase machine, a
with poor performance due to
common estimate for the required
increased slip, increased heating and
endring area of 2- or 4-pole machines
reduced efficiency—and premature
is the total area of all the bars, divided
failure of the stator windings likely.

EASA CURRENTS ■ August 2006 3