M AGNETISM AND E LECTROMAGNETISM

S N S N

0 0
A B A B C
vind vind
Position B: Loop is moving perpendicular to flux lines, Position C: Loop is moving parallel with flux lines,
and voltage is maximum. and voltage is zero.

S N S N

0 0
A B C D A B C D A
vind vind
Position D: Loop is moving perpendicular to flux lines, Position A: Loop is moving parallel with flux lines,
and voltage is maximum. and voltage is zero.

䊱 FIGURE 37
Operation of a basic dc generator.

so the induced voltage is zero. As the loop continues in its rotation, the induced voltage
builds up to a maximum at position B, as shown in part (a) of the figure. Then, as the loop
continues from B to C, the voltage decreases to zero at position C, as shown in part (b).
During the second half of the revolution, shown in Figure 37(c) and (d), the brushes
switch to opposite commutator sections, so the polarity of the voltage remains the same
across the output. Thus, as the loop rotates from position C to position D and then back to
position A, the voltage increases from zero at C to a maximum at D and back to zero at A.
Figure 38 shows how the induced voltage varies as the wire loop in the dc generator
goes through several rotations (three in this case). This voltage is a dc voltage because its
polarities do not change. However, the voltage is pulsating between zero and its maximum
value.
In practical generators, multiple coils are pressed into slots in a ferromagnetic-core as-
sembly. The entire assembly, called the rotor, is connected to bearings and rotates in the
magnetic field. Figure 39 is a diagram of the rotor core with no wire loops (coils)