Experiment No.

4
ELEMENTARY GENERATOR
(Machine Assembly)

Name: Kayezelle Mendoza Date Performed: December 2, 2020

Course/Year: BSME 3GN Date Submitted: December 2, 2020

ENGR. Conrado E. Quinalayao

Rating Instructor
 I. OBJECTIVES

The experiment generally aims to understand the construction and operation of

an elementary generator.

Specifically, it focuses on the succeeding objectives:

1. Construct and assembly elementary generator.
2. Observe the functions of the stator and rotor constructed.
3. Measure the generated voltage.

II. INTRODUCTORY INFORMATION

If the magnetic field windings of a dc machine are connected to a power supply

and the rotor of the machine is turned by an external source of mechanical power,
then a voltage will induce in the conductors of the rotor. This voltage will be rectified
into the dc output by the action of the machine’s commutator.

Now connect a load to the terminals of the machine, and a current will flow in
its armature windings. The current flow will produce a magnetic field of its own,
which will distort the original magnetic field from the machine’s poles. This distortion
of the flux in the machine as the load is increased is called the armature reaction. It
causes two serious problems in real dc machines.

The first problem caused by armature reaction is caused by a natural-plane

shift. The magnetic neutral-plane is defined as the plane within the machine where
the velocity of the rotor wires is exactly parallel to the magnetic field and flux lines, so
that the induced voltage in the conductors in the plane is exactly zero.

To understand the problem of neutral-plane shift, examine Figure 3.1, Figure

4.1a, shows a two-pole dc machine. Notice that the flux is distributed uniformly under
the poles faces. The rotor windings show that voltages built up out of the paper for
wires under the north pole face and into the pages for wires under the south pole
face. The neutral plane in this machine is exactly vertical.

Now suppose a load is connected to this machine so that it acts as a

generator. Current flows out of the positive terminal of the generator, so current
flowing out of the page for wires under the south pole face. This current flow
produces a magnetic field from the rotor windings as shown in Fig. 4.1c. This rotor
magnetic field affects the original magnetic field from the poles that produced the
generator’s voltages in the first place. In some places under the pole surfaces, it
subtracts from the pole flux, and in the other places it adds to the pole flux. The
overall result is that the magnetic field in the air gap of the machine is skewed as
shown Fig. 4.1d and 4.1c. Notice that the place on the rotor where the induced
voltage in a conductor would be zero (the neutral plane) has shifted.

For the generator shown in Fig. 4.1, the magnetic neutral plane shifted in the
direction of the rotation. If this machine had been a motor, the current in its rotor
would be reversed and the flux would bunch up in the opposite corners from the
bunches shown in the figures. As a result, the magnetic neutral plane would shift the
other way.

Figure 4.1
 The development of armature reaction in a dc generator; a.) Initially, the pole
flux is uniformly distributed and the magnetic flux neutral plane is vertical; b.) the
effect of the air gap on the pole flux distribution; c.) the armature field resulting when
a load is connected to the machine; d.) both rotor and pole fluxes are shown
indicating points where they add or subtract; e.) the resulting flux under the pole. The
neutral plane has shifted in the direction of the motion.

In general, the natural-plane shifts in the direction of motion for a generator

and opposite to the direction of motion for a motor. Furthermore, the amount of the
shifts depends on the amount of rotor current and hence on the load of the machine.

The commutator segments just at the moment when the voltage across them
is equal to zero. If the brushes are set to be short out conductors in the vertical plane
then the voltage between the segments is indeed zero until the machine is loaded.
When the machine is loaded the neutral-plane shifts and the brushes short out
commutator segments with a finite voltage across them. The result is a current flow
circulating between the shorted segments and the large sparks of the brushes when
the current path is interrupted as the brushes leave a segment. The end result is
arcing and sparking at the brushes. This is a very serious problem, since it leads to
drastically reduced brush life, pitting of the commutator segments and greatly
increased maintenance casts. Notice that this problem cannot be fixed even by
placing the brushes over the full-load neutral plane, because then they could spark
at no-load.

In extreme cases, the neutral-plane shift can even lead to flashover in the
commutator segments near the brushes. The arc near the brushes in a machine is
normally increased as a result of the sparkling on the brushes. Flashover occurs
when the voltage of adjacent commutator segments gets longer enough to sustain
an arc in the ionized or above them. It flashes the resulting arc can even melt the
commutator’s segments.

The second problem caused by armature reaction is called the flux

weakening. To understand, flux weakening refers to magnetization curve shown in
Fig. 4.2. Most machines operate at flux densities near the saturation point.
Therefore, at locations on the pole surfaces where the rotor magnetomotive force
adds the pole magnetomotive force, only a small increase in the flux occurs. But at
locations on the pole surfaces where the rotor magnetomotive force subtracts from
the pole magnetomotive force, there is a large decrease in flux. The net result is that
the total average flux under the entire pole face is decreased.

Flux weakening causes problems in both generators and motors. In

generators, the effect of flux weakening is simply to reduce the voltage supplied by
the generator for any given load. In motors, the effect can be more serious. As the
early examples, when the flux in a motor is decreased, its speed increases. But,
increasing the speed of a motor can increase its load, resulting to more flux
weakening. It is possible for some shunt dc motor to reach a runway condition as a
result of flux weakening where the speed of the motor just keeps increasing until the
machine is disconnected from the power line or until it destroys itself.
 Figure 4.2
A typical magnetization curve shows the effect of the Pole Saturation where armature and
pole magnetamative forces add
 III. MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENTS

 1 Base units
 2 Field poles
 2 L9 Field coils
 1 Armature tub
 1 Two-turn Armature Coil
 1 Commutator/ Slip Ring
 2 Brush Holders with brushes
 1 Hand Crank

Miscellaneous
 0-12 V, 5A, variable dc power supply unit or bank of 8-11/2V cells
 50-50 millivoltmeter or 1-0-1 milliammeter
 0-5A, dc ammeter
 Hand compass

IV. PROCEDURES
A. Assembly
A. Armature
1. Attach the armature poles B, C and D to the armature tub using the short
socket head screws.
2. Slip the tub over the shaft using the long socket head screw, clamp ride????
A to the tub; the screw engages with the trapped ???? in the shaft and holds
the tub and poles in position.
3. Insert the two-turn armature coil between the opposite pole gaps with the coil
ends brought out for connection to the commutators as shown in Fig. 4.
4. Side the slip ring commutators over the shaft with the segments next to the
armature, and adjust to bring the gaps between segments in line with the
armature pole gaps.
5. Connect adjacent commutator segments together to form two pairs, giving in
effect a two-segment commutator with each segment connected to the
slipring.
6. Connect the coil ends to opposite segments and tighten the set screw.

B. Bearings
1. Slide the drive and ??? of the shaft through the bare of the self-aligning
bearing in the fixed beating housing and fit the commutator end of the shaft
into the removable bearing housing.
2. Adjust the position of the removable housing, if necessary, and insert the
fixing screws but before finally tightening this check that the shaft rotates
easily and that it can be moved axially against the preloading water.
3. Fix the hand crank to the shaft at the drive end.

C. Electrical
1. Place L9 coil over each field and fit them to the frame ring at the 3 o’clock and
9 o’clock positions with the coil ends brought out on the drive side of the
machine. The 1 ¼ inch long cap head socket screws are used to fix the poles
in position.
 2. Insert the brushes into their holders and attach these to the mounting block
position opposite the slip rings.
3. When the brush gear is in opposite, check that the brushes move freely in
their holes.
4. Make the connection shown in the wiring diagram Fig. 4 and initially connect
the output millivoltmeter to the slipring terminals. A center zero millivoltmeter
is required, its full space deflection is not critical but 50-0-50 MV is suitable. If
thus it is not available 1-0-1 millimeter maybe used in its place.

B. Operation
B. 1. AC Generator
1. Switch on the power supply or bank of cells and adjust the current in the field
coils to approximately 20 A. A hand compass can check the polarity of the
field.
2. Turn the hand crank fairly slowly, and observe the millivoltmeter connected to
the slipring terminals,
3. Increase the speed at which the hand crank is turned

B.2. DC Generator
1. Transfer the brushes in their holders to the housing on either side of the
commutator and connect the center zero millivoltmeter to the commutator
terminals.
2. After fitter, check the brushes make good contact with the commutator.
3. Rotate the crank clockwise.
4. Turn the crank anti-clockwise at the same speed as before.
5. Disconnect the DC supply, reverse the field connections and switch on again.

B.3. Magnetization Curve

1. With the generator connected to give an AC output connect on motor in place
of the center-reading millimeter.
2. Set the drive motor speed to 500 revolution/minute take reading for excitation
current of 0 to 3A in A.
3. Readings taken can be plotted to give a magnetization curve.
 CIRCUIT DIAGRAM-ELEMENTARY GENERATOR

WIRING DIAGRAM-ELEMENTARY GENERATOR

 DC Power Supply

Magnetic Assembly
(Elementary Generator)
V. ILLUSTRATIONS/DRAWINGS

Ammeter

Voltmeter
VI. DATA AND RESULTS

TESTING COMMUTATOR’S ACTION

POSITION OF BRUSHES VOLTAGE CURRENT

BRUSHES ARE ALIGNED 149.70 mV 3.5 mA

BRUSHES ARE INTERLEAVING 300 mV 3.5 mA

VII. ANALYSIS/ DISCUSSION/ OBSERVATION

The laboratory experiment aims to construct and assemble an elementary

generator; to observe the function of the stator and rotor constructed; and to
measure the generated voltage.

As we know, a current is induced in a wire moving through a magnetic field.

Here is the way the elementary generator works. Assume that the armature loop is
rotating in a clockwise direction, and that its initial position is at A (0°). In position A,
the loop is perpendicular to the magnetic field and the black and white conductors of
the loop are moving parallel to the magnetic field. If a conductor is moving parallel to
a magnetic field, it does not out through any lines of force and no emf can be
generated in the conductors. This applies to the conductors of the loop at the instant
they go through position A - no emf is induced in the conductors, and, therefore, no
current flows through the circuit. The current meter registers zero.

As the loop rotates from position A to position B, the conductors are cutting
through more lines of force until at 90° (position B), they are cutting through a
maximum number of lines of force. In other words, between 0° and 90°, the induced
emf in the conductors build up from zero to maximum value. Observed that from 0°
to 90°, the black part of the conductor moves down through (cuts) the lines of force
while at the same time, the white part moves up through (cuts) the lines of force. The
induced emfs in both conductors are therefore in series-adding, and the resultant
voltage across the brushes (the terminal voltage) is the sum of the two induced emfs.
The current through the circuit will vary just as the induced emf varies - being zero at
0° and rising up to a maximum at 90°. The current meter deflects increasingly to the
right between positions A and B indicating that the current through the load is flowing
in the direction shown. The direction of current flow and polarity of the induced emf
depend on the direction of the magnetic field and the direction of rotation of the
armature loop.

As the loop continues to rotate from positions B (90°) to position C (180°), the
conductors which are cutting through a maximum number of lines of force at position
B, cut through the fewer lines, until at position C they are moving parallel to the
magnetic field and no longer cut through any lines of force. The induced emf,
therefore, will decrease from 90° to 180° in the same manner as it increases from 0°
to 90°. Similarly, the current flow will follow the voltage variations.
VIII. CONCLUSION

The laboratory experiment succeeded in achieving its objective - to construct

and assemble elementary generator; to observe the function of the stator and rotor
constructed; and to measure the generated voltage.

An elementary generator or alternator consists of a loop of wire placed so that

it can be rotated in a stationary magnetic field to cause an induced current in a loop.
Sliding contacts called slip rings are used to connect the loop to an external circuit in
order to use the generator output.

The pole pieces are the north and south poles of the magnet that supplies the
magnetic field. The loop of wire which rotates through the field is called the armature.
The ends of the armature loop are connected to the slip rings, which rotate with the
armature. Brushes ride against the slip rings to pick up the electricity generated in
the armature and carry it to an external circuit.

As sides of the loop cut through the magnetic field, they generate an induced
electromagnetic force (emf) which causes a current to flow through the loop, slip
rings, brushes, zero-center current meter, and load resistor - all connected in series.
The induced emf that is generated in the loop, and, therefore, the current that flows
depend upon the instantaneous position of the loop in relation to the magnetic field.

The amount of voltage generated depends on (1) the strength of the magnetic
field, (2) angle at which the conductor cuts the magnetic field, (3) the speed at which
the conductor is moved, and (4) the length of the conductor within the magnetic field.

The polarity of the voltage depends on the direction of the magnetic lines of
flux and the direction of movement of the conductor. To determine the direction of
current in a given situation, the left-hand rule for generators is used.

Extend the thumb, forefinger and middle finger of your left hand at right angles
to one another. Point your thumb in the direction the conductor is being moved. Point
your forefinger in the direction of magnetic flux (from north to south). Your middle
finger will then point in the direction of the current flow in an external circuit to which
the voltage is applied.

The simplest elementary generator can be built is an ac generator. Basic

rotating principles are most easily explained through the use of elementary ac
generator. An elementary generator consists of a wire loop placed so that it can be
rotated in a stationary magnetic field. This will produce an induced emf in the loop.
Sliding contacts (brushes) connect the loop to an external circuit load in order to pick
up or use the induced emf. The pole pieces provide the magnetic field. The pole
pieces are shaped and positioned to concentrate the magnetic field as close as
possible to the wire loop. The loop of wire that rotates through the field is called the
armature. The ends of the armature loop are connected to rings called slip rings.
They rotate with the armature. The brushes, usually made of carbon, with wires
attached to them ride against the rings. The generated voltage appears across these
brushes.