A REPORT ON

LINEAR INDUCTION MOTOR

COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY
G.B. Pant University of
Agriculture and Technology

Submitted to: Submitted by:

Dr. Sudha Arora Utsav Goyal

Head of Department ID No. 46529

Electrical Engineering
 ABSTRACT
Nowadays, Linear Induction Motors are widely used in many
industrial applications including transportation, conveyor systems,
actuators, material handling, pumping of liquid metal and sliding door
closers etc. The most obvious advantage of linear motor is that it has
no gears and requires no mechanical rotatory-to-linear convertors.
Linear motors frequently run on a three-phase power supply and can
support very high speeds. However, there are end effects which
reduce the force, and it’s often not possible to fit a gearbox to trade
off force and speed. Linear induction motors are thus frequently less
energy efficient than normal rotatory motors for any given required
force output. Linear induction motor is an AC, asynchronous linear
motor that works by the same general principles as other induction
motors but is typically designed to directly produce motion in a
straight line. As compared to rotatory induction motors, the linear
motor requires a larger air gap. Therefore, the magnetizing current is
large and power factor and efficiency are low.
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

S.No. Topic Page No.

1. Introduction 1
2. Construction 2
3. Operating Principle 3
4. Properties of LIM 4
5. Effects in LIM 8
6. Applications of LIM 10
7. Advantages and 11
Disadvantages of
LIM
8. Conclusion 12
9. Future Aspects 12
10. References 14
 INTRODUCTION
The history of linear electric motors can be traced back at least as far
as the 1840s to the work of Charles Wheatstone at King's College in
London, but Wheatstone's model was too inefficient to be practical. A
feasible linear induction motor is described in US patent 782312
(1905; inventor Alfred Zehden of Frankfurt-am-Main), for driving
trains or lifts. The history of linear induction motor extends as far
back as the 19th century. Linear induction motors were invented a few
years after the discovery of Rotatory Induction motor (RIM) principle
in 1890. Nicola Tesla invented the induction motor in 1988. The first
patent of linear induction motor was obtained by the mayor of
Pittsburg in 1895. The German Engineer, Hermann Kemper built a
working model in 1935. In the late 1940s, Professor Eric Laithwaite
of Imperial College in London developed the first full size working
model.
A Linear induction motor is obtained by the imaginary process of
‘cutting’ and 'unrolling' a rotary induction motor. In practice, the
primary or stator of a LIM consists of a rectangular slotted structure
formed by a stack of steel laminations. Within the slots of the primary
stack are laid the poly-phase windings to produce the linearly
traveling magnetic field, just like the rotating magnetic field in a
rotary induction motor, produced by the poly-phase stator winding.
The secondary of the LIM, or rotor, which is an aluminium sheet (or
copper), with or without a solid back iron plate, completes the
magnetic circuit and creates the magnetic flux linkage across the air
gap. This in turn induces a voltage on the conductive wall, which
generates an eddy current in the conducting outer layer of the
secondary. The interaction between the eddy current and the changing
electromagnetic field generates electromagnetic thrust on the plate in
the longitudinal direction of the motor.
CONSTRUCTION:
A Linear Induction Motor (LIM) is a special type of induction motor
which gives linear motion instead of rotational motion, as in the case
of conventional induction motor. It operates on the principle of which
a conventional induction motor operates. In contrast with its rotary
counterpart, a LIM may have a moving primary (with a fixed
secondary) or a moving secondary (the primary being stationary). In
LIM, stator acts as primary and rotor acts as secondary. LIM can be a
short primary or short secondary, depending on whether the primary
or secondary is shorter. In each case, either primary or the secondary
can be the moving part. In addition, the LIM may have two primaries
face to face to obtain a double- sided LIM (DLIM). If the LIM has
only one primary, it is called as single sided LIM.
LIM are of two types:
1. SLIM (Single Sided Linear Induction Motor)
2. DLIM (Double Sided Linear Induction Motor)
Stator:
Linear Induction Motor consists of 3 phase windings that are wound
on a steel laminated core. These laminations are insulated from one
another with very fine materials such as paper or adhesive glue. The
entire assembly can be encapsulated with thermally conductive epoxy
for insulation and stability. The core requires some mounting to
ensure its stability during operation. The core is provided with semi
enclosed slots to house the conductors. The single sided configuration
consists of a single coil assembly that is used in conjunction with
aluminium or copper plate which may be backed with either steel or
iron plate if necessary. The coil assembly can be directly connected to
A.C. lines for single speed application.
Rotor:
It is made up of non-magnetic and highly conductive material. The
easiest way to build up this secondary circuit is by use of aluminium
plate as it is cheap and easy to handle. The thickness of aluminium
plate is small in which the conducting plate will get hot, if it is too big
then the air gap would be large and the efficiency of the machine goes
low. The plate may be little bit wider than primary iron to allow the
current closing its path outside the active area. The induced field is
maximized by backing up the reaction with the iron plate, this plate
serve to amplify the magnetic field produced in the coil. The reaction
plate is used as secondary.

OPERATING PRINCIPLE:
The LIM operates on the same principal as a rotary squirrel cage
induction motor. The rotary induction motor becomes a LIM when the
coils are laid out flat, the reaction plate in the LIM becomes the
equivalent rotor. This is made from a non-magnetic highly conductive
material. The induced field can be maximized by backing up, the
reaction plate with an iron plate (conducting sheet). The iron plate
serves to amplify the magnetic field produced in the coil. The air gap
between the stator and the reaction plate must typically be very small,
much smaller than the allowable gap for the synchronous motor,
otherwise the amount of current required for the stator coils becomes
unreasonable. When supplying an AC current to the coils, a rotating
magnetic field is produced. Currents induced in the reaction plate by
the rotating magnetic field create a secondary magnetic field. It is not
necessary to keep the field of motion synchronized to the position of
the reaction plate, since the second field is induced by the stator coil.
A linear thrust is produced with the reaction between these two fields.
A Linear Induction motor is basically obtained by opening the
rotating squirrel cage induction motor and laying it flat. This flat
structure produces a linear force instead of producing rotary torque
from a cylindrical machine. LIMs can be designed to produce thrust
up to several thousands of Newton's. The winding design and supply
frequency determine the speed of a LIM. The basic principle of LIM
operation is similar to that of a conventional rotating squirrel-cage
induction motor. Stator and rotor are the two main parts of the
conventional three phase rotary induction motor. The stator consists
of a balanced poly-phase winding which is uniformly placed in the
stator slots along its periphery. The stator produces a sinusoidally
distributed magnetic field in the air-gap rotating at the uniform speed
2 ω /p, with ω representing the network pulsation
(related to the frequency f by ω= 2πf) and p the number of poles. The
relative motion between the rotor conductors and the magnetic field
induces a voltage in the rotor. This induced voltage will cause a
current to flow in the rotor and will generate a magnetic field. The
interaction of these two magnetic fields will produce a torque that
drags the rotor in the direction of the field. This principle would not
be modified if the squirrel cage were replaced by a continuous sheet
of conducting material.

PROPERTIES OF LIM:
Linear synchronous speed:
Consider a conventional rotary motor, it is possible to lay a section of
the stator out flat without affecting the shape or speed of the magnetic
field. Hence, the flat stator would produce a magnetic field that moves
at constant speed. The linear synchronous speed is given
Ns = 120f/p
where,
Ns= linear synchronous speed [m/s]
p = width of one pole-pitch [m]
f = frequency [Hz]
It is important to note that the linear speed does not depend upon the
number of poles but only depends on the pole-pitch width. By this
logic, it is possible to for a 2-pole linear machine to have the same
linear synchronous speed as that of a 6-pole linear machine, provided
that they have the same pole-pitch width.
Slip is the relative motion needed in the induction motor to induce
voltage in the rotor, and it is given by

s= Ns-Nr/ Ns
where,
Ns= linear synchronous speed [rpm]
Nr= actual speed of rotor [rpm]

Forces:
The main forces involved with the LIM are thrust, normal and lateral.
Thrust and its relationship with the other adjustable parameter the
normal force is perpendicular to the stator in the z direction. Lateral
forces are side forces that are undesirable, due to the orientation of the
stator. Under normal operation, the LIM develops a thrust
proportional to the square of the applied voltage and this reduces as
the slip is reduced similarly to that of an induction motor with a high
rotor resistance. The amount of thrust produced by a LIM is as
follows:
F = Pr/ Vs
where,
F=thrust [N],
Pr=power transmitted to the rotor [W],
Vs=linear synchronous speed [m/s]

Thrust:
Under normal operations, the LIM develops a thrust proportional to
the square of the applied voltage, and this reduces as the slip is
reduced similarly to that of an induction motor with a high rotor
resistance.

The amount of thrust produced by a LIM is as follows:

F = Pr/ Vs
where,
F=thrust [N],
Pr=power transmitted to the rotor [W],
Vs=linear synchronous speed [m/s]

The equivalent circuit of the LIM is exactly the same as of a

conventional 3-phase rotary machine. The power output is as follows:

Power output= 3(I’1 )2 R’s(1- s)/s Watt

Referring to thus equation, if F is the amount of thrust produced in

Newton's and is the linear synchronous speed in m/s, then:

FVs = 3(I’1 )2 R’s(1- s)/s Watts

If the iron loss is very small, then
Power output= Power input -3(I’1) 2 Rp, Watt
The power input can be approximately related to the mechanical input
of the machine.

Figure: LIM Circuit

Normal:
In a double-sided linear induction motor (DLIM) configuration, the
reaction plate is centrally located between the two primary stators.
The normal force between one stator and the reaction plate is equal
and opposite to that of the second stator. Therefore, the resultant
normal force is zero. A net normal force will only occur if the
reaction plate (secondary) is placed asymmetrically between the two
stators. This force tends to centre the reaction plate. A small
displacement of the reaction plate from the centre is directly
proportional to the displacement. The figure given below shows the
variation of the normal force with speed and frequency of primary
current. At synchronous speed, the force is an attractive force and its
magnitude is reduced as the speed is reduced. At certain speeds the
force will become repulsive, especially at high-frequency operation.
 Figure: Normal force in LIM
Lateral:
Lateral force moves m the y-direction. These occur due to the
asymmetric positioning of the stator in a LIM. Any displacement from
the central positioning will result in an unstable system. Generally,
small displacements will only result in very small lateral force. At
high frequency operation, the lateral force can be become quite
chaotic. A set of guided mechanical wheel tracks is sufficient to
eliminate small lateral force.

EFFECTS IN LIM:
End Effect:
One difference between LIM and conventional rotary machines is that
LIM has ends. This means that the travelling magnetic field cannot
join up on itself, and introduces end effects. The end effects can result
in characteristics that are much different from rotary machines.
The end effect is clearly exhibited in the form of a non-uniform flux
density distribution along the length of the motor. With constant
primary current, it’s magnetizing component and consequently the air
gap flux decreases as the load component increases with increasing
slip. This is true for any induction motor, with or without end effect.
For a given slip, the flux density builds up along the LIM length,
beginning with a small flux density at the entry end. Depending on the
length of penetration of the entry-end- effect-wave, the flux density
may not even reach the nominal level that would be found in a motor
without end effect.

Edge Effect:
The edge effect is generally described as the effect of having finite
width for a linear motor. This effect is more evident with lower values
of width-to-air gap ratio. The figure shows the variation of the normal
flux density in the transverse direction. A dip is seen at the centre due
to the edge effect, and the dip is more obvious at higher slips. As a
result, the edge effect will increase the secondary resistivity, lateral
instability due to the uneven secondary overhangs and a reduction in
performance.

Gap Effect:
Conventional rotary machine has a very small air gap, in the order of
2 mm or less. This allows a high gap flux density. For LIM, the air
gap can be as large as 5 cm for one operating on a traction system.
The magnetic circuit reluctance is much higher for large air gaps, in
which the magnetizing current is also higher. There is a rather large
leakage flux that further reduces the operating power factor. The gap
density is less than for the rotary counterpart, and consequently iron
losses form a smaller part of the total loss.
 APPLICATIONS OF LIM
A Linear induction motor (LIM) is not that widespread used
compared to a conventional motor, taking its economic aspects and
versatility of usage into consideration. But there are quite a few
instances where the LIM is indeed necessary for some specialized
operations.

Few of the applications of a LIM have been listed below.

1. Transportation (Low & Medium Speed trains)
2. Sliding Doors Closure (Malls, Metros)
3. Pumping of Liquid metal
4. Conveyor systems
5. People movers
6. Accelerators and launchers
7. Airport baggage handling
8. Material handling and storage
ADVANTAGES OF LIM:
Advantages of LIM are as Follows:
1. Direct Electromagnetic Force
2. Economical & Cheap Maintenance
3. Easy Expansion for any linear motion of system topology
4. Exact Positioning in closed loop system

DISADVANTAGES OF LIM:
Disadvantages of LIM are as Follows:
1. Power factor and efficiency are less than of rotary motors because
of a ratio of large air gap between inductors and pole pitch.
2. Extra vibrations with distortions can be noticed because of
uncompensated normal force.
CONCLUSION:
In this seminar report, a detailed study of the design of the linear
induction machine was performed and compared with that of a
rotating induction machine design. It can be concluded that the air-
gap plays a very important role in the performance of the LIM. The
air-gap needs to be as small as possible. Another crucial design
parameter is the thickness of rotor outer layer which is aluminium. As
the thickness of the aluminium sheet is increased thrust also increases
along with the length of magnetic air-gap which is undesirable.
Hence, care should be taken in choosing the best value for aluminium
thickness which yields maximum thrust at a reasonable efficiency. By
increasing the number of poles, the end effects are reduced, which is
good for the LIM performance. At the same time thrust is increased
but at the expense of efficiency. Hence, there is a trade-off between
the thrust and the efficiency with increasing number of poles.
So, it can be concluded that the input parameters like the length of
physical air-gap, the thickness of aluminium sheet and the number of
poles play a vital role in the performance parameters, thrust and
efficiency.
Therefore, care should be taken in choosing these parameters.

FUTURE ASPECTS:
This study of LIM neglected several issues like end effects and edge
effects, which will affect the performance of the LIM. There are some
improvements which can be implemented in the design of LIM for
better analysis. Some suggestions for future study are as follows:

1. Improving the equivalent circuit model of the LIM by introducing

various realistic factors like end effects, edge effects, air-gap leakage
fluxes and skin effects due to finite plate thickness.
2. Use the finite element method (FEM) analysis instead of equivalent
circuit model for determining the LIM performance.
3. Detailed study must be done regarding the layout of stator windings
by building a laboratory model of the LIM. Improvements to the
proposed model can be suggested by trying different winding
configurations.
4. The LIM is designed and analysed in its steady state only. The
transient behaviour of the LIM is not analysed in this study.
REFERENCES:
1. www.wikipedia.org
2. www.electrical4u.com/linear-induction-motor
3. P.S, Bimbhra, “Generalized Theory of Electrical Machines”