EE280 e_Lecture 9 3-Phase Induction Motors

Rotating Magnetic Field

• The stator magnetic field is caused by a flow of
• a 3 set of currents with equal magnitude and spaced 1200
apart in phase,
• in a 3 winding.
• Consider a 2-pole winding.
• The field in the air gap due to the current ia(t) in winding a
is

where K is a constant depending on the geometry and

materials of stator and rotor and the number of turns.
• Convention: Ba is positive if directed from stator to rotor
and negative if otherwise.

• Note 1: Consider a winding corresponding to one of the phases

which occupies only two slots located 180 degrees apart. The
magnetic field of a plane winding is maximum at a direction
which is perpendicular to the plane of the winding (θ=00) and
drops sharply when θ increases. At θ=900, the field is almost
null and reaches a negative maximum at θ=1800. Using Fourier
analysis, this field distribution over 360 degrees results in a
fundamental component of cosθ (with half perod of 180 degrees
and the peak at θ=0) which has a much higher amplitude than
the other harmonics. Therefore, it can be assumed that the
magnetic field is proportional to cosθ in the direction of θ.
In practice, turns of the winding is distributed over different slots
such that the field distribution is indeed given by cosθ. Note that
the field fluctuate in magnitude and changes sign due to the time
variation of ac current ia(t) too.

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• Fig. 6 shows the field due to winding a
Field:
-- strongest at  = 00
and 1800

-- varies sinusoidally
(cos) in space around
the circumference
in the air gap

Fig. 6
• Similarly, for the windings b and c, (identical but separated
in space by 1200 and 2400),

Prepared by K D R Jagath Kumara

• Therefore, the total field in the air gap,

• If the 3 source is balanced,

where Im is the peak current.

• Therefore,

Using ,

where , the peak field strength.

• Note 2: When all the 3 phases are considered, the stator

magnetic field (𝐵 ) is not stationary. When t increases,  at
which the field is maximum increases. (Note that the
magnetic poles are considered to be in the direction of the
peak fields.) Therefore, the two poles (+ve and –ve peaks)
which are 180 degrees apart, rotate at an angular velocity of
ω.

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• Note that
• Peak field occurs when (i.e. t=0, =00 or t=t1,
=t1).
• When time advances
• point of peak flux rotates counterclockwise,
• with and angular velocity of .
• Air gap field varies in both time and space.
• space variation is similar to that of a single winding
(not the magnitude).
• time variation causes that pattern to rotate in space.
• Can be depicted as rotating pair of poles
• Direction of rotation could be changed by interchanging
connections b and c.
• The number of poles increase when the number of poles of
the windings increase. (i.e. 4 magnetic poles with a 4 pole
winding).

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 Electrical Frequency (fe) and
Synchronous Frequency (fs)
• 2-pole machine
• Magnetic poles complete one mechanical rotation for each
electrical cycle of the applied current.
• 𝑓 (𝑟𝑒𝑣/𝑠) = 𝑓 (cycles/s, Hz)
• 𝜔 (𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠) = 𝜔 (rad/s)
• 4-pole machine
• A pole moves only 1800 in one electrical cycle.
• 𝑓 (𝑟𝑒𝑣/𝑠) = (Hz)
• 𝜔 (𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠) = (rad/s)

• P-pole machine
• In general,
• 𝑓 (𝑟𝑒𝑣/𝑠) = (Hz)
/
• 𝜔 (𝑟𝑎𝑑/𝑠) = (rad/s) where (P/2) is the number of pole pairs
/
• s is known as the synchronous angular velocity
• Then, the synchronous speed,
• (rev/min)
/
• rpm
• Note 3: The electrical angle between two near by poles
(between a North and a South) is always 1800. However, the
mechanical angle (the physical separation between them)
decreases when the number of poles increases. (i.e. for a 4-pole
machine, the mechanical angle is only 900. Therefore, the
synchronous speed (ns), which is the rate of rotation of the
magnetic field, decreases with number of poles as 120f/P rpm.

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 Squirrel Cage Induction Motors
• Rotor: - Consists of bars of aluminum
with shorting rings at the ends.
- Embedded in a laminated
iron rotor (by casting aluminum
into slots cut into it.)
End - No wires carrying electrical
Ring connections.
Bars
Fig. 7: Squirrel cage rotor

• Once the squirrel cage rotor is placed inside the stator:

• Moving magnetic field induces voltages in the
conductors.
• The field, the direction of the rotor motion and the
length of the conductors are mutually perpendicular.
• Hence, the induced voltage,
• where B = flux density, l = length of conductor, u =
relative velocity between the conductor and the field.

• Note 4: Consider the two bars right under Ns and Ss in Fig. 8 in

the next page, which are the right-most and left-most rotor bars.
The formula for induced voltage is u×Bl using the corresponding
phasors but since they are mutually perpendicular, the
magnitude of the induced voltage becomes just uBl. The polarity
of this voltage is the direction of u×B which can be found using
another Right Hand Rule. (i.e. Keep the thumb, forefinger and
the middle finger perpendicular to each other. Then, point the
thumb and the fore finger towards the directions of u and B
respectively and then the middle finger happens to points
towards u×B.) At the time instant shown in Fig. 8, the induced
voltage in the bar under Ns is more positive at the front side of
the page while that under Ss is more negative. Therefore, a
current flows into the page in the bar under Ns and out of the
page under Ss. The path is completed through the end rings.

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 Fig. 8 Induced voltage:
- Highest in those
conductors which are
directly under the
poles because B is
highest.
Polarity: +ve in the
direction of uB
(that under south
pole is opposite to that
under north pole).
Ns, Ss stator poles
Nr, Sr rotor poles

• Current flow:
- Through a conductor,
- Around the shorting ring and
- Back in the opposite direction through the other bar
which is under the other pole.
- Induced Field:
- Rotor currents too, causes a magnetic field.
- This field is known as the rotor-induced field or simply
the induced field.
- Direction of the corresponding poles,
- Perpendicular to the plane of the two conductors.

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If the conductors are purely resistive, there is no time lag
between the induced voltage and the current. The induced
current would be maximum under stator poles (Ns and Ss).

•  rotor poles and stator poles are displaced by rs = 900

in space.
Rotor north pole (Nr) attempts to align itself with
the stator south pole (Ss).
This produces torque.
Direction: from Nr to Ss (same as the stator field).

• Rotor slip: Relative speed of the stator field w.r.t the rotor
expressed as a fraction
• Slip,
• In a motor, s can vary from 1 to 0 when the speed vary
from 0 to ns.
• Frequency and amplitude of induced voltage is
proportional to the slip.
• Slip frequency , 

• Note 5: This current in the two rotor bars and the induced
voltage which produced it, has no phase difference if the bars
are purely resistive (no inductances, capacitances). Then, at this
very instant when Ns and Ss are oriented towards the right and
left, the poles of the induced field is oriented towards the top and
bottom of the page (in the direction perpendicular to the plane of
the conductors). Then, the two fields interact to produce torque
causing the rotor to rotate. Rotor poles can never catch up with
the stator poles unless the rotor has no-load and hence the
difference in speeds and the slip.

Prepared by K D R Jagath Kumara