Torque Speed Curve of Induction

Motor
Induction motors are the workhorse of modern industry. Three-phase induction motors are
the most common and frequently encountered machines in industry because of their simple
design, ruggedness, low-price, easy maintenance and wide range of power ratings ranging
from fractional horsepower to 10 MW.
Induction motor runs essentially at
constant speed from no-load to full load.
Its speed depends on the frequency of the
power source. Its not easy to have variable
speed control and requires a variablefrequency
power-electronic
drive
for
optimal speed control.
There are two types of rotor constructions
in three phase induction motors, squirrel
cage and wound rotor.

Fig 1 Cut Section of Three phase

Induction Motor
The most common motor type is the squirrel-cage motor, which has rotor windings consisting
of copper or cast-aluminium bars solidly connected to conducting end rings on each end,
forming a structure which resembles a squirrel cage. Due to the simple rotor construction, the
squirrel cage motor is rugged and durable, and is the most common type. Wound-rotor
motors are also available, usually for special application where external resistance is applied
to the rotor for speed control.
Induction motor works on simple principal of interaction of two magnetic fields theory. When
excited by AC supply, stator produces rotating magnetic field and induces AC voltage in the
rotor and this produces rotor magnetic field which tries to align with rotating stator magnetic
field and hence rotor rotates.
Speed at which stator and rotor magnetic field rotates is often called as synchronous speed
and given by the equation

------------(1)
where ns is in RPM, f is supply frequency in Hz and p is no. of poles of motor, where as rotor
or shaft speed is given by the following equation
For an induction motor, the speed will always be less than synchronous speed by a factor
known as the slip of the motor. The motor speed can be expressed as

n = (1 s)ns ----------(2)
where n is rotor or shaft RPM and s is the slip between synchronous and rotor speed.

Fig 3 Torque speed Curve of

Motor and Load
Typical torque speed curve of three phase induction motor is shown above. Acceleration
torque is the difference between motor torque and load torque and it accelerate the motor
speed until motor torque is equal to load torque and this speed is called as steady state speed
of motor for that particular load condition.
Fig 2 Torque Speed Curve of

In order to determine the acceleration time of a motor driving a particular load, the torque
vs. speed curves of both the motor and load must be provided, in addition to the load
inertia and the power system information. The torque-speed curve for a given load is a
function of the specific nature of the load.
Torque refers to the turning effort exerted by the motor shaft. NEMA defines various torque
characteristics for motors, which are designated as Designs A,B,C, and D. with Design B being
by far the most common design used in industry. For each design classification, NEMA
specifies performance parameters such as locked rotor torque, pull-up torque, breakdown
torque (except for Design D), inrush current, and slip. The NEMA required minimum values
are dependent upon the motor size and speed. Three values of torque are generally of
particular interest, and are as follows:
(i)

Locked Rotor Torque (LRT) - the torque developed by the motor at stand still, also
known as starting torque.
(ii) Pull-up Torque (PUT) - the minimum torque developed by the motor as it accelerates
from zero speed to the speed at which breakdown torque occurs.
(iii) Breakdown Torque or Pull-out Torque (BDT or POT) - the maximum torque that the
motor is capable of developing.

Table 1 Typical characteristics and applications of fixed frequency medium AC squirrel

Induction Motor

For instance, centrifugal loads such as centrifugal pumps and fans follow a square law
relationship of torque vs. speed. That is, at zero speed, virtually zero torque is required, but
the torque requirement increases as the square of the speed (to 100% torque at rated speed)
as the load accelerates. Loads of this nature are generally referred to as "Variable Torque"
(V.T.).
Loads such as conveyors, screw pumps, etc. are generally referred to as "Constant Torque"
(C.T.) loads, as they can require 100% torque (current) at any or all speeds. V.T. loads are
therefore less demanding on motor starting performance, from the standpoints of torque and
motor heating at less than full load speed. LRT and BDT are interdependent - each can be
increased, but at the expense of the other. It is relatively easy to design a motor for a
particularly high LRT, or a high BDT, but this would be at the sacrifice of the other. A thorough
design should attempt to optimize both the LRT and BDT, and both should be considered
when comparing torque.

The curves below shows typical torque speed requirement for each type of motor design.
Therefore it is important to know the torque
speed characteristics of a motor to be used
for a particular drive application. There are
three methods for plotting torque vs speed of
motor. In first method motor is loaded with
adjustable constant load and motor torque is
measured along with other parameters such
as speed, motor voltage, motor supply
current, pf, etc..
In second method, motor is loaded with
inertia load such as fly-wheel of known
inertia and then speed is recorded from
starting to no-load condition. This allows
acceleration to be computed using personal
computer or PC. Speed is measured by a
rotary encoder and microcontroller circuit
over complete range of speed variation. From
the following equation torque is determine at
any given speed.
Fig 4 Torque Speed Curve Characteristics
of Type A, B, C and D type Induction
motors

---------(3)
Te = Ta + Tf

---------(4)

where
Te is motor electric torque produced and measured in N-M
Ta is net acceleration torque and measured in N-M
Tf is torque equivalent of friction plus windage losses and measured in N-M
J is total inertia of fly-wheel and rotor mass in Kg-m2.
is rotor speed measured in rad/sec.
Third method involves using motor parameters and motor equations to compute complete
motor performance such as graphical method called circle diagram. Most of the time motor
parameters are extracted by carrying out block rotor and no-load tests.
Draw backs of first method is though this method is accurate for determining torque at given
load condition but it is time consuming due to coupling, varying load condition and carrying
out measurement. As during loading normally all the energy is wasted (unlike regenerative
loading which is very costly). Also as the load is, though variable, it is constant type and
hence cant measure torque in unstable region [fig 1] of torque speed curve.
Third method is an approximate method and high accuracy cant be guaranteed and mostly
preferred by re-winders of motor who have space limitation to carry out full loading of motor
and also by motor manufactures to compute torque over the full speed range. During no-load
or short circuit test, small amount of energy is wasted as test is carried out quickly.
Second method has advantages over first and third as it gives accurate torque speed curve
plot in fraction of time compared to other two methods. This instrument can be used from
fractional horsepower motor to Megawatt ratings with only changing fly-wheel and also
available at affordable price. Its PC user interface is user friendly. Major Disadvantage is its

availability in Indian market at affordable price. Fortunately now it is sold by a local

company, Embedded Power Solutions at very affordable price. Apart from plotting torque
speed curve of a motor, it also draws circle diagram and display all important motor
parameters on PC screen.
Torque Speed data measurement is extremely important from the application point of view as
well as design and development or any modification in the existing motor design. These
instruments have been claimed to been very useful on production line also for quality control
as testing is done in very short time and can reveal manufacturing defect in motor under test
and serve as a useful quality control tool.

Courtesy of www.embeddedpowersolutions.com

Courtesy of www.embeddedpowersolutions.com