Assignment No.

1
Esci 129 – Ac Dc Machinery

Questions:

1. Distinguish between a generator and a motor?

Answer:
The generator simply converts mechanical energy into electrical energy while the motor does the opposite
by converting electrical energy to mechanical energy.
Reference: https://www.scribd.com/doc/23994930/Motors-Generators

2. What is an armature? A field?

Answer:
The armature is a part of a generator that is laminated iron core with wire wound around it where
electromotive force is produced by magnetic induction in a generator or motor.
Field provides the magnetic field with which the armature interacts.it is also the electrically conducting
circuit, usually a number of coils wound on individual poles and connected in series that produces the
magnetic field in a motor or generator.
Ref: http://acim.nidec.com/motors/usmotors/techdocs/profacts/motor-machinery-terminology

3. What two important requirements are necessary before generator action is possible?
Answer:
The two important requirements are presence of magnetic line of force and motion of conductors cutting the
flux.
Ref: https://www.scribd.com/doc/23994930/Motors-Generators

4. What two important requirements are necessary before motor action is possible?
Answer:
The two important requirements are presence of magnetic lines of force and current through conductors
lying in the magnetic field.
Ref: https://www.scribd.com/doc/23994930/Motors-Generators

5. State Faraday’s law.

Answer: The faraday's law states that the emf induced in a circuit is proportional to the time rate of change
of the magnetic flux linking that circuit.
Ref: http://farside.ph.utexas.edu/teaching/302l/lectures/node85.html

6. In what two ways is it possible to generate a higher voltage in a moving conductor?

Answer:
It can be done through increasing the number of turns of wire in the coil and increasing the speed of the
relative motion between the coil and the magnet.
Ref: https://www.scribd.com/doc/23994930/Motors-Generators

7. How many lines of force must be cut per second if 1 volt is to be generated in a moving conductor?
Answer: According to Lenz's law, 1 volt is generated for every 100,000,000 lines cut per one second.
Ref: https://www.scribd.com/doc/23994930/Motors-Generators

8. In an actual generator, what effect has the number of parallel paths in the armature winding upon the
terminal voltage?
Answer:
The number of parallel paths determines the current rating of a generator, whereas the number of series
conductor per path is a measure of the terminal voltage of the machine.
Ref: https://www.scribd.com/doc/23994930/Motors-Generators

9. What effect has the number of armature paths upon the current-carrying ability of a generator?
10. Is the power output of a generator affected by the number of parallel paths in the armature winding?
Give reasons for your answer.
Answer:
No, because the power rating is independent in the way of which the cells or conductors are connected.

Ref: https://www.scribd.com/doc/23994930/Motors-Generators

11. Derive the fundamental voltage equation for the dc generator?

Answer:

12. Write the fundamental voltage equation as a function of the total number armature conductors and the
number of armature-winding circuits.
Answer:
Ø×rpm×𝑍
𝐸𝑔 = × 10−8
𝑎×60

Where:
𝐸𝑔 = Total generated voltage

Ø = flux per pole Maxwell’s

P = no. of poles

Z = armature slot × armature conductor

Rpm = speed of armature, revolution per minute
a = no. of armature paths connected in parallel
Ref: https://www.scribd.com/doc/23994930/Motors-Generators

13. What two factors determine the direction of the generated voltage in a conductor moving through a
magnetic field?
Answer:
The two factors are the direction of the flux, which is, of course determined by magnet polarity and the
direction of motion of a conductor or coil.
Ref: https://www.scribd.com/doc/23994930/Motors-Generators

14. Considering a dc generator, in what two ways can polarity (plus and minus) of the brushes be
changed?
Answer:

15. Using the fictitious “rubber-band” comparison, explain how the direction of the voltage may be
determined.

16. State Lenz’s law.

Answer:
The Lenz's law states that the direction of an induced emf will be such that if it were to cause a current to
flow in a conductor in an external circuit, then that current would generate a field that would oppose the
change that created it.
Ref: https://isaacphysics.org/concepts/cp_lenzs_law

17. Using Lenz’s law, explain how the direction of the generated voltage may be determined.

18. What kind of current flows in the armature conductors of a dc generator?

19. What is an alternating current? What is meant by the frequency of an alternating current?
Answer:
Alternating current describes the flow of charge that changes direction periodically.
Frequency is the rate at which alternating current reverses its direction of flow. can be measured in hertz
(Hz); 1 Hz = 1 cycle per second.

Ref: http://acim.nidec.com/motors/usmotors/techdocs/profacts/motor-machinery-terminology

20. What is commutator? Describe its construction.

21. What factors determine the frequency of a generated alternating voltage?

Answer:
The factors are the number of stator poles and the speed of rotation of the rotor.
Ref: https://www.chegg.com/homework-help/two-factors-determine-output-frequency-alternator-chapter-32-
problem-6rq-solution-9781305537125-exc

22. Carefully describe the commutation process, using appropriate sketches to illustrate your answer.

23. Why is it desirable to have many coils of wire and commutator segments on the armature of a dc

generator?

24. What kind of current theoretically delivered to a load by a dc generator?

25. What is meant by torque?

Answer:
Torque is a turning force that is applied to a shaft that tends to cause rotation. It is also the force applied
times the radius through which it acts.
Ref: http://acim.nidec.com/motors/usmotors/techdocs/profacts/motor-machinery-terminology

26. What factors determine the force exerted by a conductor on the armature of a dc motor?

27. Will a force be exerted by a conductor carrying a current when it is placed parallel to a magnetic field?

Explain carefully.

28. What happens to existing uniform field if a conductor carrying a current is placed in this field?

29. Using a sketch showing a two-pole motor with a single coil placed with its two sides under the pole
centers,

describe how torque is developed by the coil.

30. Why is no torque developed by those conductors occupying positions in the interpolar spaces of a
motor?

31. What is the essential difference between commutation in a dc generator and commutation in a dc
motor?

32. Describe the commutation process in a dc motor?

33. What two types of field winding are used in dc machine? How do they differ from each other with regard
to

the number of turns of wire? the size of wire? the manner in which they are connected?
34. When is it desirable and permissible to use permanent magnets in dc machines? What kind of material
is generally used for permanent magnets?

35. Make sketches showing two ways in which the two field windings, shunt and series, may be connected
for compound generator or motor operation.