Constanta Maritime University

Academic year: 2018 - 2019

Electric Motors

Student: Avramov Iulian – Cristian

Group: ET 32
Assistant Professor: Marcu Elena
 Content

1. What is an electric motor?

2. Components

3. Types of electric motors

3.1 Direct current (DC) motors

3.2 Alternating current (AC) motors

3.3 Universal AC/DC motor

4. Marine use

5. Bibliography
 1. What is an electric motor?
• An electric motor is an electrical machine that converts electrical
energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the
interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in
a wire winding to generate force in the form of rotation of a shaft. Electric
motors can be powered by direct
current (DC) sources, such as from
batteries, motor vehicles or rectifiers,
or by alternating current(AC) sources,
such as a power grid, inverters or
electrical generators.

• Electric motors may be classified by considerations such as power

source type, internal construction, application and type of motion output.
In addition to AC versus DC types, motors may be brushed or brushless,
may be of various phase (see single-phase, two-phase, or three-phase),
and may be either air-cooled or liquid-cooled.
 2. Components

• Rotor

In an electric motor, the moving part is the rotor, which turns the shaft to
deliver the mechanical power. The rotor usually has conductors laid into it
that carry currents, which interact with the magnetic field of the stator to
generate the forces that turn the shaft. Alternatively, some rotors carry
permanent magnets, and the stator holds the conductors.

• Bearings
The rotor is supported by bearings, which allow the rotor to turn on its axis.
The bearings are in turn supported by the motor housing. The motor shaft
extends through the bearings to the outside of the motor, where the load is
applied. Because the forces of the load are exerted beyond the outermost
bearing, the load is said to be overhung.

• Stator
The stator is the stationary part of the motor’s electromagnetic circuit and
usually consists of either windings or permanent magnets. The stator core
is made up of many thin metal sheets, called laminations. Laminations are
used to reduce energy losses that would result if a solid core were used.
• Air gap
The distance between the rotor and stator is called the air gap. The air gap
has important effects, and is generally as small as possible, as a large gap
has a strong negative effect on performance. It is the main source of the
low power factor at which motors operate. The magnetizing current
increases with the air gap. For this reason, the air gap should be minimal.
Very small gaps may pose mechanical problems in addition to noise and
losses.

• Windings
Windings are wires that are laid in coils, usually wrapped around a
laminated soft iron magnetic core so as to form magnetic poles when
energized with current.
 3.1 Direct current (DC) motors

• By definition, all self-commutated DC motors run on DC electric

power. Most DC motors are small permanent magnet (PM) types.
They contain a brushed internal mechanical commutation to
reverse motor windings' current in synchronism with rotation.

• A commutated DC motor has a set of rotating windings wound on

an armature mounted on a rotating shaft. The shaft also carries
the commutator, a long-lasting rotary electrical switch that
periodically reverses the flow of current in the rotor windings as
the shaft rotates. Thus, every brushed DC motor has AC flowing
through its rotating windings. Current flows through one or
more pairs of brushes that bear on the commutator; the brushes
connect an external source of electric power to the rotating
armature.
3.2 Alternating current (AC) motors
• AC motors are generally divided into two categories, induction
and synchronous motors. The most common AC motor is the
"Squirrel cage motor", a type of induction motor. These have
only one or more coils within which a special kind of
mechanical rotor is free to rotate. There is no electrical
connection to the rotor from the outside.

• For induction motors, this is a theoretical speed, even though

it will never be obtained. The motor will always run slower
than synchronous speed with a slip of S. If a motor were to be
operated at full synchronous speed, the relative speed of the
rotor to the stator would be 0, making it impossible to induce a
voltage (Faraday's law) in the rotor windings. This in turn
would make the flow of current impossible. Without current
no magnetic field can be generated.

• Most AC motors require a starter, or method of limiting the

inrush current to a reasonable level. Types of motor starting
include reactive (capacitor start and inductive start), and
electronic (frequency drives and soft start drives).
 3.3 Universal AC/DC motor
• A commutated electrically excited series or parallel wound
motor is referred to as a universal motor because it can be
designed to operate on AC or DC power. A universal motor
can operate well on AC because the current in both the field
and the armature coils (and hence the resultant magnetic
fields) will alternate (reverse polarity) in synchronism, and
hence the resulting mechanical force will occur in a constant
direction of rotation.

• An advantage of the universal

motor is that AC supplies may
be used on motors that have
some characteristics more
common in DC motors,
specifically high starting
torque and very compact design if high running speeds are
used. The negative aspect is the maintenance and short life
problems caused by the commutator.
 4. Marine use
• In the early part of the 20th century electric propulsion was
adapted to use in submarines. As underwater propulsion driven
exclusively by heavy batteries was both slow and of limited
range and timespan, rechargeable battery banks were
developed. Submarines were primarily powered by
combined diesel-electric systems on the surface, which were
much faster and allowed for dramatically expanded range,
charging their battery systems as necessary for still limited
subsurface action and duration. The Holland V submarine led to
the adoption of this system by the U.S. Navy, followed by
the British Royal Navy.

• To expand the range and duration of the submarine during World

War II the German Kriegsmarine developed a snorkel system,
which allowed the diesel-electric system to be utilized while the
submarine was all but completely submerged.
 5. Bibliography

• https://www.electric-motors.net/
• http://edisontechcenter.org/electricmotors.html
• https://maintenancepartners.com/en/electric-motors/