Fractional-

horsepower motor

A fractional-horsepower motor (FHP) is

an electric motor with a rated output
power of 746.9 or 746 Watts or less. There
is no defined minimum output, however, it
is generally accepted that a motor with a
frame size of less than 35mm square can
be referred to as a 'micro-motor'.
The term 'fractional' indicates that the
motor often has a power rating smaller
than one horsepower.[1]

Fractional-horsepower electric motors are

exempt from the US Energy Policy Act of
2005 and the new EN 60034-30:2009[2]
ruling of European directive 2005/32/EC[3]
concerning the efficiency classes of low-
voltage three-phase asynchronous motors.

History
The earliest commercially-successful
electric motors date back to the latter part
of the 19th century when Nikola Tesla
patented his induction motor in 1888. The
development of fractional-horsepower
motors, however, would not have taken
place without the push toward urban, and
later, rural electrification, using alternating
current. Electrification began in cities
around 1915, and with electrification, so
too came the potential market for washing
machines, refrigerators, vacuum cleaners
and a host of other commercial
appliances. This was recognised by major
manufacturers, like Westinghouse and
General Electric, who were already in the
business of manufacturing large motors
for industrial installations. By 1920, over
500,000 fractional-horsepower motors
were powering washers and other
appliances in America.[4][5][6]

After the second world war, the demand

for FHP motors grew, particularly
throughout the consumerist boom of the
1950s and 60's. In 2000, the European FHP
market was worth an estimated $4.5
billion with some 300-million units in
manufacture.[7]

Precision motors
Servo motors and stepper motors are
specialist types of fractional-horsepower
electric motors usually intended for high-
precision or robotics applications. Usually
running from a DC supply, when combined
with a planetary gearbox can offer
accuracies less than 8 arc-minutes (2/15ths
of a degree, or approx. 2.3 milliradians).
Due to their specialized nature, however,
these types of motors tend to be
expensive compared with standard, or
general-purpose lower-precision units.

Applications
Fractional-horsepower motors are used
across a wide range of industries and
applications for a variety of motion and
compression needs. The largest portion of
sales can be attributed to the automotive
sector, however, accounting for some 35%
of all FHP motor sales,[7] driving auxiliary
applications such as electric windows,
wind-shield wipers, powered seats, wing
mirrors, central locking systems, roof
openers, and trunk openers. In Europe, the
majority of these applications are fulfilled
by the industry's largest players: Brose
(formerly Siemens), Bosch, and Nidec
(formerly Valeo).

The second-largest area of consumption is

the field of white goods, and small
domestic appliances (approximately 12%
of the European market). For example,
FHP motors are being used to drive pumps
and compressors in refrigerators, coffee
machines, and washing machines, and
they provide suction in vacuum cleaners
and a variety of other switching and
motion tasks across the ever-increasing
variety of domestic products. Until the
recent divestment of its motors interests,
Electrolux was believed to be Europe's
largest manufacturer of FHP motors for
domestic-appliance applications.

Industrial applications consume a similar

number of units to that of domestic
products with FHP motors being used
across a variety of conveyance and
process applications.
Other applications include: pumps &
compressors, medical devices, portable
tools, office machinery, and HVAC.

References
1. "Fractional Horsepower Motor
Manufacturers" . Retrieved 25 Aug 2015.
2. [1]
3. [2]
4. Raymond McInnis, A history of the
amateur woodworking movement;
Appendix 21
http://www.woodworkinghistory.com/appe
ndix_21.htm
Content is available under CC BY-SA 3.0 unless
otherwise noted.