Chapter 8: DC Machine Fundamentals

 This chapter will firstly explain the principles of dc

machine operation using simple examples
 Most electric machines operate on the basis of
interaction between current carrying conductors
and electromagnetic fields
 In particular: generator action is based on
Faraday’s law of electromagnetic induction, which
implies that a current carrying conductor moving
in a region having flux lines at right angles to the
conductor will have emf induced in it
eind = (v x B) l
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 Motor action
 Motor action is based on Ampere’s law

F  i  l  B

 The linear dc machine behavior studied earlier

resembles the behavior of real dc generators and
motors
 However, real machines rotate and do not move
in straight lines as linear dc machines

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 A simple rotating loop between curved pole
faces
 The simplest rotating dc
machine is shown below.
 It consists of:

1) A rotating single loop of

wire in a slot carved in a
cylindrical ferromagnetic
core – rotor
2) A pair of stationary
magnetic poles (north
and south) – stator

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 The magnetic field is supplied by the stator.
 The air gap between the rotor and stator is of constant
width (i.e. is the same everywhere under the pole faces).
  magnetic flux density is equal everywhere
under the pole surface.


 From Chapter 1, we know that the reluctance of the air is

much higher than that of the core material,  gap  iron 
magnetic flux takes shortest possible path through
the air gap (i.e. perpendicular to the rotor surface).

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 Voltage Induced in a rotating loop
 If the rotor is rotated, a voltage will be induced in
the wire loop. (Note: No voltage source applied to
the rotor terminals.)
 To determine the total voltage etot on the loop,
each segment of the loop (as shown in the figure
below) has to be examined separately and the
resulting voltages summed up

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 Voltage
 To determine the total voltage etot on the loop, examine
each segment of the loop separately and sum all the
resulting voltages. The voltage on each segment is given
by eind = (v x B)  l
 Note that B is 0 beyond the edges of the pole face
 Thus, the total induced voltage on the loop is:

eind  etot  eba  ecb  edc  ead

 Calculation for each section is shown next

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 Segment ab:
Velocity vab tangential to rotation path

   to surface , under the pole

B
0 , beyond the pole edges
vBl positive into page , under the pole face
eba  
0 , beyond the pole edges

Segment bc:
direction of  v  B  either into or out of page
 

 
  
- vB l

- ecb  0
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 Voltage
 Segment cd:
Velocity vcd tangential to rotation path
   to surface , under the pole
B
0 , beyond the pole edges

vBl positive out of page , under the pole face

edc  
0 , beyond the pole edges

Segment da:
- v  B  l
  

- ead  0

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 Voltage
 Thus, the total induced voltage on the loop is:
 eba= edc= vBl (since v x B is parallel to l)
 ecb=ead=0 (since v x B is perpendicular to l)
 Final result:

eind  etot  eba  ecb  edc  ead

2vBl under the pole faces
 eind 
0 beyond the pole edges

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 Voltage
 When the loop rotates through 180°, segment ab is under
the north pole face instead of the south pole face. At that
time, the direction of the voltage on the segment reverses,
but its magnitude remains constant.

 The resulting voltage etot

is shown below:

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 An alternative expression for eind that relates the
behaviour of the single loop to the behaviour of
larger, real dc machines can be obtained by
examining the figure below:
 The tangential velocity v of the
loop edges can be expressed
as v = r. Therefore,

2rBl under the pole face

eind 
0 beyond the pole edges

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 For a 2-pole machine, if we assume that the gap
between the poles is negligible (the gaps at the
top and bottom of the diagram) then the surface
area of the pole can be written as (area of cylinder
/2) :
2rl
AP   rl
2

 Therefore, 2
 AP B under the pole face
eind  
0 beyond the pole edges
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 Since the air gap flux density B is constant
everywhere under the pole faces, the total flux
under each pole is:
  AP B

 Thus, the final form of the voltage equation is:

2
  under the pole face
eind  
0 beyond the pole edges

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In general, the voltage in any real machine will
depend on the same three factors:
1) The flux in the machine
2) the speed of rotation
3) a constant representing the machine
construction

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 Getting DC voltage out of the rotating loop
 The voltage out of the loop is alternating between
a constant positive value and a constant negative
value, i.e. ac voltage.
 How can this machine be modified to produce a

dc voltage?
Answer: By using a mechanism called commutator
and brushes (see below)

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 Commutation
 two semicircular conducting
segments (commutator
segments) are added to
the end of the loop
 two fixed contacts (brushes)
are placed at an angle such that at the instant the voltage
in the loop is zero, the contacts short-circuit the two
segments
 Every time voltage of the loop changes direction, the
contacts also switch connections and the output of the
contacts is always built up in the same way (as shown
next).

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 This connection-switching process is known as
commutation process

Output voltage of a dc machine

Output voltage of a dc machine without with
commutator and brushes. commutator and brushes.

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 The induced torque in the rotating loop
 If the simple machine is connected to a battery, as
shown below, how much torque will be
produced in the stationary loop when the switch
is closed and current is allowed to flow?

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 As before, the approach is to examine each
segment of the loop and then sum the effects of
all segments.
 The force on each segment is given by
F  i l  B 

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 And the torque on the segment is given by :
 
  r  F  rF sin 

 where  is the angle between r and F.

 When the loop is beyond the pole edges, = 0
(since B = 0).

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 Segment ab:
Current directed out of the page
   to surface , under the pole
B
0 , beyond the pole edges
 ilB tangent to motion direction , under the pole face
Fab  
0 , beyond the pole edges

rilB counterclockwise , under the pole face

 ab 
0 , beyond the pole edges
Segment bc:
 Current flowing from upper left to lower right
 Fbc  i l  B   0 since l is parallel to B
    

  bc  0
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 Segment
. cd:
 Current directed into the page
   to surface , under the pole
 B
0 , beyond the pole edges
 ilB tangent to motion direction , under the pole face
 Fcd  
0 , beyond the pole edges

rilB counterclo ckwise , under the pole face

 cd 
0 , beyond the pole edges

Segment da:
 Current flowing from upper left to lower right
 
    
 Fda  i l  B  0 since l is parallel to B
  da  0

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 Note that
 Fab= Fcd= ilB and ab=cd=rFsinrilB CCW
(since =90 deg) And
 Fbc=Fda=0 (since l is parallel to B )
 bc=da=0

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 Hence, the total induced torque in the loop is:

 ind   tot   ab   bc   cd   da
2rilB under the pole faces
 ind 
0 beyond the pole edges

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 By employing the facts that AP  rl
and   A,Pthe
B
torque expression can be reduced to:

2
 i under the pole face
 ind  
0 beyond the pole edges
 In general, the torque in any real machine will

depend on the same three factors:

1) the flux in the machine
2) the current in the machine
3) a constant representing the machine
construction

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 Example 8.1
 A simple rotating loop between curved pole faces
connected to a battery and a resistor through a switch.
The physical dimensions and characteristics of the
machine are:
r=0.5m; l=1m;R=0.3 ohm; B=0.25T; VB=120V
(a) What happens when switch is closed?
(b) What is the machine’s maximum starting current? What is
the ss angular velocity at no load?
(c) Suppose load torque=10 N.m, what is the new ss speed?
How much power is supplied to the shaft? How much
power is being supplied by the battery? is the machine a
motor or a generator?
(d) Suppose the machine is unloaded again, and a torque
=7.5 N.m is applied to the shaft in the direction of motion.

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 What is the new ss speed? Is the machine acting
as a motor or generator?
 Suppose the machine is running unloaded, what
would be the final ss speed of the rotor be if the
flux density were reduced to 0.2 T?

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