Direct-current (dc) generators

If an armature revolves between two stationary field poles, the current in the armature moves in one direc­tion during half of each revolution and in the other di­rection during the other half. To produce a steady flow of unidirectional, or direct, current from such a device, it is necessary to provide a means of reversing the cur­rent flow outside the generator once during each revolu­tion. In older machines this reversal is accomplished by means of a commutator (коллектор) — a split metal ring mounted on the shaft of the armature. The two halves of the ring are insulated from each other and serve as the terminals of the armature coil. Fixed brushes of metal or carbon are held against the commutator as it revolves, connecting the coil electrically to external wires. As the armature turns, each brush is in contact alternately with the halves of the commutator, changing position at the moment when the current in the armature coil reverses its direction. Thus there is a flow of unidirectional cur­rent in the outside circuit to which the generator is con­nected. DC generators are usually operated at fairly low voltages to avoid the sparking between brushes and com­mutator that occurs at high voltage. The highest poten­tial commonly developed by such generators is 1500 V. In some newer machines this reversal is accomplished using power electronic devices, for example, diode recti­fiers.

Modern DC generators use drum armatures that usu­ally consist of a large number of windings set in longitudinal slits in the armature core and connected to appro­priate segments of a multiple commutator. In an arma­ture having only one loop of wire, the current produced will rise and fall depending on the part of the magnetic field through which the loop is moving. A commutator of many segments used with a drum armature always connects the external circuit to one loop of wire moving through the high-intensity area of the field, and as a re­sult the current delivered by the armature windings is virtually constant. Fields of modern generators are usu­ally equipped with four or more electromagnetic poles to increase the size and strength of the magnetic field. Sometimes smaller interpoles are added to compensate for distortions in the magnetic flux of the field caused by the magnetic effect of the armature.

DC generators are commonly classified according to the method used to provide field current for energizing the field magnets. A series-wound generator has its field in series with the armature, and a shunt-wound genera­tor has the field connected in parallel with the armature. Compound-wound generators have part of their fields in series and part in parallel. Both shunt-wound and com­pound-wound generators have the advantage of deliver­ing comparatively constant voltage under varying elec­trical loads. The series-wound generator is used princi­pally to supply a constant current at variable voltage. A magneto is a small DC generator with a permanent-mag­net field

AC MOTORS

Two basic types of motors are designed to operate on alternating current: synchronous motors and induction motors. The synchronous motor is essentially a three-phase alternator operated in reverse. The field magnets are mounted on the rotor and are excited by di­rect current, and the armature winding is divided into three parts and fed with three-phase alternating current. The variation of the three waves of current in the arma­ture causes a varying magnetic reaction with the poles of the field magnets, and makes the field rotate at a con­stant speed that is determined by the frequency of the current in the AC power line.

The constant speed of a synchronous motor is advan­tageous in certain devices. However, in applications where the mechanical load on the motor becomes very great, synchronous motors cannot be used, because if the motor slows down under load it will «fall out of step» with the frequency of the current and come to a stop. Synchro­nous motors can be made to operate from a single-phase power source by the inclusion of suitable circuit elements that cause a rotating magnetic field.

The simplest of all electric motors is the squirrel-cage type of induction motor used with a three-phase supply. The armature of the squirrel-cage motor con­sists of three fixed coils similar to the armature of the synchronous motor. The rotating member consists of a core in which are imbedded a series of heavy conduc­tors arranged in a circle around the shaft and parallel to it. With the core removed, the rotor conductors resemble in form the cylindrical cages once used to ex­ercise pet squirrels. The three-phase current flowing in the stationary armature windings generates a rotating magnetic field, and this field induces a current in the conductors of the cage. The magnetic reaction between the rotating field and the current-carrying conductors of the rotor makes the rotor turn. If the rotor is re­volving at exactly the same speed as the magnetic field no currents will be induced in it, and hence the rotor should not turn at a synchronous speed. In operation the speeds of rotation of the rotor and the field differ by about 2 to 5 per cent. This speed difference is known as slip.

Motors with squirrel-cage rotors can be used on sin­gle-phase alternating current by means of various ar­rangements of inductance and capacitance that alter the characteristics of the single-phase voltage and make it resemble a two-phase voltage. Such motors are called split-phase motors or condenser motors (or capacitor motors), depending on the arrangement used. Single-phase squirrel-cage motors do not have a large starting torque, and for applications where such torque is required, repulsion-induction motors are used. A repulsion-induction motor may be of the split-phase or condenser type, but has a manual or au­tomatic switch that allows current to flow between brushes on the commutator when the motor is start­ing, and short-circuits all commutator segments after the motor reaches a critical speed. Repulsion-induc­tion motors are so named because their starting torque depends on the repulsion between the rotor and the stator, and their torque while running depends on in­duction. Series-wound motors with commutators, which will operate on direct or alternating current, are called universal motors. They are usually made only in small sizes and are commonly used in household ap­pliances.