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1. Introduction
In principle a universal motor (Fig. 1) is similar permanent magnet, the universal motor produ-
to a serial DC motor. However, the universal ces the electric torque proportional to the qua-
motor is designed for AC operation. It is capab- drate of the supply current. So the electric tor-
le to operate at either AC or DC current. There- que has the same torque direction at any current
fore its construction is a little different. The polarity as well as at AC current.
magnetic circuits of stator and rotor consist Universal motors have some excellent proper-
from iron sheets reducing the electric losses ties. They are characterized by high power re-
caused by AC current or AC current component lated to their size and weight, compared to in-
produced by a PWM chopper. Otherwise, the duction motors. They have very good inherent
windings of the universal motor correspond to control properties. They can be operated at ex-
the windings of a common DC motor. The coils tremely high speed (15 000 to 20 000 rpm) and
of the rotor winding are connected the commu- have very good starting torque, which makes
tator segments, which allows to maintain the them suitable for applications such as power
direction of the rotor magnetic field nearly per- drills, washing machines, dust extractors. On
pendicular to the stator magnetic field. Small the other hand, universal motors have also their
universal motors usually have no compensation drawbacks. Universal motors are very loud.
and commutation winding, they have two sa- Compared to induction motors, they have lower
lient poles with excitation winding. The stator life time due to wearing of the commutator. In
winding of the universal motor has low resis- addition, the commutator produces sparks
tance and inductance allowing to operate the which make these motors unsafe for use in
motor in serial connection of the rotor and sta- flammable environment.
tor windings.
measurements were done using an IGBT chop- tance consists of the real resistance of stator and
per (Fig. 5). The type of the IGBT chosen for rotor winding and of the virtual resistance pro-
the experiments is BUP314 and the type of the portional to the speed. The substitutional elec-
switching diode was BY399. The measure- tric scheme does not contain DC voltage source
ments were done at direct PWM control without usual for DC motors with separate excitation.
any feedback. The popular circuit UC3843 was As the result, the current of the universal motor
used as PWM pulse generator. A potentiometer supplied by a chopper with a rectifier is never
was used for changing the duty cycle of the interrupted.
PWM pulses at constant frequency. The control Practical electric behaviour of the universal
circuits with the potentiometer along with pow- motor is a little different from the theoretical
er components were placed on a universal con- behaviour due to commutation of the rotor cur-
tact field (Fig. 6). A capacitor of 330 nF at the rent.
rectifier output was put immediately near the The following four figures show the motor vol-
transistor and the diode only for eliminating tage and current at various speeds. The chosen
parasitic overvoltages. Its influence on the switching frequency is 750 Hz. The voltage
power behavior of the system is negligible. The scale (red) is 200 V/div, the current scale (blue)
only components placed outside of this picture is 2 A/div. The time base has 1 ms/div.
were the diode rectifier, the power supply for
the control circuits and the current sensor for
the oscilloscope.
1,0
0,9
0,8
0,525
Fig. 10. Motor current and voltage at torque
0,500
0,8 Nm and speed 5000 rpm 500 Hz
0,475
At the last measurement (Fig. 10) it was im- 0,450 750 Hz
0,10 0,60
Power factor [-]
0,00 0,55
0,0 0,2 0,4 0,6 0,8 1,0 1,2 0,50
Torque [N.m] 0,45 500 Hz
0,40 750 Hz
Fig. 11. Motor efficiency dependent on the tor- 1 kHz
0,35
que at speed of 2000 and 5000 rpm
0,30
Fig. 11 shows the efficiency depending on the 0,0 0,2 0,4 0,6 0,8 1,0 1,2
torque at two values of speed. Fig. 12 shows the Torque [N.m]
power factor depending on the torque at two Fig. 14. Motor power factor dependent on the
values of speed. torque at speed of 2000 rpm
Zeszyty Problemowe – Maszyny Elektryczne Nr 84/2009 11