Experimental Lab No.

DC Motors

Prepared for
Dr. Narayan C. KAR
by
Faisal SIDDIQUI
Student ID: 101963673
Lab Group No: 53
Wednesdays 2:30pm-4:20 pm
Introduction:

Any DC Mechanical device can be used as a DC Generator or a DC Motor. A DC

Generator converts mechanical energy into electrical energy and a DC Motor converts
electrical energy into mechanical energy. In DC Motor a current is passed through a
conductor which is placed inside a magnetic field. This induces a force in the conductor
and thus converting electrical energy into mechanical energy. Applications of a DC
Motor are aircrafts, fans cars, pumps etc.

A DC Motor is consisted of a stator, which is the stationary part of the motor. The stator
is consisted of field winding which produces magnetic field. The rotor of the motor has
distributed winding where an emf is induced. This part of the motor is the rotating part
and is also known as armature. The commutator is situated on the shaft of the motor and
consists of several copper segments. The brushes are made of carbon or graphite and
usually are used to transfer current from the commutator. See Fig 1.

Fig 1: DC Motor

A shunt DC motor is one where the field and the armature windings are connected in
parallel. Shunt DC motors operate at constant speed due to armature winding being
connected to the constant DC supply in parallel.

When a DC motor is started an external resistance is applied in series to the armature

circuit. This is done to reduce the excessive current passing through the armature circuit
which has the potential to damage the armature windings. If an external resistance was
not placed in series with the armature circuit a huge current would pass through the
circuit due to the armature resistance (Ra) being very low (around 1 Ω).

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Objectives:

The objective of this experiment was to:

• Examine the Machine Console.
• Examine the Construction of a DC motor.
• Study the Torque – Speed Characteristics.

Equipment used and their numbers:

1. Machine console #79343

2. DC motor #EMS 8211
3. DC voltmeters/ammeters. #EMS 8412
4. Power supply. #EMS 8821
5. Electro-dynamometer #EMS 8911
6. Digital tachometer
7. Timing belt
8. Connection leads.

Motor Examination:

Front View of the motor:

• Commutator is consisted of several copper bars and situated on the shaft of the
rotor.
• Two brushes physically situated 90 degrees apart.
• Shunt field windings and armature windings are connected directly the DC supply
lines.

Rear View of the motor:

• Armature windings on the rotor are made of copper.

• Four stator poles attached to the inner surface of the stator.
• Poles having copper windings which are also called field windings.

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Experimental Setup:

Using connection leads Power Supply, DC motor, DC voltmeter /ammeter and

electrodynamometer were connected in the manner shown in Fig 2.

Fig 2: DC Motor – Dynamometer Set

The dynamometer was coupled with the DC motor using the timing belt. DC power
was converted into mechanical power using the DC motor.

Experimental Procedure:

After examining the motor construction it was found that the motor has open
construction which allows for inspection inside the motor.

After examining motor from rear end it was found to have copper armature windings,
four stator poles attached to inside of the stator, field windings made of copper.

When examined from the rear the motor it was found to have commutator on the shaft
of the rotor consist of several copper bars, brushes separated by 90 degrees and shunt
field and armature winding connected in parallel to the DC supply line.

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Determination of Torque Speed Characteristics:

Initially wire the DC motor for shunt operation and connect the motor to the variable
DC output of the power supply and the electrodynamometer to the fixed 120 V AC
output of the power supply. For maximum shunt field strength set the shunt field
rheostat control knob at its full clockwise position, and brushes in their neutral
position. Set the dynamometer control knob at its full counter clockwise position for
maximum starting load to the motor.

Turn on the power supply. Set output voltage to 120 V DC by the meter. Note the
direction of rotation; if it is not clockwise, turn off the power supply and interchange
the shunt field connections. Adjust the shunt field rheostat for a no-load motor speed
of 1,800 r/min as indicated on the hand digital tachometer. Make sure that DC
voltmeter connected across the input of the circuit reads exactly 120 V. Keep this
rheostat adjustment for the remainder of the experiment.

Uncouple the DC motor from the dynamometer for an exact torque of 0 lbf-in (no-
load condition). Measure the line current, by the DC ammeter, for the motor speed of
1,800 r/min. Recouple the DC motor to the dynamometer. Apply a load to the DC
motor by varying the dynamometer until the scale marked on the stator housing
indicates 2.0 lbf-in.

Measure the line current and speed. Repeat for torque of 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 lbf-in.
Maintain exactly 120 V DC for all torque conditions. Return the voltage to zero and
turn off the power supply.

Picture 1: Machine Console #79343

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 Data:

Table 1: Measure Data

Torque (lbf-in) I (A) E(V) Power (W) (P=VI) Speed (r/min)

0.0 0.5 120 60 1801
2.0 1.0 120 120 1709
4.0 1.5 120 180 1625
6.0 1.9 120 228 1531
8.0 2.6 120 312 1468
10.0
MOTOR IS UNSTEADY
12.0

Motor Ratings:
DC motor: 1/4 hp, 1800 rpm, 120 V, 1A
Dynamometer: Torque: 0-27 lbf-in, speed: 0-500 rpm

Plotting:

Applied Torque vs Motor Speed

2000

1800

1600

1400

1200
Speed (r/min)

1000

800

600

400

200

0
1 2 3 4 5
Torque (lbf-in)

Chart 1: Motor Speed as a function of applied torque

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 Current vs Motor Speed

2000

1800

1600

1400

1200
Speed (r/min)

1000

800

600

400

200

0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350
Current (A)

Chart 2: Motor Speed as a function of applied current

Power vs Motor Speed

2000

1800

1600

1400

1200
Speed (r/min)

1000

800

600

400

200

0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350
Power (W)

Chart 3: Motor Speed as a function of applied power

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Analysis:
After setting up all the equipments and adjusting the shunt field rheostat for a no load
motor speed of 1800 r/min, the value for the current input at 120V was recorded to be
0.5A (at no load torque of 0 lbf-in).

During the experiment after recoupling the DC motor to the dynamometer, the
dynamometer control was adjusted to apply a varying load to the DC motor. As the
loads were applied in ascending order (i.e. 2,4,6,8 lbf-in) it was noted that the motor
speed fell steadily from 1801 r/min at 0 lbf-in to 1468 r/min at 8lbf-in. It was noted
that the motor retained a high efficiency over a wide range of over a wide range of
torque. This is as expected from the characteristics of a Shunt DC Motor.

It was also noted that as the load (torque) applied on the motor was increased the line
current input also increased. This is due a torque (T=Pd/ωm) is directly related to the
power input. Therefore as the torque was increased the power input needed to
increase. Since the line voltage was held constant at 120V, it meant that the line
current needed to increase in order to provide more power to the motor. The increase
in Power Input can be found on Table 1.

During the experiment it was found that an external resistance was placed in series
with the armature circuit. This resistance is added to the armature resistance (Ra<1Ω)
in order to reduce the excessive current flow through the armature circuit which can
damage the circuit. This external resistance was later removed as the armature speed
came to a maximum.

It was noted that as the torque applied to the motor was increased the motor started to
become unstable and started to agitate at 10 lbf-in. At this point in the experiment it
recording of the data was terminated.

As the motor became unstable sparks were seen around the motor. This spark was due
to the carbon brush touching the commutator. The sparks resulted in power loss and
may have contributed to the error in the experimental data. Other sources of power
loss that may have contributed to the error were resistance in the armature and the
field circuit as well as the connection leads, vibration of the motor when it became
unstable, eddy current loss due to the back emf induced etc.

The instability and sparks in the motor can be accounted for by that fact that the
motors used in the lab are old and outdated machines compared to modern standards.

Assuming 8lbf-in was the full load of the motor the speed regulation for the motor
can be calculated.

Speed Regulation = N(no load) – N(full load) x 100 = 1801 – 1468 x 100 = 22.68%
N(full load) 1468

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Conclusion:
It can be concluded that the Shunt DC Motors show a steady drop in speed as the load
applied on the machine is increased, but still retained a high efficiency as expected
from the characteristics of a Shunt DC Motor.

The increase in load applied on the motor lead to a higher power and current
consumption by the motor.

Sparks around the motor during the experiment led to power loss as well as other
factors such as resistance in the armature and the field circuit as well as the
connection leads, vibration of the motor when it became unstable, eddy current loss
due to the back emf induced etc. may have contributed to errors in the experimental
data.

An external resistance is placed along with armature resistance (Ra<1Ω), in order to

reduce current flow in the armature circuit and therefore preventing the armature
circuit from being damaged.