AC and DC MOTORS

Garcia, Christian Laettner B.

Batangas State University, AlangilanBatangas City, Philippines

College of Engineering, Architecture and Fine Arts

Electronics and Communications, Instrumentation and Control, Mechatronics Engineering

Department

Abstract –There are many differences between AC and DC motors. The most obvious difference
is the type of current each motor turns into energy, alternating current in the case of AC motors,
and direct current in the case of DC motors. AC motors are known for their increased power
output and efficiency, while DC motors are prized for their speed control and output range. AC
motors are available in single- or three-phase configurations, while DC motors are always single-
phase

More About AC Motors AC motors are used in a number of

In an AC motor, energy comes from
magnetic fields generated through coils
wrapped around the output shaft. AC motors
consist of several parts, including a stator
and rotor. AC motors are efficient, durable,
quiet and flexible, making them a viable
solution for many power generation needs.
The two types of AC motors include:
 Synchronous: The synchronous
motor rotates at the same rate as the
frequency of the supply current, a fact
that gives the motor its name.
Synchronous motors are constructed of a
stator, rotor and Synchronous motors are
used in a wide range of applications.
 Induction: Induction motors are the
simplest and most rugged electric motor
available. These AC electric motors
consist of two electrical assemblies: the
wound stator and the rotor assembly. The
electric current needed to turn the rotor is
created by electromagnetic induction
created by the stator winding. Induction
motors are among the most commonly
used type of motor in the world.
applications, including food
service pumps, water heaters, lawn and
garden equipment and more.
More About DC Motors
The energy used by a DC motor comes from
batteries or another generated power source
that offers constant voltage. DC motors are
made up of several parts, the most notable of
which include bearings, shafts and a gearbox
or gears. DC motors offer better speed
variation and control and produce more
torque than AC motors.
The two types of DC motors include:
 Brushed: One of the oldest types of
motor, brushed motors are internally
commutated electric motors powered by
direct current. Brushed motors are
constructed of a rotor, brushes, an axle
and The charge and polarity of the
brushes control the direction and speed of
the motor.
 Brushless: In recent years, brushless
motors have gained in popularity for
many uses, largely due to their efficiency.
Brushless motors are constructed in the
 same fashion as brushed motors, minus,
of course, the brushes. Brushless motors
also include specialized circuitry to
control speed and direction. In brushless
motors, magnets are mounted around the
rotor, a configuration that improves
efficiency.
DC motors are used in a wide range of
applications, including electric wheelchairs,
handheld sprayers and pumps, coffee
machines, off-road equipment and many
more.
DC motors are commonly used to operate
machinery in a variety of applications on the
factory floor. DC motors were one of the
first types of energy converters used in
industry. Recall that the earliest machines
require speed control and DC motors could
have their speed changed by varying the
voltage sent to them. The
earliest speed controls for DC motors were
nothing more than large resistors.
DC motors required large amounts of DC
voltage for operation. In other words, a
source for the DC voltage is needed at the
factory. This creates a problem because DC
voltage can't be generated and distributed
over a long distance, so AC voltage is the
industry standard. One way to provide the
DC voltage is to use generators that are set
up at the factory site where large AC motors
are used to turn them to produce the amount
of required DC voltage. This system uses a
large AC motor to drive a
DC generator directly at a constant speed.
The field current in the generator is
regulated to adjust the level of DC voltage
from the generator, which in turn is used to
vary the speed of any DC motor that
the generator powers. This system, the
Ward-Lennard system, was popular until
solid-state diodes became available for
rectifying large amounts of AC voltage to
DC for use in motor-driven circuits. Once
solid-state diodes and
SCRs became available, DC
motors became more usable in industry.
During the 1950s and 1960s the use of
DC motors became more prevalent in
machinery control because their speed and
torque were easy to control with simple
SCR controllers. The SCR could rectify AC
voltage to DC, provide current and
voltage control at the same time, and
were capable of being paralleled for larger
loads up to 1000 A. As solid-state
controls became more reliable in the late
1960s and the 1970s, a wide variety of low-
cost AC
motor speed controls became available.
During these years transistors could handle
larger loads, and
microprocessors became relatively
inexpensive so that they could be used to
make variable-frequency AC motor controls.
At this time, one had a choice of using good-
quality AC or DC motors for all types of
special speed and torque applications.
In this section we will introduce the
concepts of controlling a DC motor’s speed,
its torque, and being able to reverse the
direction of its rotation. It's also important to
be able to recognize the features that make
the series, shunt, and compound DC motors
different from each other. One should also
have a good understanding of the basic parts
of the DC motor so that when one must
troubleshoot a DC motor circuit, one will be
able to recognize a malfunctioning
component and make repairs or replace parts
as quickly as possible.

It's also important to understand the methods

of controlling the speed of AC motors, their
direction of rotation, and the amount of
torque they can develop, since these are the
principles that motor drives use
to control motors. Operation of
special drive controllers is easy to
understand if you know what electrical
principle they are trying to alter to
provide control for the motor. If one doesn't
understand the motor principle, it's doubtful
that one will fully understand the
motor control device, and this will make the
system nearly impossible to troubleshoot. If
one understands these concepts, one will
easily be able to understand the next
generation of controls that will be produced
during the next ten years.

In this section, magnetic theories are

provided with a discussion of basic DC
motor components. Additional
information will explain the differences
between series, shunt and compound motors.
Diagrams and schematics are also provided
to explain the methods of controlling speed,
rotation, and torque. These diagrams and
schematics are useful for making field
wiring connections and for testing motors
during troubleshooting procedures.