Linear induction motor-equivalent-circuit model

J. Duncan, C.Eng., M.I.E.E., Mem.I.E.E.E.

Indexing term: Induction motors

Abstract: An equivalent-circuit model of a linear induction motor is developed, using the rotary-motor
model as a basis. The rotary-motor model is modified to account for the so-called 'end effect' and is used to
predict output thrust, vertical forces and couples. These predictions are checked against test results of a
practical motor used on a prototype transit vehicle.

List of symbols The equivalent circuit is essentially a performance model

Ri = primary resistance and generally does not require internal machine design data.
R21 = secondary resistance referred to primary The machine data can be obtained from the machine ter-
L1 = primary leakage inductance minals by measurement and is then incorporated into the
L2i = secondary leakage inductance referred t o primary model. The linear motor tends to present more difficult
Lm = magnetising inductance problems of measurement, but in principle the same kind of
D = motor effective length data can be obtained as in the case of the rotary motor. In
v = motor velocity
the case of the linear motor, it is also possible to measure
d = distance between midpoints of secondary and pri-
the vertical forces under controlled static conditions to
obtain motor constants for calculating these same forces
ary current layers
under dynamic conditions. The process of testing is not
T = motor pole pitch
discussed in this paper owing to lack of space and the author's
c^i = supply frequency
= lack of direct involvement in the testing.
co 2 slip frequency
P = number of poles in motor The motor used to test the model is the motor destined to
I2\ — secondary slip current referred to primary be the first large-scale revenue application of traction linear
Im = magnetising current motors in the world. To the author's knowledge, it is also the
11 = primary current only linear motor which has been subject to static testing to
12 e = instantaneous secondary eddy currents referred t o establish the equivalent-circuit components.
primary
=
hea average value of i2e over motor length .primary
ime = instantaneous effective magnetising currents
Imea = average value of effective magnetising current over
motor length tOMOl
MMF = magnetomotive force

1 Introduction
The existence of a reasonably accurate equivalent-circuit
model of the rotary induction motor has been of significant
benefit to engineers who design and use these motors. There
is, however, no similar generally recognised model for the
linear induction motor. Most of the existing models depend
on field theory and can show reasonably accurate perform-
ance predictions. They do not, however, provide the con-
venient conceptual frame of reference that the equivalent
circuit provides.
The complexities of the field theory appear to rule out a
simple equivalent-circuit model. Laithwaite, in Reference 1,
p. 58, suggests that '. . . these (end) effects cannot be readily
expressed in terms of components in an equivalent circuit',
while Reference 2, p. 83, concludes that '. . . conventional
circuit analysis has proved to be incapable of modelling the
asymmetric magnetic and electrical conditions which prevail
in the linear motor'. This paper attempts to develop a simple
equivalent circuit for the linear motor by using only the
usual equivalent circuit components and avoiding the use of
field theory. The resulting model accounts for many of the
experimentally established characteristics of linear motors.
Paper 2154B (PI), first received 25th February and in revised form
11th August 1982
The author is with Transportation & Vehicle Systems, Transportation
Technology & Energy Division, Ministry of Transportation and Com-
munications, 1201 Wilson Avenue, 3rd Floor, Central Building, Downs-
view, Ont. M3M 1J8, Canada
IEEPROC, Vol. 130, Pt. B, No. 1, JANUARY 1983
secondary sheet secondary back iron
Fig. 1 Side view of linear induction motor
2 Linear induction motor
The linear induction motor (LIM) is shown in Fig. 1. The
primary is simply a rotary-motor primary cut open and rolled
flat. The secondary usually consists of a sheet conductor with
an iron return path for the magnetic flux. The primary and
secondary together form a single-sided linear induction motor.
The secondary iron return path may be replaced by a suitable
airgap and a second primary to produce a double-sided arrange-
ment. Single- or double-sided motors which use sheet second-
aries are electromagnetically equivalent, and both may be
analysed by the methods presented in this paper.
3 Rotary-motor equivalent circuit
The rotor induction motor (RIM) equivalent circuit is well
known and may be represented as shown in Fig. 2. The com-
ponent values used in this circuit represent per-phase values
and are referred to the primary. To obtain the total motor
performance, the outputs given by the circuit must be multiplied
by three.
In many modern applications, the supply frequency be-
comes a variable, as shown in Fig. 2. The iron loss component
tends to become more complex with variable supply frequency,
but its influence on motor performance is generally small. In
0143-7038/83/010051 + 07 $01.50/0 51
the case of the linear motor, the use of a large airgap leads to
low flux densities which tend to make the iron loss very
small, so the iron loss component may be neglected without
significant loss of accuracy. The RIM equivalent circuit, how-
ever, does not account for the behaviour of the linear motor,
and this failure is usually attributed to a phenomenon known
as the 'end effect'.
1*3, L21
Fig. 2 Rotary induction motor equivalent circuit
4 End effect
4.1 Magnetising branch inductance
The main difference between rotary motors can be seen in
Fig. 1. In a LIM, as the primary moves, the secondary is
continuously replaced by a new material. This new material
will tend to resist a sudden increase in flux penetration and
only allow a gradual build up of flux density in the airgap.
The entry of new material and its influence on the flux will
modify the motor performance. To obtain a suitable LIM
equivalent circuit, it will be necessary to quantify the influence
of the entry of new material on the airgap flux distribution
and account for the end effect. This can be done by examining
the magnetising branch of the equivalent circuit.
The primary shown in Fig. 1 can be supplied with direct
current to produce a flux wave which is stationary in space.
This flux wave can be established with the secondary con-
ducting sheet removed. If the secondary conductor is replaced
instantaneously, the flux will tend to disappear at time zero
and then rise to its original value with the passenge of time.
This mechanism is illustrated in Fig. 3. Time has been normal-
ised, using T2 as a basis, so that x = t/T2 •
At time zero, the secondary eddy current in the sheet will
grow very rapidly to mirror the primary currents, so nullifying
the primary MMF and reducing the flux to nearly zero. The
rise of the secondary eddy current is controlled by the sheet
leakage time constant L2i/R2l • This time constant, however,
is, small (about 5%) compared with the magnetising or mutual
inductance time constant, so that for practical purposes it may
be considered negligible.»This means that the eddy current at
time zero and referred to the primary winding is nearly equal
to the primary magnetising current lm and will then decay
exponentially with time. The time constant for this decay will
be the total secondary time constant:
T2 = (Lm+L21)/R2l
(1)
The secondary or sheet eddy current opposes the primary
magnetising current Im. In an induction motor, this eddy
current corresponds to a secondary current which resists the
build up of the airgap flux and is in phase opposition to Im.
This secondary eddy current referred to the primary is desig-
nated I2e and will lag the referred secondary slip current I2l
by about 90°. This condition is similar to a rotary motor in
a constant start-up transient, where the rotor resists the
build up of the airgap flux.
It is now necessary to examine what happens to the
secondary eddy currents when 3-phase alternating currents are
52
applied to the primary and the secondary sheet is replaced
gradually and continuously.
With 3-phase currents applied to the primary, both the
MMF per unit length and flux density are sinusoidally distrib-
uted along the motor length, and change position with time. It
is convenient, and does not affect the argument, to represent
these waves as RMS or effective values. If all the primary
slots are filled, this provides a uniform MMF per unit length
of motor and flux density over the primary length. As the
primary winding turns per unit length of motor is fixed, the
primary magnetising current Im may be used to represent
the MMF per unit length of motor, which, in turn, gives rise
the airgap flux. If no saturation is present, the magnetising
current will also represent the flux density. The presence of
half-filled slots will be dealt with later in Section 4.5.
i 2 3
normalised time
Fig. 3 Rise of total airgap flux
It is now possible to examine the gradual replacement of
the secondary sheet by considering a small element as it enters
and moves through this uniform magnetic field. The small
element will initially generate maximum eddy currents and
reduce its flux density to zero at the leading edge of the
motor, and will then allow the flux density to grow exponen-
tially with a time constant T2 as the eddy current dies away.
As this element of rail passes beyond the primary, the
primary MMF seen by the rail will disappear and be reflected
in the exit rail eddy currents as they try to maintain the gap
flux. These exit rail eddy currents will decay very rapidly
with a very short time constant related to the leakage induct-
ance of the rail. These transient changes at the entry and exit
ends of the motor are shown in Fig. 4, where they are plotted
in terms of T2. If this intuitive explanation of the influence
of T2 is accepted, then it can form the basis for quantifying
the end effect. Changes to account for this can then be made
to the classical equivalent circuit.
The spatial distribution of the flux density along the
motor length will, however, depend on the primary speed
relative to the secondary sheet. The distance moved by the
primary in one secondary time constant is
vT2
where v is the primary velocity.
For a given primary velocity, distance can therefore be
expressed in terms of the secondary time constant T2. The
primary length on this normalised time scale can be obtained
as follows.
The time taken for the motor to traverse a point on the
IEEPROC, Vol. 130, Pt. B, No. 1, JANUARY 1983
rail is
Tv = D/v (3)
where D is the motor length.
The time Tv, in terms of the secondary time constant T2,
is
Q = TJT2 = DR2ll{Lm+L2l)v (4)
Therefore, Q is dimensionless but represents the motor length
on this normalised time scale. On this basis, the motor length
is clearly dependent on the motor velocity, so that, at zero
velocity, the motor length is infinitely long. As the velocity
rises, the motor length will effectively shrink. The curve of
ime between x = 0 and x — Q represents the distribution of
the MMF per unit length along the motor length. This concept,
therefore, provides a means of describing the distribution of
effective MMF along the motor length for any velocity.
Q.
a.
Fig. 4 Distribution of effective MMF at velocity > 0
If no significant saturation exists, then the MMF distribution
will correspond to the flux-density distribution. The resulting
flux distribution is similar to that found experimentally in
References 3 to 5 and others. When this paper was in its
final revision, the author's attention was drawn to Reference
7. F.C. Williams, et al. appear to have used a similar approach
to the problem of flux distribution and derived the same
curve as shown in Fig. 3. It is now clear that a high velocity
will lead to a significant loss of flux at the leading edge of the
motor. At zero velocity, however, the loss of flux will be
negligible. The reduction of end effects, therefore, will require
a high value for Q.
The value of Q therefore indicates the motor's ability to
resist the loss of output due to end effects. Unfortunately, this
means using a motor with a low velocity, high electrical circuit
resistance R2\ and high magnetic reluctance or low Lm. The
ratio Q used above is the inverse of the 'goodness factor'
developed by Laithwaite [6], and this fact may go some way
towards explaining the poor performance of linear motors.
IEEPROC, Vol. 130, Pt. B, No. 1, JANUARY 1983
It will be noted that Qv is a constant velocity depending
on the basic motor dimensions and secondary material:
Qv = DR2l/(Lm+L2l) (5)
The primary magnetising currents have already been used to
represent the MMF per unit length of motor. In a similar way,
the secondary demagnetising eddy currents, when referred to
the primary, appear as antiphase currents or negative MMF
per unit length. The value of the secondary eddy currents
i2e varies along the motor length. However, when these currents
are reflected into the series-wound primary winding, they will
appear as an average current in antiphase to the primary
magnetising current. These average values are developed in
eqns. 6 and 7 and are shown in Fig. 4.
The average value of the eddy current per unit length, i2e,
is
Im rQ {l-exp(-0}
hea = -^ |o exp(-x)dx = In (6)
Q
The average value of ime, the effective magnetising current per
unit length, is
l-exp(-Q)
(7)
Q
The demagnetising effect of the secondary eddy current I2ea
can be represented by means of an inductance connected in
parallel with Lm and carrying the eddy current I2ea, as shown
in Fig. 5a. This inductance, however, is simply shunting
current away from the magnetising inductance Lm and con-
tributes nothing to excitation. The size of this inductance
must be chosen to produce the same loss of excitation as the
average value of i2e over the motor length. The required value
of the parallel inductance is, therefore:
Q
J
m'meal*2ea '-'i (8)
l-exp(-<2)
This parallel circuit may be replaced by an equivalent series
circuit, shown in Fig. 5b, where the total inductance becomes
1 - exp (-Q)
1- (9)
Q
and carries the magnetising current
'm = Jmea + hea (l0)
Notice that, as the velocity tends to zero, or the motor length
tends to infinity, the magnetising branch inductance becomes
Lm and the linear motor becomes equivalent to the rotary
as the end effect disappears.
4.2 Rail eddy-curren t losses
There is another aspect of the secondary eddy current which
must be taken into account. When the eddy current circulates
in the secondary, it will assume the same kind of path as that
used by the slip current J21, but displaced by nearly half a
pole pitch. The resistance of this circuit is R2l and ohmic
losses will be produced by the eddy currents. These losses may
be evaluated by determining the RMS value i2e over the motor
length.
Lm
a b
Fig. 5 Inductive element of linear motor magnetising branch
53
 The RMS value of i2e is
0.5
l-exp(-20| {
(11)
2(2
For the section of rail under the primary:
Eddy current losses =
1 - exp ( - 20)
= tlR21 (12)
2Q
As the motor passes over the rail, the primary magnetising
MMF seen by the rail disappears and this creates an equivalent
reflected MMF and current in the rail which tries to maintain
the flux (see Fig. 4). The magnetic energy at the point of exit
dissipates in the ohmic resistance of the rail. These losses,
however, can be represented by the time rate of change of
magnetic energy as it leaves the motor gap.
The airgap magnetic energy per unit length of the motor at
the point of exit is given by
Magnetic energy = 0.5(Lm + L2l) {Im (1
-exp(-<2)} 2 /£>
where Im (1 — exp (— Q)) is the effective magnetising current
at the point of exit.
The power loss can now be obtained by multiplying the
energy expression by the motor velocity v to give:
exit power loss = 0.5(L m + L 21 )/£ {1 - exp ( - Q) }2v/D
{l-exp(-0}2
T2 n
(13)
2(2
(by substitution from eqn. 4)
Adding eqns. 12 and 13 gives:
Total ohmic loss due to eddy currents in rail
{l-exp(-0}
= II R, (14)
Q
To account for this power loss in the equivalent circuit, it is
necessary to add a resistance to the magnetising branch, as
shown in Fig. 6. This addition is sufficiently accurate, provided
the inductive element dominates the magnetising branch
impedance. However, as the supply frequency approaches
zero, the model breaks down. This condition is analogous to
the case of direct-current dynamic braking used in rotary
squirrel-cage motors. In the rotary motor, the equivalent
circuit does not provide a model for direct-current braking.
The thrust due to these losses, which are passed across the
gap, is obtained by dividing the total losses by the motor
velocity. This thrust, by Lenz's law, will always act to oppose
R and may be determined from static tests. The deriviation of
1 I,
21ZT,
Fig. 6 Equivalent circuit of linear induction motor
54
motion:
Motor thrust due to eddy-current loss
05)
vQ
The factor 3 sums the three phases of the motor. It should be
noted that, with a very long motor, the magnetising branch
resistance becomes zero, and so this thrust becomes zero, as it
is in the case of the rotary motor. At zero velocity, however,
the thrust will reach a limiting value of
(16)
3/;
D
and will undergo a change of sign as the velocity passes
through zero. The change of sign shows a similarity to mechan-
ical friction, and the eddy-current loss appears to be a mag-
netic friction.
4.3 Vertical forces
Forces perpendicular to the plane of the airgap (i.e. radial
forces) exist in rotary motors, but they only become significant
as a result of nonuniform radial airgaps. In the case of the single-
sided linear motor, these forces are always significant and
must be considered in the design of the motor structure and
mounting devices.
The vertical forces can be separated into two components
and a turning couple.
The largest component is the attractive force between the
primary and the secondary back iron. This force is due to the
main flux crossing the gap, and is proportional to the product
of the effective magnetising current squared and the inductance
Lm, i.e. the stored energy contained in the magnetic gap.
The RMS value of ime over the motor length is
0.5
Q
= j|Lj o (1_exp(_
(l-exp(-0)(3-exp(-0)|°-;
1— (17)
2(2
The vertical attractive force is
V 1
(l-exp(-G))(3-exp(-0)
2(2
(18)
The constant Ka is obtained from static tests on the motor and
includes the multiplier 3 to convert from single phase to three
phase.
The second component is the repulsive force between the
secondary slip current I2\ and its reflected current in the
primary winding. This force is given by
21
F - K — (19)
where d is the distance between the midpoints of the primary
and secondary current layers. Kr is a constant which includes
the multiplier 3 to convert from single phase to three phase
eqns. 18 and 19 and the tests to determine the constants are
discussed in the Appendixes.
4.4 Vertical forces couple
The attractive forces in the airgap are distributed along the
primary length and are proportional to the flux density
squared, which is derived from Fig. 4 and is shown in Fig.
7. This distribution, assuming no saturation, corresponds to
the distribution of the attractive vertical force along the
primary length.
IEEPROC, Vol. 130, Pt. B, No. 1, JANUARY 1983
 It now becomes possible to establish the turning moment for low-speed LIMs at less than 20m/s. Higher speed LIMs,
of the attractive force. This turning moment produces the or those with fewer poles, may demand a more complex treat-
'bow wave' effect of lowering the trailing edge of the motor, ment.
relative to the leading edge, as the speed increases.
As the vertical force has already been established in eqn. 6-r
18, it is now necessary to establish the equivalent point of IT
application or centroid of the distributed forces. This can be 3 3
done by treating Fig. 8 as a geometrical problem and estab- 1.0
lishing the centroid of the area under the curve. The actual
forces are irrelevant to this problem, so it is convenient to 0.5
normalise the curve on the basis of Im = 1.0. The centroid is
established in the usual way by integrating the elemental
moments of area and dividing the result by the area, as shown motor length
in Fig. 7: Fig. 8 Effective motor length

5 Linear motor equivalent circuit

-
2 The modifications to the rotary equivalent circuit developed
W=Imd-e X
in this paper make it possible to use an equivalent circuit
model to calculate the motor performance and include such
_ centroid things as vertical force and the turning couple. The thrust
//
of the motor due to slip currents is obtained in the classical
M
m J* manner of rotary equivalent circuits:
Motor thrust due to slip currents
1 2 ! \ 3 ,-> A 5 6

normalised time 3/fi *2i M (24)

Fig. 7 Distribution of attractive vertical force along motor length Motor thrust due to eddy currents
(l-exp(-0) (25)
Area under curve -3/m*21 Q N

The motor thrust due to slip currents will go negative as the

slip frequency changes sign to change the motor to the gener-
= Q + 2 exp ( - 0 - 0.5 exp ( - 2 0 - 1.5 (20) ating mode. The thrust due to eddy-current losses will change
sign with a velocity change of sign, so as to always oppose
motion.
Moment of area about point of origin From a given set of terminal conditions, the output power,
thrust, speed and power factor can be determined for any
- fQ v n - (- ^2 i value of slip frequency which avoids saturation. In addition,
— I X^I CXp( X) ) ClX
eqns. 18 and 19 will provide the vertical force. Eqn. 23 will
Jo enable the turning couple to be determined.
= 0.5Q2 + 2 ( 0 + 1 ) exp ( - 0 (21) Test results
- (0.50 +
The effective 0.25) exp
distance ( - 2centroid
of the 0 - 1.75of the area from the A single-sided linear induction motor has been developed for
origin is obtained by dividing eqn. 21 by 20, to give: an urban transit system funded by the Government of Ontario.
O.502 + 2 ( 0 + 1) exp ( - 0 - ( 0 . 5 0 + 0.25) exp ( - 2 0 -1.75 (22)
M=
Q + 2 exp ( - 0 - 0.5 exp ( - 2 0 - 1.5

This distance M is in terms of the T2 scale used in Fig. 8 and

must be multiplied by D/Q to be converted to metres. The
turning couple C is then referred to the midpoint of the
motor, as follows:
C = (MD/Q- 0.5D)Fva = (M/Q-0.5)DFv (23)

4.5 Effective motor length

The previous discussion assumes filled slots; however, Fig. 1 AOHz
shows that the slots at the end of the primary contain only
one side of a coil. These half-filled slots extend about two-
thirds of a pole pitch from each end, and are practically 2 -
unavoidable. This effect can be allowed for, especially
on motors of reasonable length, by selecting an effective 10 12 U 16 18 20
motor speed , m/s
motor length. Fig. 8 shows the MMF profile obtained in a 6-
Fig. 9 Thrust against speed curves
pole motor. The total length of this motor is (6 + 2/3)r
or, in general terms, (P + 2/3)r. To allow for the half-filled • calculated test
Constant current — 465 A
slots, the effective motor length can be taken as (P+ l/3)r Tooth to reaction railgap = 12.6 ± 0 . 8 mm

IEE PROC, Vol. 130, Pt. B, No. I, JANUARY 1983 55

Table 1 : Linear-motor design data and rail resistance observed on test. Fig. 11 shows the total
Motor length 1.9 m motor vertical force for the same conditions as Fig. 10.
Stack width 0.216m
Slots per pole 12 7 Discussion
Pole pitch 0.287 m
Number of slots 79 The test results show that the equivalent-circuit model provides
Phases 3 reasonable predictions of performance. There were a number
Wound poles 6
Connection Wye of factors which assisted, and some which prevented closer
Turns per coil 4 results.
Coil pitch 7 The back iron used in the secondary was laminated using
Iron behind slots 0.0384 m 3 mm thick steel. It was deep enough to avoid saturation over
Secondary back iron 3 mm laminated steel the range of interest. The static tests showed that the equivalent-
Width 0.240 m circuit constants were not significantly influenced by frequency.
Depth 0.0381 m These factors lead to simplified modelling. This would not be
Conductor Aluminium
Resistivity 3.5SVcmat 20°C the case with solid or saturated back iron. On the other hand,
Thickness 4.5 mm the configuration of the magnetic gap is constantly changing
17.1 mm
and this leads to inaccuracies. When the vehicle is accelerated,
Mean iron-to-iron gap
the gap tends to close up at the trailing end of the motor. This
Equivalent circuit test values is due to the reaction of the truck suspension system to the
0.038 SI at 20° C vehicle's accelerating forces. As the motor speeds up, the flux
0.00104 H tends to move towards the trailing end of the motor — producing
0.109 a at 14°C
0.0002 H
even more closing forces on this end. The combined effect of
0.00449 H these forces is to produce a tapered gap which varies with load
and speed. The combination of the tapered gap and the MMF
360
300r
320

o
1 240
"5
•-E 200

£ 120
80
2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22
motor speed , m/s
Fig. 10 Motor-terminal voltage against speed
1 Tooth to reaction railgap = 12.6 mm
- calculated test
Constant current = 465 A
Tooth to reaction railgap = 12.6 mm
This motor has been subject to extensive static and dynamic
testing. The static tests were used to obtain the equivalent-
circuit component values and the vertical force constants.
These are listed in Table 1, and were obtained using normal
rotary motor tests. The open-circuit test was simulated by
removing the secondary sheet, and gap search coils were used
to separate the primary and secondary leakage inductance. The
dynamic tests were carried out while the motor was driving a
prototype transit vehicle on a test track.
The results of the dynamic tests are shown along with the
calculated curves in Figs. 9, 10 and 1 ]. Fig. 9 shows the motor
thrust plotted against speed for a constant current at various
supply frequencies. To illustrate the effect of the changes in
the gap and rail resistance, two calculated curves are shown.
These have been calculated using the maximum range of the
average airgap estimated from observations made during
the test and the maximum range of secondary resistance
derived from ambient temperature changes recorded during
the test. The variation obtained in the calculated curves with
gap changes indicates a major source of difficulty in obtaining
test results for a motor mounted on a vehicle.
Fig. 10 shows the phase terminal voltage plotted against
motor speed for constant current at various supply frequencies.
In this case, the calculated values are shown for the mean gap
56
2 A • 6 8 10 12 14 16
motor speed,m/s
Fig. 11 Motor vertical force against speed
calculated test
Constant current = 465 A
distribution will tend to produce an effective gap reduction
which is larger than the observed reduction. A difference
of 2 mm was observed on tests between the leading and
trailing ends of the motor.
The tapered gap, in practice, will tend to produce higher
values of thrust, vertical force and terminal voltage than those
obtained from the model. This result will be accentuated at
higher motor speeds.
This may explain some of the differences between calculated
and test results in Figs. 9 to 11. The uncertainties and dif-
ficulties of measuring the airgap and its lack of uniformity
on a vehicle-mounted linear motor are formidable and may
prove intractable. If this is the case, then linear-motor models
may have to be checked against laboratory tests where the
airgap can be controlled.
It should be noted that a single-sided motor used in a
transit vehicle will encounter changes to the airgap and rail
resistance which are much higher than those obtained in these
tests. The linear motor must, therefore, be designed to produce
the required output under worst case conditions — especially
on automated systems, where reliable propulsion-system
performance is vital.
8 Conclusions
The modified simple equivalent circuit provides a performance
model for the linear induction motor. This model appears
IEEPROC, Vol. 130, Pt. B, No. 1, JANUARY 1983
to be of sufficient accuracy if consideration is given to the From eqn. 18 at zero velocity,
typical airgap variations obtainable in practice. It also provides
a conceptual frame of reference related to the rotary model, 3
(27)
which leads to an improved understanding of the performance
of linear induction motors.
Evaluation of Ka, however, requires exact knowledge of the
effective gap g and the influence of the slots. Ka can, however,
be determined from static tests to be discussed in Appendix
9 Acknowledgments 11.3.
The test results used to assess the model were obtained by
Spar Aerospace Ltd. and Metro Canada Ltd. for the Urban 7 7.2 Repulsive forces
Transportation Development Corporation, who have kindly The formula which gives the force between two parallel
agreed to their use in this paper. circular wire loops is presented in many standard text books
as

10 References F =
2nd
1 LAITHWAITE, E.R.: 'Linear electronic motors' (Mills & Boon,
London,1971) where i{, i2 are the loop currents, L is the length of wire in
2 WILLIAMSON, S., and SMITH, A.C.: 'Field analysis for rotating the loop and d is the distance between loops.
induction machines and its relationship to the equivalent-circuit In the case of the linear motor, the slip current I2l and the
method', Proc. IEE, 1980, 127, (2), pp. 83-90 reflected secondary current I2 correspond to the loop currents
3 SKOBELEV, V.E.: 'Limiting factors in operation of linear motors i x , and i2 to provide eqn. 19:
at superhigh speeds', Rail Int., Feb. 1973, pp. 269-276
4 SKOBELEV, V.E.: 'Influence of longitudinal fringe effect on the
'21
operation of high-speed traction induction motor', ibid., Dec. Fvr — Kr
1974,pp.767-781
5 SKOBELEV, V.E.: 'The problem of using the asynchronous linear
motor for high-speed ground transport', ibid., June 1977, pp. 297- These currents are in opposite directions and so provide a
308 repulsive force.
6 LAITHWAITE, E.R.: 'The goodness of a machine', Proc. IEE, 1965, The constant Kr presents a complex expression related to
112, (3), pp. 538-541
7 WILLIAMS, F.C., LAITHWAITE, E.R., and PIGGOT, L.S.: 'Brush- the coil geometry, but it may be obtained by means of a suit-
less variable-speed induction motors', ibid., 1957, 104A, pp. 102- able test.
118
71.3 Test to determine Ka and Kr
When the motor velocity is zero, eqn. 18 becomes
11 Appendixes
tva = KaLmIm
This Section deals with the derivation of eqns. 18 and 19 and
the method of establishing the constants Ka and Kr from test The total attractive force is given by
results. I'vt **va tvr
7 7.7 Attractive forces
The stored energy in the motor airgap at zero velocity and — KaLmIm —Kr — (28)
with no secondary sheet present is given by
2 The linear motor is restrained in a static condition with
'm1Im a variable-frequency supply current, and with facilities for
S =
measuring the total vertical force Fvt.
A known current is now supplied at two different fre-
This energy is proportional to the effective magnetic gap g.
quencies to obtain a significant difference in the relationship
If this gap is now changed by 8g, by means of a force Fva, between Im and I2l. The force Fvt is measured at these two
the input energy due to this change will equal the change in frequencies. From the equivalent circuit for velocity equals
the stored energy. Thus zero, it is now possible to determine Im and l2x for each of
the applied frequencies. Eqn. 28 may therefore be repeated
with different values for Fvt, Im and I2X. As Lm and d are
already known, the two unknowns Ka and Kr may be deter-
2
rFT
va
— — LI TlT
^ -'m (26) mined. Eqn. 27 may provide a useful check on the effective

IEE PROC, Vol. 130, PL B, No. 1, JANUARY 1983 57