GABRIEL GRECO – A00201829

WINTER 2021
Three phase Induction Motors

This document will serve as a template for submitting your assignment for course credit.

The student will use this template and ensure to insert their name in the top right hand corner of
the header. Only hard copy will be accepted for course credit, e-mailed assignments are not
accepted. Remember that No name = No grade

Remember that grading is based on how thorough an answer was provided and its relevance to
the question.

Direct copying from the textbooks is to be avoided, explain in your own words. Remember that
anything used from a textbook or online source needs to be cited properly. A citation should not
be more than 15 % of the answer. Unless otherwise directed, answers that are a result of an internet
search will not be accepted, the questions are based on information found in the course reference
material.

Review questions are based on material found in the following Textbook:

Chapters 6 and 13 of the Electrical Machines, Drives and Power Systems textbook, 6th edition

All answers are to be in the form of complete sentences. Work is due at 12:30 PM
th
Feb. 17 , 2021. The assignment will be submitted in hard copy, either in person or
dropped off at Mr. Levesque’s office in Room 1813.

1. Please explain why annealing the steel laminations that make-up the armature core of
an AC electric motor helps to minimize iron losses which affects the motor’s efficiency
rating? This question will require independent research, not found in the textbooks. Cite
your reference.

Annealing is a process in which a material is exposed to a heat treatment (very high

temperatures) process to alter the materials physical ( and sometimes chemical)
properties. This is done to improve the materials ductility ( the degree to which a
material can sustain deformation under stress before failure) and reduce its
hardness, allowing the material to become more malleable. In the case of the steel
laminations that compose the armature core, annealing is used to remove stresses in
the silicon steel sheet around the edges of lamination which occur during the
punching and stamping process. Annealing also provides carbon control to the steel
used in lamination. Carbon in steel can form carbides during the milling process
which lowers the permeability of the steel. If the carbides are not treated, they grow
over time and inhibit magnetization in the lamination which increases core losses and
magnetizing current.

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Sources cited: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annealing_(metallurgy)
http://what-when-how.com/electric-motors/stator-lamination-annealing-electric-
motors/
https://www.freepatentsonline.com/4281234.html

Answer 4 points/

Citing the reference 1 point/

2. When a manufacturer designs a three-phase electric motor, what information or criteria

forms the basis for determining the Horsepower rating of the motor? Please give a
detailed explanation, and cite your reference material.

The horsepower rating of a motor is a measure of the motors mechanical output

rating, expressed as its ability to deliver torque required to move a load at a rated
speed. In other words, a motors horsepower rating is based on the amount of torque
that the motor is able to produce in order to move a load. The amount of torque
produced by a motor is determined by the strength of the magnetic field of the stator
windings and the strength of the magnetic field of the rotor windings.
Cited Delmar’s Standard Textbook of Electricity pg. 811
4 points/

Citing the reference 1 point/

3. List the factors that are recognized as contributing to the breakdown of an Electric
motor’s organic insulation.

1. Heat 2. Humidity
3. Vibration 4. Acidity
5. Oxidation 6. Time

3 points/

4. Most industrial equipment is evaluated on the number of hours it operates rather than
basing it on days, weeks or years. What is considered to be the normal service life of an
electric motor in terms of hours of operation?

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Three phase Induction Motors
Depending on the operating conditions of the motor, maintenance, and environmental
factors, the average service life of a motor is on average between 20000-40000 hours.
Information cited from :
https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2014/04/f15/extend_motor_operlife_motor_sys
temts3.pdf
2 points/

5. What environmental conditions should a maintenance electrician try to maintain in order

to maximize the service life of an electric induction motors and starters that are located
in a basement mechanical room of a building?

The environment should not contain high amounts of humidity or moisture, as well,
the basement should not have an excessively high ambient temperature. The
environment should be clean and clear of debris, so the electrician has sufficient
space to access the motor.
3 points/

6. Chapter 6 of the Wildi textbook, there is a comparison that is drawn between the
operating speed of an electric motor and the physical size of the machine in terms of
cost. Please paraphrase in your own words the information the author is trying to
convey to the reader.

The physical size of a motor is determined by the power and speed of rotation
required from the motor. Low speed motors are generally larger than small high-
speed motors because of the amount of starting torque required. For a large motor to
generate the same voltage as a small motor but at half speed, the conductors of the
armature should be doubled or the flux from the poles must be doubled. Alternatively,
the size of the armature can be increased, or increase the size of the pole pieces. This
will allow the large motor to run at a lower speed but also provides a good amount of
starting torque to drive high inertial loads.
3 points/

7. Most electric motors have air vents in the motor body to allow air to flow through the
machine when it is operating, what would be the result if those air vents were to be
covered up?

Electric motors contain air vents to allow for the cooling of the windings and
insulation inside the motor housing. For every 10°C of temperature rise the service
life of the motor decreases by 50%. Overheating also promotes crystallization of the
insulation around the conductors. This causes the insulators to become hard and
brittle and reduces their ductile strength. If the motor gets too hot, then the insulation
will melt together and create a short circuit and destroy the motor.
3 points/

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8. Please explain what creates the turning force that enables the rotor of a three phase
induction motor to rotate and create torque.

The stator of the ac induction motor is made up of windings of copper wire that are
120° out-of-phase with each other. Each winding is connected to its own line, and as
the windings are energized, the coils that make the windings create opposing
magnetic polarities (for each pole piece). The magnetic geometry and the windings
being 120° out-of-phase create a rotating magnetic field which induces a pushing
force on the windings of the rotor, this force is known as Lorentz force. The rotating
magnetic field of the stator cuts the windings of the rotor and induces a voltage into
the rotor windings, in turn creating a magnetic field of opposite polarity around the
rotor windings. The rotor magnetic field attempts to align its polarity with the
magnetic field of the stator but does not align completely. This phase angle difference
between the stator and rotor flux fields determines the amount of torque produced by
the motor.
4 points/

9. What does the term “synchronous speed” mean as it applies to an AC induction motor?

Synchronous speed can be defined as constant speed. Induction motors are said the
be synchronous speed motors because they do not have variable speeds and
maintain a constant speed even under load. However, if an induction motor were truly
synchronous then no voltage would be induced into the rotor and there would be no
current flow.
2 points/

10. Please define what the term “asynchronous” means. This word can be found on several
documents, textbooks and web pages to describe a group of electric motors.

Asynchronous simply mean out of sync. In the case of induction motors, this denotes
that the magnetic field produced by the rotor is slightly lagging behind the magnetic
field produced by the stator.
2 points/

11. Why does the rotor of an induction motor turn slower than the revolving field of the
stator?

The magnetic field of the rotor is slightly out-of-phase with the magnetic field of the
stator. This small phase difference is what creates the rotating magnetic field in
induction motors and is known as motor slip. If the magnetic field of the rotor rotated
at the same speed as the magnetic field of the stator then lines of flux would no
longer cut the rotor bars and the induced current and voltage would fall to zero.
4 points/

12. The rotor of an induction motor should never be prevented from turning, or have so
much load imposed on it that the rotor cannot generate enough torque to turn the output

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Three phase Induction Motors
shaft while there is full voltage being applied to the motor. What is the concern in this
scenario?

If the load imposed on a motor is too great it will stress the magnetic fields of the
rotor and the stator. If more load is added and there is not enough torque to move the
load, then the magnetic coupling between the stator and rotor will break causing the
rotor to be pulled out of sync with the rotating magnetic field. The amount of torque
required for this condition is called pullout torque, and ranges from 150 to 200% of
rated full-load torque.
4 points/

13. When examining the stator of induction motors, they are unlike DC motors in the sense
that they have pole pieces that are easy to recognize. The poles of AC machines are
broken into phase groups. Please explain why almost all induction motors are designed
this way, what are the advantages if any?

The 120° phase angle difference in the stator windings creates a rotating magnetic
field which induces a voltage into the rotor. This in turn creates a magnetic field in the
rotor which couples with the magnetic field of the stator. The advantage of this
configuration allows for synchronous motor speed, where the RPM of the motor is the
speed of the rotating magnetic field. As load is added to the motor the rotor speed
decreases which reduces to rotor voltage and current. The magnetic field of the stator
now cuts the rotor windings at an increased rate inducing more voltage into the rotor.
The induced voltage increases the magnetic field strength of the rotor which couples
with the stator magnetic field and increases the torque.
3 points/

14. What is the purpose of the slip-rings located at the end of the rotor of a wound rotor
induction motor?

The slip rings on a wound round induction motor allow external resistance to be
wired in series with the rotor windings. This reduced the starting current allowing the
motor to have a higher starting torque.
2 points/

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