3. Motors and loads 3.

1 Three phase asynchronous motors

If we overlay the 3 diagrams, we can see that:

- the three anticlockwise fields are offset by 120° and cancel each other
out,
- the three clockwise fields are overlaid and combine to form the
rotating field with a constant amplitude of 3Hmax/2. This is a field with
one pair of poles,
- this field completes a revolution during a power supply period. Its
speed depends on the mains frequency (f) and the number of pairs of
poles (p). This is called “synchronous speed”.

b Slip
A driving torque can only exist if there is an induced current in the shading 3
ring. It is determined by the current in the ring and can only exist if there is
a flux variation in the ring. Therefore, there must be a difference in speed in
the shading ring and the rotating field. This is why an electric motor operating
to the principle described above is called an “asynchronous motor”.
The difference between the synchronous speed (Ns) and the shading
ring speed (N) is called “slip” (s) and is expressed as a percentage of the
synchronous speed.
s = [(Ns - N) / Ns] x 100.
In operation, the rotor current frequency is obtained by multiplying the power
supply frequency by the slip. When the motor is started, the rotor current
frequency is at its maximum and equal to that of the stator current.
The stator current frequency gradually decreases as the motor gathers speed.
The slip in the steady state varies according to the motor load. Depending
on the mains voltage, it will be less if the load is low and will increase if
the motor is supplied at a voltage below the rated one.

b Synchronous speed
The synchronous speed of 3-phase asynchronous motors is proportional
to the power supply frequency and inversely proportional to the number
of pairs in the stator.
Number
Speed of rotation in rpm Example: Ns = 60 f/p.
of poles
50 Hz 60 Hz 100 Hz Where: Ns: synchronous speed in rpm
2 3000 3600 6000 f: frequency in Hz
4 1500 1800 3000
p: number of pairs of poles.
6 1000 1200 2000 The table (C Fig. 5) gives the speeds of the rotating field, or synchronous
8 750 900 1500
speeds, depending on the number of poles, for industrial frequencies of
50Hz and 60Hz and a frequency of 100Hz.
10 600 720 1200
In practice, it is not always possible to increase the speed of an asynchronous
12 500 600 1000
motor by powering it at a frequency higher that it was designed for, even
16 375 540 750
when the voltage is right. Its mechanical and electrical capacities must be
A Fig. 5 Synchronous speeds based on number ascertained first.
of poles and current frequency As already mentioned, on account of the slip, the rotation speeds of loaded
asynchronous motors are slightly lower than the synchronous speeds given
in the table.
v Structure
A 3-phase asynchronous squirrel cage motor consists of two main parts:
an inductor or stator and an armature or rotor.
v Stator
This is the immobile part of the motor. A body in cast iron or a light alloy
houses a ring of thin silicon steel plates (around 0.5mm thick). The plates
are insulated from each other by oxidation or an insulating varnish.
The “lamination” of the magnetic circuit reduces losses by hysteresis and
eddy currents.

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