VEHICLE ELECTRIC STARTING MOTORS

OBJECTIVES:

1. State the function of starting system.

2. Discuss the basic motor principle.
3. Discuss two separate circuits of starting system.
4. Discuss the four starter motor meshing systems (drives) and their nominal
outputs.
5. Explain construction and operation of the starting system.

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FUNCTION OF THE STARTING SYSTEM

Its function is to crank the engine through the engine crankshaft at minimum speed so
that it fires and runs on its own.

FACTORS AFFECTING CRANKING MOTOR SPEED

The ability to reach the cranking speed by a starter motor depends upon a number of
factors:

1. Battery condition

2. Starter motor rated voltage

3. Engine temperature

4. Voltage drop between the battery and starter motor

5. Engine cranking resistance

BASIC MOTOR PRINCIPLE

- When current flows through a conductor, a magnetic field builds up around that
conductor.
- If the conductor is in a magnetic field, as from a horse shoe magnet, the
magnetic field exerts a force on the conductor. By use of left hand rule:
a) Thumb indicates direction of current.
b) Fingers indicates magnetic field force
c) Back of fingers indicates direction of conductor motion.

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STARTING SYSTEM CIRCUITS

There are two circuits in the starting system:

1. The low-current control circuit.

2. The high-current motor circuit.

Both operate on a battery voltage. A.c ●

IG.SW ON ●

START ● STARTER RELAY

30 SOLENOID 50

12V

50M PULL-IN

HOLD-IN

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OPERATION

When the ignition switch is turned to the START position;

1. Current from the battery is fed to the starter solenoid through the ignition switch
and then starter relay.

2. The current is fed through the 50 terminal and then grounded after passing
through the starter housing to earth. This current activates the pull-in windings
(coil) in the solenoid and pulls the plunger to make contact between terminal 30
and 50M. Same current from 50 terminal activates the holding windings.

3. During the pull-in process, a somewhat increased magnetic force is produced.

4. When the starting current circuit is closed, however, the pull-in winding is short
circuited and only the holding winding remain operative, exerting a magnetic
force which is fully adequate to hold the relay closed until the engine fires, or
runs and the starting switch is opened again.

5. The heavy current from the battery 30 terminal is fed through the 50M terminal
to the motor and grounded and so the starter motor rotates.

6. A gear on the starting motor shaft moves into mesh with the ring gear around
the engine flywheel or drive plate.
7. As the starting motor shaft turns, it spins the crankshaft fast enough to start the
engine.

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NOTE:

1. The use of a relay or solenoid shortens the distance that heavy cable must carry
the cranking current.
2. The safety switch in the control circuit prevents energizing of the relay or
solenoid with the automatic transmission or transaxle in gear.
3. The clutch pedal must be depressed before cranking occurs in a vehicle with a
manual transmission or transaxle.

STARTER MOTOR CONSTRUCTION

It consists of:

1. Brush end plate.

2. Brush assembly.

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 a) Two field brushes
b) Two ground brushes.
c) The brushes are blocks of carbon, conducting material that rests against the
rotating commutator and conducts electric currents into and out of the
armature.
3. Armature:
a) It consists of heavy copper strips which allows high current to flow and offer
very little resistance. They are loops in wavy form on the armature.
b) Commutator segments or bars:
i) It consists of a ring of copper bars.
ii) The copper bars are insulated from each other and from the armature
shaft.
iii) The copper bars connect to the loops of heavy wire that form the
armature windings.
c) Armature shaft.
d) Drive pinion which engages with the flywheel and drives it.
e) Motor frame which carries four pole shoes with the field coils (windings).
f) Driving end housing

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RELAY OR SOLENOID SWITCH

FUNCTION

It is used to switch a relatively low-current to a high current.

CONSTRUCTION

It consists of two windings:-

1. Pull-in winding

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 a) Responsible for pulling the plunger and its moving contacts.

b) During its action, the pull-in winding increases magnetic force.

2. Holding winding

a) Holds the contacts in closed position.

b) Magnetic force is fully in operation.

c) The pull-in winding gets short-circuited and becomes non-operational dual to

battery voltages coming from terminal 30 and 50 cancelling each other (no
negative).

OPERATION

With the holding winding is on;

1. The plunger is drawn towards magnetic circuit.

2. The moving contact gets pressed against the fixed contacts as a result of the
contact pressure exerted by the spring located between the switch shaft and the
moving contact.

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 3. Heavy current pass between two stationary contacts to the field windings of the
starting motor.

STARTER MOTOR OPERATION

The current after leaving the relay or solenoid switch;

1. It flows through the field windings and insulated brushes to the commutator.

2. As the armature rotates, the insulated brushes contacts each bar passing under
it. Current then flows through the armature windings and the grounded brush
and back to the battery.

3. As current passes through the field windings, the pole shoes turn into
electromagnets.

a) The pole shoes which receive battery voltage are termed positive electro-
magnets (North Pole).

b) The pole shoes which direct the current to the armature segment through
insulated brushes are designated as south poles.

4. Armature rotation is due to repulsion caused by electro-magnet with the

armature loops.

STARTER MOTOR DRIVES

There are four starter motor drives:

1. Inertia drive starter motors-low power.

2. Pre-engaged drive starting motors-low to medium power.

3. Sliding armature starting motors-medium power.

4. Sliding gear starting motors-medium to high power.

INERTIA DRIVE STARTING MOTORS

OPERATION

a) MESHING

When the starting switch is turned on; the starting motor is switched fully on in
one stage, as a result of which the armature with the spiral splines begins to

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 turn. The pinion is then propelled forward on the spiral splines as a result of its
own inertia.

If the pinion teeth happen to fit immediately into spaces between the teeth on
the ring gear, it meshes with the ring gear directly, continuing to move forward
into the ring gear until it reaches the mechanical stop on the armature shaft.

If the pinion teeth strike the sides of the teeth on the ring gear, however, the
pinion continues to be turned across the sides of the teeth on the ring gear until
its teeth reach the next set of spaces and it drops into mesh.

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 b) DE-MESHING

As the vehicle engine starts to operate, its speed increases, and as soon as it
drives the pinion faster than the starting motor diving it, or when the starting
switch is released in an event of false start, the pinion is automatically
‘unscrewed’ from the ring gear by the action of the spiral splines, thus breaking
the direct mechanical connection between the vehicle engine and the starting
motor. This protects the starting motor from being driven at excessive speeds as
the speed of the vehicle engine increases.

PRE-ENGAGED DRIVE STARTING MOTORS

In principle, the meshing operation is composed of two successive movements of the

pinion i.e. axial movement and helical movement.

In practice, the starting motor is switched on in one continuous rapid operation.

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MESHING

When the starting motor switch is turned on;

i) The shift lever is first moved by the solenoid switch against the force of a
spring.

ii) The excitation and armature winding are not yet carrying any current at this
point, so the armature does not yet turn.

iii) One end of the shift lever is drawn towards the solenoid, the other end,
working through the guide ring and the clutch spring on the pinion end of the
armature shaft, pushes the driver and the pinion toward the flywheel ring
gear, resulting in the driver and pinion turning due to the screw effect of the
spiral splines.

iv) If the tooth on the pinion fits directly into a tooth space on the ring gears, the
pinion meshes immediately as far as the shift lever can move it, i.e. until the
moving contact hits the fixed contacts in the solenoid assembly. This
completes the axial movement of the pinion.

At the end of the pinion axial movement, i.e. shortly before the end of travel, the
solenoid switch contacts close in any event, and the starting motor current begins to
flow through the excitation windings and armature windings.

i) The armature begins to turn, and by action of the splines forces the drive
pinion, which is firmly held in the ring gear and prevented from turning,
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 further into meshing position inside the ring gears until it reaches the pinion
stop at the end of the armature shaft.

ii) At the pinion stop, further movement of the drive pinion away from the
armature is not possible, and in this position the pinion is coupled to the
armature shaft by a positive mechanical connection through the overrunning
clutch and the driver, so the starting motor can now crank the vehicle
engine.

DE-MESHING

As the vehicle engine starts to operate, its rotational speed eventually exceeds the
rotational speed of the starting motor. At this instant the overrunning clutch
mechanism breaks the positive mechanical connection between the pinion and the
armature shaft and thus protects the armature from damage caused by excessive
speed.

The pinion remains meshed, however, as long as the shift lever remains in the
pulled-in position.

When the starter motor is switched off, the shift lever, driver and pinion return to
their rest positions due to the action of the return spring. The spring also holds the
drive pinion firmly in the rest position, despite engine vibration, until the next
starting operation.

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 OVERRUNNING CLUTCH

It consists of:-

1. Outer shell with five steel rollers fitted into five notches which are smaller at one
end.

2. Pinion collar which jams the rollers in their movement.

3. Plungers which are connected by a shift lever to the overrunning clutch.

4. Plunger springs which hold the rollers in place.

Its functions are: -

1. To protect the armature from over speeding then getting burnt.

2. To protect other parts from damage due to vibration and speed.

OPERATION

When the armature is rotated;

1. Rollers move in tapered notches in the clutch shell.

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 2. Rollers get clamped tightly in the narrow part of the notches between the clutch
shell and the cylindrical part of the pinion collar.

3. The overrunning clutch gets coupled to the pinion with the driver as long as the
armature shaft is providing driving force to the flywheel.

When the engine is started;

1. The flywheel tries to turn the pinion faster than the pinion and armature shaft
speed.

2. The excess rotational speed of the pinion spins the rollers back against the force
of their springs into the wider part of the notches where they make only loose
contact with the clutch shell and the pinion.

3. In the rest position, the rollers are pressed back into the narrow part of the
notches by means of springs acting either directly or through guide bushings or
guide bolts, so that when the starting motor is switched on again the pinion is
coupled firmly to the ring gear.

ARMATURE BRAKE

In order to bring the starting motor to a stop as rapidly as possible after it has been
switched off so that the operator can make another attempt to start the engine if
the first attempt failed, starting motor is fitted with an armature brake. The brake
used is usually a type of mechanical (disc) brake.

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 SLIDING ARMATURE STARTING MOTORS

CONSTRUCTION

It has three excitation windings:

1. An auxiliary starting winding.

2. A shunt winding (holding winding.

3. A series winding (the main winding)

OPERATION

When the starting switch is turned on;

1. The first switch stage in the relay becomes activated.

2. One of the contacts on the tilting contact bridge switches in the auxiliary starting
winding and the holding winding, and the armature is drawn into the field of
force of these windings when it turns slowly until the pinion meshes smoothly

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 and easily with the teeth of the flywheel ring gear, a process which prevents
damage to both the pinion and the ring gear.

3. If the pinion and ring gear teeth should butt, the pinion is turned further with
only weak torque and limited axial pressure against the side of the flywheel until
the teeth reach the next set of spaces between the teeth on the ring gear. The
pinion is then driven further forward to drop into mesh with the ring gear.

4. When the pinion has meshed with the ring gear but shortly before it reaches its
fully extended position; the armature has been shifted axially so far that the
tripping disc mounted on its commutator raises the tripping lever, as a result of
which the tilting contact bridge, which was locked during the first switching
stage, is released and can make contact with its other end (second switching
stage). This completes the connection between the battery and the series
winding.

5. As soon as the series winding is energized, the starting motor develops its full
torque and cranks the vehicle engine.

a) When the vehicle engine then increases its rotational speed, the armature is
also forced to rotate at a high speed.

b) The current flowing through the armature and the excitation winding
decreases sharply and thus also the magnetic forces exerted on the armature
to keep the pinion meshed.

c) The armature is held in its operating position by the holding winding which is
connected in parallel with the armature and whose magnetic field is not
weakened, until the operator of the vehicle releases the starting motor.

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DEMESHING

When the starting switch is released after the engine starts to operate;

1. The starting motor becomes current less.

2. The magnetic force exerted on the armature is removed.

3. Armature return spring retracts the armature to its rest position.

4. The pinion gets disengaged.

5. The spring-loaded tripping lever is pressed back into the locked position so that
the next starting process can again take place in two stages

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MULTI-DISC CLUTCH

When the full mechanical connection has been established;

1. A thrust ring transfers the pressure from a spring-disc assembly, mounted on the
armature shaft and supported on the drive flange, to the clutch disc assembly.

2. The pressure sleeve is fitted with a thrust shoulder on its inner end.

3. The increasing pressure between the discs resulting from the pressure sleeve
being ‘screwed’ inward towards the inside of the starting motor, i.e. the torque
which can be transmitted, is limited when the maximum permissible loading is
reached by the thrust shoulder pressing the spring discs away from the thrust
ring, as a result, the clutch begins to slip.

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Pneumatic

Main article: Air start system

Some gas turbine engines and Diesel engines, particularly on trucks, use a pneumatic
self-starter. The system consists of a geared turbine, an air compressor and a pressure
tank. Compressed air released from the tank is used to spin the turbine, and through a
set of reduction gears, engages the ring gear on the flywheel, much like an electric
starter. The engine, once running, powers the compressor to recharge the tank.

Aircraft with large gas turbine engines are typically started using a large volume of low-
pressure compressed air, supplied from a very small engine referred to as an auxiliary
power unit, located elsewhere in the aircraft. After starting the main engines, the APU
often continues to operate, supplying additional power to operate aircraft equipment.
Alternately, aircraft engines can be rapidly started using a mobile ground-based
pneumatic starting engine, referred to as a start cart or air start cart.

On larger diesel generators found in large shore installations and especially on ships, a
pneumatic starting gear is used. The air motor is normally powered by compressed air
at pressures of 10–30 bar. The air motor is made up of a center drum about the size of
a soup can with four or more slots cut into it to allow for the vanes to be placed radially
on the drum to form chambers around the drum. The drum is offset inside a round
casing so that the inlet air for starting is admitted at the area where the drum and
vanes form a small chamber compared to the others. The compressed air can only
expand by rotating the drum which allows the small chamber to become larger and puts
another one of the cambers in the air inlet. The air motor spins much too fast to be
used directly on the flywheel of the engine, instead a large gearing reduction such as a
planetary gear is used to lower the output speed. A Bendix gear is used to engage the
flywheel.

On large diesel generators and almost all diesel engines used as the prime mover of
ships will use compressed air acting directly on the cylinder head. This is not ideal for
smaller diesels as it provides too much cooling on starting. Also the cylinder head needs
to have enough space to support an extra valve for the air start system. The air start
system operates very similar to a distributor in a car. There is an air distributor that is
geared to the camshaft of the diesel engine, on the top of the air distributor is a single
lobe similar to what is found on a camshaft. Arranged radially around this lobe are roller
tip followers for every cylinder. When the lobe of the air distributor hits one of the
followers it will send an air signal that acts upon the back of the air start valve located
in the cylinder head causing it to open. The actual compressed air is provided from a
large reservoir that feeds into a header located along the engine. As soon as the air
start valve is opened the compressed air is admitted and the engine will begin turning.

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It can be used on 2-cycle and 4-cycle engines and on reversing engines. On large 2-
stroke engines less than one revolution of the crankshaft is needed for starting.

Since large trucks typically use air brakes, the system does double duty, supplying
compressed air to the brake system. Pneumatic starters have the advantages of
delivering high torque, mechanical simplicity and reliability. They eliminate the need for
oversized, heavy storage batteries in prime mover electrical systems.

Hydraulic

Some diesel engines from 6 to 16 cylinders are started by means of a hydraulic motor.
Hydraulic starters and the associated systems provide a sparkless, reliable method of
engine starting at a wide temperature range. Typically hydraulic starters are found in
applications such as remote generators, lifeboat propulsion engines, offshore fire
pumping engines, and hydraulic fracturing rigs. The system used to support the hydraulic starter
includes valves, pumps, filters, a reservoir, and piston accumulators. The operator can manually
recharge the hydraulic system; this cannot readily be done with air or electric starting systems, so
hydraulic starting systems are favored in applications wherein emergency starting is a requirement.

Hydraulic Starter

Hydraulic Starter

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