Some principles of direct current (D.C.) motors Composition of a D.C. motor Why choose a D.C. motor Rotor Stator Magnet Many applications call for a high start-up torque. The D.C. motor, by its very nature, has a high torque vs. falling speed characteristic and this Brush enables it to deal with high starting torques and to absorb sudden rises in Shaft load easily. The speed of the motor adjusts to the load. Furthermore, the D.C. motor is an ideal way of achieving the miniaturisation designers are constantly seeking because the efficiency it gives is high compared with other designs. Commutator Design of Crouzet D.C. motors Safety 1 Crouzet D.C. motors are designed and manufactured for integration into The stator is formed by a metal carcass and one or more magnets equipment or machines which meet, for example, the requirements of the that create a permanent magnetic field inside the stator. At the rear of machinery standard : the stator are the brush mountings and the brush gear which provide EN 60335-1 (IEC 335-1, Safety of domestic electrical appliances). electrical contact with the rotor. Integration of Crouzet D.C. motors into equipment or machines should, as The rotor is itself formed by a metal carcass carrying coils which are a rule, take the following motor characteristics into account : interconnected at the commutator at the rear of the rotor. no ground connection The commutator and brush assembly then select the coil through which so-called principal insulation motors (single insulation) the electric current passes in the opposite direction. Principle of operation (see the catalogue page protection index : IP00 to IP40 Whatever the complexity of the rotor coil windings, once they are details for individual motor insulation classes : A to F energised, they may be represented in the form of a ferromagnetic types) cylinder with a solenoid wrapped around it. The wire of the solenoid is in practice the wire bundle located in EC LOW VOLTAGE DIRECTIVE 73/23/EEC OF 19/02/73 : each groove of the rotor. The rotor, when energised, then acts as an Crouzet D.C. motors and geared motors are not covered by this directive electromagnet, the magnetic field following the axis separating the wires (LVD 73/23/EEC applies to voltages greater than 75 VDC). of the solenoid in the direction of the current which flows through them. Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) Coil Rotor Crouzet Ltd can provide the EMC characteristics of the various types of product on request. EC DIRECTIVE 89/336/EEC OF 03/05/89, ELECTROMAGNETIC COMPATIBILITY : D.C. motors and geared motors are considered as components meant for integration into other equipment and therefore fall outside its field of application. However, these products are designed in compliance with EMC characteristics and consequently can be incorporated in equipment having to comply with the EMC directive. The motor, therefore, consists of fixed permanent magnets (the stator) a moving magnet (the rotor) and a metal carcass to concentrate the flux (the motor body). How to select from the Crouzet range The motor unit is selected according to the required output power. Depending on the required speed, a direct motor or a geared motor is selected. Speeds 1,000 to 5,000 rpm Direct motor Speeds below 500 rpm Geared motor The gearbox is selected depending on the maximum required torque and the duty cycle. By the attraction of opposite poles and repulsion of like poles, a torque then acts on the rotor and makes it turn. This torque is at a maximum when the axis between the poles of the rotor is perpendicular to the axis Definition of the D.C. motor of the poles of the stator. As soon the rotor begins to turn, the fixed brushes make and break This motor follows linear laws of operation and because of this it is contact with the rotating commutator segments in turn. easier to fully exploit its characteristics compared to synchronous or The rotor coils are then energised and de-energised in such a way that as asynchronous motors. the rotor turns, the axis of a new pole of the rotor is always perpendicular to that of the stator. Because of the way the commutator is arranged, the rotor is in constant motion, no matter what its position. Fluctuation of the resultant torque is reduced by increasing the number of commutator segments, thereby giving smoother rotation. By reversing the power supply to the motor, the current in the rotor coils, and therefore the north and south poles, is reversed. The torque which acts on the rotor is thus reversed and the motor changes its direction of rotation. By its very nature, the D.C. motor is a motor with a reversible direction of rotation. 18 Torque and speed of rotation Torque and supply current The torque generated by the motor, and its speed of rotation, are This is the second important characteristic of a D.C. motor. dependent on each other. It is linear and is used to calculate the no-load current and the current This is a basic characteristic of the motor it is a linear relationship and is with the rotor stationary (start-up current). used to calculate the no-load speed and the start-up torque of the motor. Motor Torque (N.m) Motor Torque Start Torque Start Torque Current (Amps) Current (no load) Starting Current Rotation speed Speed (no load) The graph for this relationship does not vary with the supply voltage of the motor. The end of the curve is extended in accordance with the torque The curve for the output power of the motor is deduced from the graph of and the start-up current. torque versus speed. The gradient of this curve is called the torque constant of the motor. Cd Kc = 1 Id - Io 2 Pu (W) = x C (N.m) x N (rpm) 60 This torque constant is such that : Output Motor Speed of C = Kc (I - Io) power torque rotation Output power The rotational friction torque is Kc Io. The torque is therefore expressed as follows : Maximum Power C = Kc I - Cf with Cf = Kc Io Kc = Torque constant (Nm/A) C = Torque (Nm) Cd = Start-up Torque (Nm) Cf = Rotational friction torque (Nm) I = Current (A) Io = No-load current (A) Id = Start-up current (A) Rotation speed 1/2 Speed Speed (no load) (no load) The graph of torque vs. current and torque vs. speed is used to determine the absorbed power as a function of the speed of rotation of the motor. The torque vs. speed and output power curves depend on the supply voltage to the motor. The supply voltage to the motor assumes continuous running of the motor Power (W) at an ambient temperature of 20C in nominal operational conditions. It is possible to supply the motor with a different voltage (normally between -50% and + 100% of the recommended supply voltage). If a lower voltage is used compared to the recommended supply the Output power motor will be less powerful. (no load) If a higher voltage is used, the motor will have a higher output power but Efficiency will run hotter (intermittent operation is recommended). Max. power For variations in supply voltage between approximately - 25% to + 50%, the new torque vs. speed graph will remain parallel to the previous one. Output Its start-up torque and no-load speed will vary by the same percentage power (n%) as the variation in supply voltage. The maximum output power is 2 multiplied by (1 + n%) . rpm rpm Speed (no Example : For a 20% increase in supply voltage load) Efficiency Start-up torque increases by 20% ( x 1.2) No-load speed increases by 20% ( x 1.2) The efficiency of a motor is equal to the mechanical output power that it Output power increases by 44% ( x 1.44) can deliver, divided by the power which it absorbs. The output power and the absorbed power vary in relation to the speed of rotation, therefore the efficiency is also a function of the speed of the motor. Maximum efficiency is obtained with a given rotational speed greater than 50% of no-load speed. 19