Armature (electrical)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to navigationJump to search

A DC armature of a miniature motor (or generator)

A partially-constructed DC armature, showing the (incomplete) windings

In electrical engineering, an armature is the component of an electric

machine which carries alternating current.[1] The armature windings
conduct AC even on DC machines, due to the commutator action (which
periodically reverses current direction) or due to electronic
commutation, as in brushless DC motors. The armature can be on either
the rotor (rotating part) or the stator (stationary part), depending on
the type of electric machine.
The armature windings interact with the magnetic field (magnetic flux)
in the air-gap; the magnetic field is generated either by permanent
magnets, or electromagnets formed by a conducting coil.
The armature must carry current, so it is always a conductor or a
conductive coil, oriented normal to both the field and to the direction
of motion, torque (rotating machine), or force (linear machine). The
armature's role is twofold. The first is to carry current across the
field, thus creating shaft torque in a rotating machine or force in a
linear machine. The second role is to generate an electromotive
force (EMF).
In the armature, an electromotive force is created by the relative
motion of the armature and the field. When the machine or motor is used
as a motor, this EMF opposes the armature current, and the armature
converts electrical power to mechanical power in the form of torque, and
transfers it via the shaft. When the machine is used as a generator, the
armature EMF drives the armature current, and the shaft's movement is
 converted to electrical power. In an induction generator, generated
power is drawn from the stator.
A growler is used to check the armature for shorts, opens and grounds.

Contents

 1Terminology
 2Armature reaction in a DC machine

 3Winding circuits

 4Winding materials

 5See also

 6References

 7External links

Terminology[edit]
The word armature was first used in its electrical sense, i.e. keeper
of a magnet, in mid 19th century.[2]
The parts of an alternator or related equipment can be expressed in
either mechanical terms or electrical terms. Although distinctly
separate these two sets of terminology are frequently used
interchangeably or in combinations that include one mechanical term and
one electrical term. This may cause confusion when working with compound
machines like brushless alternators, or in conversation among people who
are accustomed to work with differently configured machinery.
In most generators, the field magnet is rotating, and is part of
the rotor, while the armature is stationary, and is part of the stator.
[3]
Both motors and generators can be built either with a stationary
armature and a rotating field or a rotating armature and a stationary
field. The pole piece of a permanent magnet or electromagnet and the
moving, iron part of a solenoid, especially if the latter acts as
a switch or relay, may also be referred to as armatures.

Armature reaction in a DC machine[edit]

In a DC machine, two sources of magnetic fluxes are present; 'armature
flux' and 'main field flux'. The effect of armature flux on the main
field flux is called "armature reaction". The armature reaction changes
the distribution of the magnetic field, which affects the operation of
the machine. The effects of the armature flux can be offset by adding a
compensating winding to the main poles, or in some machines adding
intermediate magnetic poles, connected in the armature circuit.
Armature reaction is essential in amplidyne rotating amplifiers.
Armature reaction drop is the effect of a magnetic field on the
distribution of the flux under main poles of a generator.[4]
Since an armature is wound with coils of wire, a magnetic field is set
up in the armature whenever a current flows in the coils. This field is
at right angles to the generator field and is called cross magnetization
of the armature. The effect of the armature field is to distort the
generator field and shift the neutral plane. The neutral plane is the
position where the armature windings are moving parallel to the magnetic
flux lines, that is why an axis lying in this plane is called as
magnetic neutral axis (MNA).[5] This effect is known as armature reaction
and is proportional to the current flowing in the armature coils.
The geometrical neutral axis (GNA) is the axis that bisects the angle
between the centre line of adjacent poles. The magnetic neutral axis
(MNA) is the axis drawn perpendicular to the mean direction of the flux
passing through the centre of the armature. No e.m.f. is produced in the
armature conductors along this axis because then they cut no flux.
[6]
When no current is there in the armature conductors, the MNA
coincides with GNA.
The brushes of a generator must be set in the neutral plane; that is,
they must contact segments of the commutator that are connected to
armature coils having no induced emf. If the brushes were contacting
commutator segments outside the neutral plane, they would short-circuit
"live" coils and cause arcing and loss of power.
Without armature reaction, the magnetic neutral axis (MNA) would
coincide with geometrical neutral axis (GNA). Armature reaction causes
the neutral plane to shift in the direction of rotation, and if the
brushes are in the neutral plane at no load, that is, when no armature
current is flowing, they will not be in the neutral plane when armature
current is flowing. For this reason it is desirable to incorporate a
corrective system into the generator design.
These are two principal methods by which the effect of armature reaction
is overcome. The first method is to shift the position of the brushes so
that they are in the neutral plane when the generator is producing its
normal load current. in the other method, special field poles, called
interpoles, are installed in the generator to counteract the effect of
armature reaction.
The brush-setting method is satisfactory in installations in which the
generator operates under a fairly constant load. If the load varies to a
marked degree, the neutral plane will shift proportionately, and the
brushes will not be the correct position at all times. The brush-setting
method is the most common means of correcting for armature reaction in
small generators (those producing approximately 1000 W or less). Larger
generators require the use of interpoles.

Winding circuits[edit]
Coils of the winding are distributed over the entire surface of the air
gap, which may be the rotor or the stator of the machine. In a "lap"
winding, there are as many current paths between the brush (or line)
connections as there are poles in the field winding. In a "wave"
winding, there are only two paths, and there are as many coils in series
as half the number of poles. So, for a given rating of machine, a wave
winding is more suitable for large currents and low voltages.[7]
Windings are held in slots in the rotor or armature covered by stator
magnets. The exact distribution of the windings and selection of the
number of slots per pole of the field greatly influences the design of
the machine and its performance, affecting such factors as commutation
in a DC machine or the waveform of an AC machine.