Introduction

We have been talking about various types of electrical motors, such as single
phase motors, self starting induction motors, slip ring motors to name a few. In
this article we will talk about a unique type of motor known as universal motor.

A motor which may be operated (or) which can run on either a direct supply or a
single phase ac supply is known as universal motor.

Why it is called as a universal motor? It is because of its ability to run on both AC

and DC supply with almost similar characteristics.

A universal motor has a high starting torque and variable speed characteristics.
Such motor runs at dangerously high speeds during no load period.

Types

A universal motor can be manufactured in two different ways.

· Non-compensated type with concentrated poles

· Compensated type with distributed field.

The compensated type is preferred for high power rating appliances and the
Non-compensated for low power rated appliances. Both the compensated and
Non-compensated have construction similar to that of a DC series motor.

Non-Compensated motor

The Non-compensated motor has 2 salient poles and it is laminated. The

armature is of wound type and the laminated core is either straight or skewed
slots. The leads of the armature winding are connected to the commutator. High
resistance brushes are used along with this type of motor to help better
commutation.

The skew in the armature slots serves for two purposes:

· It reduces the magnetic hum.

· It aids in reducing the locking tendency of rotor, which is called magnetic

locking. Magnetic locking is a condition during which the rotor teeth remains
locked under the stator teeth due to magnetic attraction between the stator and
rotor. This will be considerably reduced by using the Skew

Compensated type motor

The compensated type motor consists of distributed field winding and the stator
core is similar to that of split-phase motor. We already know that split phase
motors consist of an auxiliary winding in addition to main winding. Similar to the
split phase motors, the compensated type also consists of an additional winding.
The compensating winding helps in reducing the reactance voltage which is
caused due to alternating flux, when the motor runs with the aid of an AC supply.

Both the types of motors develop unidirectional torque regardless of the supply
with which they run. The supply may be AC or DC but the direction of torque is
same.

Can the direction of rotation be reversed for these types of

motors?

Yes. The direction of rotation can be changed. For the non-compensated motor
having salient pole, the direction of rotation can be reversed by changing the
direction of flow of current through the armature or field winding. This can also be
done by interchanging the leads on the brush holders.
In case of compensated type motor, either the armature leads or the field leads
and shifting the brushes against the direction of rotation of motor. This helps in
reversal of rotation.

Speed/Load characteristics and Speed Control

Speed/Load Characteristics:

Very similar to that of DC series motor, the universal motor also has varying
speed characteristics. The speed is low at full loads. The speed is Very high and
dangerous at no-loads. During no-loads the speed is limited only by its own
frictional and windage load.

Speed control:

Speed control of universal motor is very important and the following methods are
employed for the speed control of universal motors.

Resistance method:
In this method of speed control a variable resistance is connected in series with
the motor. The amount of resistance in the circuit can be changed. A foot pedal is
used for this purpose. Usually this method is employed for motors used in sewing
machines.

Centrifugal Mechanism:

This method is involved whenever the application involves a number of speeds.

Best example is home food and fruit mixers. Here a centrifugal device is attached
to the motor. If the motor rises above the specified speed set by the lever, the
centrifugal device opens the contact and R comes in contact with the circuit. This
causes the motor speed to decrease below the set speed. When the motor runs
slower than the speed set by the lever, the contact is established and resistance
is short circuited. This causes the speed to increase. The variations in speed are
noticeable as the process is repeated in a rapid manner.

Tapping-Field Method:

As the name suggests the field is tapped at various points in this method. This is
done by wounding the field pole.

Now how this tapping arrangement is established?

The tapping arrangement is established by two ways

· The various sections in the field pole are wounded and different sizes of wire
and taps are brought out from those sections.
· In the second method, resistance made of Nichrome is wounded over the field
pole. Various tappings are brought out from this wire.

Applications

Universal motors are mostly employed in

· Vacuum cleaners

· Portable drills

· Drink mixers

· Sewing machine

Picture and Content Courtesy:

Engelmann, R.H. & Middendort, W.H. (1994) Handbook of Electric Motors. New
York:

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