Air University

Electrical Engineering Department

Basic Electrical
Engineering

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 Preface
• Every aspect of engineering practice,
and even of everyday life, has been
affected in some way or another by
Electrical and Electronic devices and
instruments.
• Computers are perhaps the most
obvious manifestations of this presence.
• However, many other areas of
Electrical Engineering (EE) are also
important to the practicing engineer.
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• This can range from Mechanical and
Industrial Engineering, to Chemical,
Nuclear, and Materials Engineering, to the
Aerospace and Astronautical disciplines,
to Civil and the emerging field of
Biomedical Engineering.
• Engineers today must be able to
communicate effectively within the
interdisciplinary teams in which they work.

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 Objectives
• The principal objective of the subject is to
present the principles of Electrical,
Electronic, and Electromechanical
Engineering to an audience composed of
Non-electrical Engineering Majors.
• The second objective is to focus on the
applications of Electrical Engineering
to Mechanical Engineering.

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 Text Book
• Principles and Applications of Electrical
Engineering, 3rd Ed., Giorgio Rizzoni,
McGraw-Hill, 2001.
• Introduction to Electrical Engineering,
Mulukutla S. Sarma, Oxford University
Press, 2001.

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 Chapter 1

Introduction to Electrical
Engineering
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 Introduction
• The aim of this chapter is to introduce EE
to Non-electrical Engineers.
• Perhaps the first question that surfaces in
the mind of the student approaching the
subject is, Why Electrical Engineering?
• Electrical Engineering is intimately
connected to many other engineering
disciplines, for example Mechatronic
Engineering.
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 1.1 Electrical Engineering
• The typical curriculum of an undergraduate
EE student includes the subjects listed in
Table 1.1. (see next slide).
• Figure 1.1 illustrates a possible
interconnection between the disciplines of
Table 1.1. (see next slide).
• The aim of this subject is to introduce the
Non-electrical Engineering student to
those aspects of EE that are likely to be most
relevant to his or her professional career.
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 Figure 1.1 Electrical engineering disciplines
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 Ex 1.1: Electrical Systems in a
Passenger Automobile
• The automobile is a good example to
illustrate the pervasive presence of
Electrical, Electronic, and
Electromechanical devices and
systems.
• An inductor coil generates a sufficiently
high voltage to allow a spark to form
across the spark plug gap, and to ignite
the air and fuel mixture.
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Ignition Circuit Diagram - Mechanically Timed Ignition

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• The coil is supplied by a DC voltage
provided by a lead-acid battery.
• The battery also supplies power to the lights,
the windshield wipers, and the radio.
• The conventional electrical ignition system
has been supplanted by electronic ignition.
• It has the advantage over the conventional
mechanical ones, is their greater reliability,
ease of control, and life span.
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Figure 1.2 Electrical
Engineering systems
in the automobile

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 Continue
• The battery is a self-contained 12-VDC
electric power system.
• In order for the battery to have a useful
lifetime, a charging system, composed of an
alternator and of power electronic devices, is
present in every automobile.
• The alternator (generator) is an electric
machine, as are the motors that drive the
power mirrors, power windows, power seats
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• Emission control system, controls the
exhaust emissions from automobile.
• The heart of such control systems is a type of
computer called Microprocessor.
• The microprocessor receives signals from
devices (called sensors).
• Sensors measure relevant variables such as:
1. The engine speed.
2. The concentration of oxygen in the exhaust
gases.
3. The amount of air aspirated by the engine.
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4. The position of the throttle valve (i.e., the
driver’s demand for engine power).
• The Microprocessor subsequently computes
the optimal amount of fuel and the correct
timing of the spark to result in the cleanest
combustion possible under the circumstances.
• The measurement of the aforementioned
variables falls under the heading of
instrumentation.
• The interconnection between the sensors and
the microprocessor is usually made up of
digital circuits.
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 1.2 EE As A Foundation For The
Design of Mechatronic System
• Many of today’s machines and processes,
require some form of electronic or
computer control for proper operation.
• The extensive use of microelectronics in
manufacturing systems has led to a new
approach to the design of such
engineering systems.
• This approach is called Mechatronic
design.
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• Mechatronic design is the integration of
existing disciplines —primarily Mechanical,
Electrical, Electronic, and Software
Engineering.
• Integration is an unavoidable aspect of
engineering practice for the design and
analysis of large scale and/or complex
systems.

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 EX 1.2: Mechatronic Systems
Design of a Formula Lightning
Electric Race Car

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• The Formula Lightning electric race car
projects involves the design, analysis, and
testing of an electric open-wheel race car.
• The propulsion and energy storage systems
are the major design tasks in this project.
• Projects have included vehicle dynamics and
race track simulation, motor and battery pack
selection, battery pack and loading system
design, and transmission and driveline
design.
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• The Formula Lightning series is based on
a specification chassis; thus, extensive
modifications to the frame, suspension,
brakes, and body are not permitted.
• The focus of the project is therefore to
optimize the performance of the vehicle by
selecting a suitable combination of drive-
train (drive-line) and energy storage
components.

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• The term power-train or power-plant refers
to the group of components that generate
power and deliver it to the road surface,
water, or air.
• This includes the engine, transmission (clutch
and gear), drive shafts, differentials, etc…
• A motor vehicle's driveline or drive-train
consists of the parts of the power-train
excluding the engine and transmission.
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 1.5 System of Units

International System of Units

(also called SI, from the French
Systéme International des Unités)

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