Direct current (DC) motors

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Operation:
In any electric motor, operation is based on simple electromagnetism. A current-carrying
conductor generates a magnetic field; when this is then placed in an external magnetic field, it
will experience a force proportional to the current in the conductor, and to the strength of the
external magnetic field. In magnetic fields opposite (North and South) polarities attract, while
like polarities (north and north, south and south) repel. The internal configuration of a DC motor
is designed to harness the magnetic attraction between a current-carrying conductor and an
external magnetic field to generate rotational motion.

Advantages of DC motors:

The brushed DC motor is one of the earliest motor designs. Today, it is the motor of choice in
the majority of variable speed and torque control applications.

1. Easy to understand design: The design of the brushed DC motor is quite simple. A
permanent magnetic field is created in the stator by either of two means:
 Permanent magnets
 Electro-magnetic winding

2. Easy to control torque: In a brushed DC motor, torque control is also simple, since
output torque is proportional to current. If you limit the current, you have just limited the
torque which the motor can achieve. This makes this motor ideal for delicate applications
such as textile manufacturing.

3. Simple, cheap drive design: The result of this design is that variable speed or variable
torque electronics are easy to design and manufacture. Varying the speed of a brushed
DC motor requires little more than a large enough potentiometer. However, over about
10 horsepower careful consideration should be given to the price/performance tradeoffs
with AC inverter systems, since the AC systems show a price advantage in the larger
systems.
Disadvantages of DC motors:

1. Brush wear: Since they need brushes to connect the rotor winding. Brush wear occurs,
and it increases dramatically in low‐pressure environment. So they cannot be used in
artificial hearts. If used on aircraft, the brushes would need replacement after one hour
of operation.

2. Sparks from the brushes may cause explosion if the environment contains explosive
materials.

3. RF noise from the brushes may interfere with nearby t.v. sets, or electronic devices,..etc

4. Expensive to produce

5. Can't reliably control at lowest speeds

6. Physically larger

7. High maintenance
 Alternating current (AC) motors

Operation:

• the armature of rotor is a magnet (different to DC motors).

• the stator is formed by electromagnets (like in DC motors).

Consider the rotor to be a permanent magnet. The current flowing through conductors energize
the magnets and develop N and S poles. The strength of electromagnets depends on current.
First half cycle current flows in one direction. Second half cycle it flows in opposite direction.
As AC voltage changes, the poles alternate.

Advantages of AC motors:

1. Simple Design: The simple design of the AC motor -- simply a series of three windings in
the exterior (stator) section with a simple rotating section (rotor). The changing field
caused by the 50 or 60 Hertz AC line voltage causes the rotor to rotate around the axis
of the motor.
2. Low Cost: The AC motor has the advantage of being the lowest cost motor for
applications requiring more than about 1/2 hp (325 watts) of power. This is due to the
simple design of the motor. For this reason, AC motors are overwhelmingly preferred for
fixed speed applications in industrial applications and for commercial and domestic
applications where AC line power can be easily attached. Over 90% of all motors are AC
induction motors. They are found in air conditioners, washers, dryers, industrial
machinery, fans, blowers, vacuum cleaners, and many, many other applications.

3. Reliable Operation: The simple design of the AC motor results in extremely reliable, low
maintenance operation. Unlike the DC motor, there are no brushes to replace. If run in
the appropriate environment for its enclosure, the AC motor can expect to need new
bearings after several years of operation. If the application is well designed, an AC motor
may not need new bearings for more than a decade.

4. Easily Found Replacements: The wide use of the AC motor has resulted in easily found
replacements.
 5. Many Different Environmental Enclosures: Because of the wide range of environments in
which people want to use motors, the AC motor has been adapted by providing a wide
range of enclosures:
 ODP - Open Drip Proof
 TEFC - Totally Enclosed Fan Cooled
 TEAO - Totally Enclosed Air Over
 TEBC - Totally Enclosed Blower Cooled
 TENV - Totally Enclosed Non-Ventilated
 TEWC - Totally Enclosed Water Cooled

Disadvantages of AC motors:

1. Expensive speed control: Speed control is expensive. The electronics required to handle
an AC inverter drive are considerably more expensive than those required to handle a
DC motor. However, if performance requirements can be met -- meaning that the
required speed range is over 1/3rd of base speed -- AC inverters and AC motors are
usually more cost-effective than DC motors and DC drives for applications larger than
about 10 horsepower, because of cost savings in the AC motor

2. Inability to operate at low speeds: Standard AC motors should not be operated at

speeds less than about 1/3rd of base speed. This is due to thermal considerations. A DC
motor should be considered for these applications.

3. Poor positioning control: Positioning control is expensive and crude. Even a vector drive
is very crude when controlling a standard AC motor. Servo motors are more appropriate
for these applications.
 Stepper motors

Stepper motor is an electromagnetic actuator. It is an incremental drive digital actuator and is driven
in fixed angular steps. This mean that a digital signal is used to drive the motor and every time it
receives a digital pulse it rotates a specific number of degrees in rotation.

1. Each step of rotation is the response of the motor to an input pulse (or digital command).

2. Step-wise rotation of the rotor can be synchronized with pulses in a command-pulse train,
assuming that no steps are missed, thereby making the motor respond faithfully to the pulse
signal in an open-loop manner.

3. Stepper motors have emerged as cost-effective alternatives for DC servomotors in high-

speed, motion-control applications (except the high torque-speed range) with the
improvements in permanent magnets and the incorporation of solid-state circuitry and logic
devices in their drive systems.

4. Today stepper motors can be found in computer peripherals, machine tools, medical
equipment, automotive devices, and small business machines, to name a few applications.

5. Stepper motors are usually operated in open loop mode.

DC MOTORS VS. STEPPER MOTORS

1. Stepper motors are operated open loop, while most DC motors are operated closed loop.

2. Stepper motors are easily controlled with microprocessors, however logic and drive
electronics are more complex.

3. Stepper motors are brushless and brushes contribute several problems, e.g., wear, sparks,
electrical transients.

4. DC motors have a continuous displacement and can be accurately positioned, whereas

stepper motor motion is incremental and its resolution is limited to the step size.
5. Stepper motors can slip if overloaded and the error can go undetected. (A few stepper motors
use closed-loop control.)
6. Feedback control with DC motors gives a much faster response time compared to stepper
motors.

ADVANTAGES OF STEPPER MOTORS

1. Position error is noncumulative. A high accuracy of motion is possible, even under open-loop
control.

2. Large savings in sensor (measurement system) and controller costs are possible when the
open-loop mode is used.

3. Because of the incremental nature of command and motion, stepper motors are easily
adaptable to digital control applications.

4. No serious stability problems exist, even under open-loop control.

5. Torque capacity and power requirements can be optimized and the response can be controlled
by electronic switching.

6. Brushless construction has obvious advantages.

DISADVANTAGES OF STEPPER MOTORS

1. They have low torque capacity (typically less than 2,000 oz-in) compared to DC motors.

2. They have limited speed (limited by torque capacity and by pulse-missing problems due to
faulty switching systems and drive circuits).

3. They have high vibration levels due to stepwise motion.

4. Large errors and oscillations can result when a pulse is missed under open-loop control.