11/28/2023

Electrical Machinery
fundamentals (EEEG 215)
-Lecture VI

Today’s Lectures

• DC Generators
1. DC Generator operation principles

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Direct Current (DC) machine Operation

Principle
• An electromechanical rotating machine that may either generate dc or
may be driven by dc voltage supply.

• Hence, two types of DC machines

1. DC motor 2. DC generator

• When there is a relative motion between a conductor and a magnetic

field, a voltage will be induced in the conductor which is alternating in
nature (Faraday’s law of electromagnetic induction).

• The relation between the direction of the induced emf, the direction of
the magnetic field, and the motion of the conductor is given by the
Fleming’s Right hand rule (Generator Action)
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DC machine Operation Principle (contd..)

• If an alternating current is supplied to a conductor lying in a magnetic

field, a force is developed on the conductor which causes it to move
through the magnetic field.

• The relation between the direction of current in the conductor, the

direction of the magnetic field and the direction of the force developed
on the conductor is given by Fleming’s Left Hand Rule (Motor action).

Question?
• How to generate dc voltage and how to rotate a body by supplying a dc
voltage to it?

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DC machine Operation Principle (contd..)

(a) (b)

(d)
(c)
Figure 1: Coil position in (a) the same plane, 00(b) 900 (c) 1800 (d) 2700 5

DC machine Operation Principle (contd..)

• In Figure 1, coil is supposed to be rotating in clockwise direction.

• As shown in Figure 1(a), Position PRTQ is parallel to the axis of the
magnetic field so no voltage will be induced. In Figure 2, it is
represented by point O.
• As shown in Figure 1(b), at position QTRP, the axis of the coil is at 900 to
the magnetic field and the voltage induced will be Emax as represented by
point I in Figure 2.
• As shown in Figure 1(c), at position QTRP the induced voltage will be
again zero as represented by point J in Figure 2. In this position the coil
will be again parallel to the magnetic field.
• As shown in Figure 1(d), at position PRTQ the induced voltage will be
negative maximum represented as –Emax which is represented by point
K in Figure 2.
• Hence, the complete rotation of the coil from 00 to 3600 induces the
sinusoidal voltage between the coil terminals P and Q.

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DC machine Operation Principle (contd..)

Figure 2: Variation of emf induced in an armature coil due to its rotation in

magnetic field 7

DC machine Operation Principle (contd..)

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DC machine Operation Principle (contd..)

• The ac voltage must be rectified to the dc voltage and this is done using
slip rings or split rings as shown in Figure 3.
• Two end terminals A1 and A2 of the slip rings are connected to the coil
terminal P and Q respectively.
• In order to make the current unidirectional through the external load
resistance, split rings can be used instead of slip rings as shown in
Figure 3 below.
• The split rings are made up of conducting material, the two halves being
separated from each other by insulation.
• Brushes on split rings are placed diametrically opposite

DC machine Operation Principle (contd..)

Figure 3: (a) Individual slip rings and (b) split rings

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DC machine Operation Principle (contd..)

• The brushes will not change the position with the rotation of the two
segments of the split rings as shown in Figure 4 (a) and (b). Hence the
brush terminal remain the same irrespective of the position of the
segments as in Figure 4 (a) and (b).
• Hence the direction of the current is made unidirectional with rotating
split rings with stationary brushes.

(a) (b)
Figure 4: Different position of armature coil with split rings 11

DC machine Operation Principle (contd..)

• Direction of current flow through the external load resistance will

remain the same in DC generator.

• Although the voltage induced internally in dc generator is ac,

externally it is rectified to dc using an arrangement of rotating split
rings with stationary brushes placed on them.

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Dc Generator Operation principles

(contd..)

Figure 1: Generator connected to a load resistance via slip rings and 13

brushes

Dc Generator Operation principles (contd..)

• Figure 1 shows that the induced alternating voltage in the rotating coil
is applied as a dc voltage via slip rings and brushes.
• Although the voltage developed at the brushes and applied to the
external load is unidirectional, it is not a constant voltage {it is a
pulsating dc voltage}.
• In order to make it constant dc voltage, the concept of commutator
arises which is as shown in Figure 2.
• Commutator as shown in Figure 2 of DC machine, consists of large
number of mica insulated, hard drawn copper conducting segments.
• With the help of two commutator segments, the sinusoidal nature of
induced voltage is converted into dc voltage as shown in Figure 3.

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Dc Generator Operation principles (contd..)

• If the pulsating dc voltage is combined on a large number of coils, then

the constant dc voltage is generated which is achieved through the
commutator that consists of large number of split rings.

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Dc Generator Operation principles (contd..)

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Dc Generator Operation principles (contd..)

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Dc Generator Operation principles (contd..)

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Dc Generator Operation principles (contd..)

Figure 2: DC machine with four poles

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Figure 3: Unidirectional voltage

DC Generator Construction

Components of DC Machine (Figure 2)

(a) Armature and armature winding
(b) Field System
(c) Commutator
(d) Brushes and brush gear
(e) Yoke
(f) Armature shaft with bearings

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DC Generator Construction (contd..)

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DC Generator Construction (contd..)

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DC Generator Construction (contd..)

(a) Armature
- Made up of large number of high permeability silicon-steel laminated stampings which are insulated from
each other by varnish.
- Laminations help to reduce eddy currents in the core.
- Cylindrical structure.
- Conductors wound in the form of suitable coils are placed in slots and this is known as armature winding.
- The shaft of the armature is surrounded by this winding.

(a) (b)
Figure 4: (a)Induced eddy current and (b) laminations decrease the eddy current 23

DC Generator Construction (contd..)

(b) Field System
- It consists of (i) Yoke (ii) Field pole cores and pole shoes, and (iii) Magnetizing coils or
field winding.
- Yoke not only acts as a mechanical support but also acts as a portion of the magnetic
circuit by providing return path for the magnetic flux.
- Field pole cores are made up of annealed sheet steel laminations.
- Coils of insulated wires are wound on the pole cores.
- Pole cores are normally circular and are welded to the yoke after the assembly of
field windings.
Pole shoes are normally used for the following functions:
1. Provides support for the field coils
2. Spreads out the flux more uniformly in the air gap.
3. Reduces the reluctance of the magnetic path since its cross-section is larger than that
of the pole core.
- In some machines, the yoke and the poles cores are built in a single casing, and the
laminated pole shoes are fitted to the pole cores.

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DC Generator Construction (contd..)

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DC Generator Construction (contd..)

c) Commutator
- Consists of a series of high conductivity hard-drawn copper bars or
segment, connected side-by-side, with mica insulation of 0.5-1mm
thickness between the adjacent segments.
- Cylindrical structure

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DC Generator Construction (contd..)

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DC Generator Construction (contd..)

d) Brushes and brush gear

- manufactured in different compositions and different degrees of
hardness.
- Generally classified as carbon, carbon graphite, metal graphite and
copper.
- Generally, Graphite and carbon graphite brushes are used.
- Usually, the mica insulation is ‘undercut’ below the commutator surface
with the help of milling cutter so that poor contacts between brushes
and commutator segments can be avoided.
- Brushes are held in the brush holders which are fixed on the brush
holder studs or brackets.
- Brushes are kept under pressure over the commutator to maintain firm
contact with the commutator segments.
- The pressure is provided by spring load finger.

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DC Generator Construction (contd..)

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DC Generator Construction (contd..)

e) Armature Shaft with Bearings

- The shaft is mechanically joined to the armature core.
- Provides rotation to the armature, armature winding, and the
commutator.

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References

• Electric Machines-Theory and Practice-by: M.N. Bandyopadhyay.

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Thank you

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