Inst ToolsInst ToolsInst Tools
  • Courses
  • Automation
    • PLC
    • Control System
    • Safety System
    • Communication
    • Fire & Gas System
  • Instrumentation
    • Design
    • Pressure
    • Temperature
    • Flow
    • Level
    • Vibration
    • Analyzer
    • Control Valve
    • Switch
    • Calibration
    • Erection & Commissioning
  • Interview
    • Instrumentation
    • Electrical
    • Electronics
    • Practical
  • Q&A
    • Instrumentation
    • Control System
    • Electrical
    • Electronics
    • Analog Electronics
    • Digital Electronics
    • Power Electronics
    • Microprocessor
  • Request
Search
  • Books
  • Software
  • Projects
  • Process
  • Tools
  • Basics
  • Formula
  • Power Plant
  • Root Cause Analysis
  • Electrical Basics
  • Animation
  • Standards
  • 4-20 mA Course
  • Siemens PLC Course
Reading: All About Electric Motors and Universal Motors
Share
Font ResizerAa
Inst ToolsInst Tools
Font ResizerAa
  • Courses
  • Design
  • PLC
  • Interview
  • Control System
Search
  • Courses
  • Automation
    • PLC
    • Control System
    • Safety System
    • Communication
    • Fire & Gas System
  • Instrumentation
    • Design
    • Pressure
    • Temperature
    • Flow
    • Level
    • Vibration
    • Analyzer
    • Control Valve
    • Switch
    • Calibration
    • Erection & Commissioning
  • Interview
    • Instrumentation
    • Electrical
    • Electronics
    • Practical
  • Q&A
    • Instrumentation
    • Control System
    • Electrical
    • Electronics
    • Analog Electronics
    • Digital Electronics
    • Power Electronics
    • Microprocessor
  • Request
Follow US
All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.
Inst Tools > Blog > Common > All About Electric Motors and Universal Motors

All About Electric Motors and Universal Motors

This article helps you to understand all about electric motors and universal motors and their electromagnetism concept.

Last updated: July 1, 2022 8:11 pm
Editorial Staff
Common
No Comments
Share
6 Min Read
SHARE

Electric motors are featured in a wide array of different objects and pieces of equipment. Many of these you can see around your homes, such as a washing machine, vacuum cleaner, or refrigerator.

Contents
ElectromagnetismCoilsUniversal MotorsPower

However, you’ll also find electric motors in other areas of life, including electric trains and computer hard drives. It’s likely you’ll encounter these at one point or another, so it’s important to understand how they work.

Electromagnetism

First, we will explore the theory of how a motor should work. The key to running a simple electric motor is electromagnetism. Electromagnetism is self-explanatory in that it involves a combination of electricity and magnetism in order to function.

We do this by firstly creating an electric field. This simply involves taking a coil of wire (we will explore the importance of coils shortly) and powering it with a battery or via mains electricity.

A wire that carries a moving charge should not only create an electric field, but it should also create a magnetic field. We then create a magnetic field by having magnets on either side of the coil of wire.

When powered, this means that the two magnetic fields from the wire and the magnets should interact with each other if at the right angle. For information on the interaction, we can refer to Fleming’s left-hand rule.

When the direction of the current is perpendicular to the magnetic field, the motor effect force is the greatest; if they are parallel, there will be no motor effect. This means to create movement, we need to not only create that perpendicular angle but maintain it to maintain motion.

Electric motor animation

Coils

Coils are the answer to maintaining this motion. If the wire in the center is coiled, we have two directions of current on either side. On the left-hand side of the coil, the force will be exerted in one direction, whereas it will be exerted in the other for the right-hand side of the coil, encouraging the spinning motion.

An issue, however, does arrive when the coil gets into a vertical position. This means it’s parallel to the magnetic field and there’ll be no more force exerted, meaning the motor won’t spin. There are several ways to tackle this, however.

For smaller motors, this is as simple as using a split-ring commutator – this essentially changes the electric current each time the coil reaches a vertical position.

The commutator is attached to the coil at both ends, allowing the current to feed through the commutator. These aren’t capable of producing a lot of power but are good for things such as toy cars or electric shavers, where you only need a very small amount of power.

Universal Motors

Universal motors are a better solution to this problem, especially when considering items that need much more power like factory equipment or industrial hoovers. Whereas for smaller motors using a commutator, you can only use direct current (DC), a universal motor can run on both DC and AC, or alternating current. When using DC, it works in a very similar way as described before – the coil’s current is reversed every time it is vertical, keeping the coil spinning.

AC, however, is not a direct flow of current – it is instead current that rapidly changes direction back and forth. When using AC, not only is the current reversed but the current powering the electromagnet is also reversed simultaneously. This changes the direction of the field, again, keeping the motor spinning.

How do Electric Motors Work

Power

Something important to consider when constructing or working with a motor is the power of the motor itself. This is true not only for different items, but different variants of the same item, and should be considered case by case.

For example, a household vacuum may not need a massive amount of power, whereas an industrial vacuum may need much more. Industrial Vacuums like these from Industar is made for heavy-duty work as well as harsh environments, meaning they may need a stronger motor than a household vacuum, especially when they can work with both dry and wet substances. Their motors are also built to last, meaning they’re well-made and can withstand repetitive use. With items like this, even if they are easy to maintain, it’s important to establish the motor’s power capacity. How can we do this?

There are several ways. The first way is fairly self-explanatory – the stronger the current, the more powerful the motor. However, more coils will also make the motor stronger, as there will be more field lines, creating more strength in the magnetic fields and thus making the motor more powerful.

A soft iron core will also improve the strength of the magnetic field as it provides less resistance than air does to the magnetic field, improving the power of the motor.

From theory to practice, hopefully, you have a clearer understanding of how an electric motor works, both in encouraging motion in the motor and how strengthening the motion’s power.

Don't Miss Our Updates
Be the first to get exclusive content straight to your email.
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Invalid email address
You've successfully subscribed !

Continue Reading

Encoder Working Principle
Everything You Need to Know About Ceramic Bearings
Difference between Charge and Mass
Most General Reasons for the Electrical Motor Failures
What is the Address Resolution Protocol? – Types of ARP
Loop diagram and System Inspection Lab Exercise
Share This Article
Facebook Whatsapp Whatsapp LinkedIn Copy Link
Share
Leave a Comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Stay Connected

128.3kFollowersLike
69.1kFollowersFollow
210kSubscribersSubscribe
38kFollowersFollow

Categories

Explore More

Software Testing Projects – How to Approach the Process Effectively?
Advancements in Lime Slaking Technology: What’s New And What’s Next
How To Choose A Surge Protector?
Wireless Electric Vehicle Charging
The Information About Resistor Color Code You Should Know
PM of Instrument Air Compressor in Oil & Gas Plants
Modern Engineering Solutions for Rotary Equipment
Logic Gates and Truth tables

Keep Learning

Linear Motion Control

What is Linear Motion Control? – Factors and Example Devices

What is Shielded Twisted Pair Cable

What is Shielded Twisted Pair Cable? – Advantages, Disadvantages

Radiation Exposure Converter

Free Online Radiation Exposure Calculating Platform

Types of active transducers

Types of Transducers in Instrumentation

Solar Arrays

Solar Photovoltaic Cells – Parts of the Solar Panel

What is a Differential Mode Signal

Difference Between Differential Mode and Common Mode

Difference between Radio Waves and Microwaves

Difference between Radio Waves and Microwaves

What is IO-Link in Smart Manufacturing

What is IO-Link in Smart Manufacturing?

Learn More

Ion Spectrometers Questions & Answers

Ion Transducers Questions & Answers

Twisted Pair Cable Noise Supression

Why We use Shielded Cable and Twisted Pair Cables ?

How a Diode Works Animation

How a Gate Works ?

DP Level Measurement Problems

DP Level Measurement Problems

PLC Pressure Switch Ladder Diagram

Relays in Ladder Logic Tutorials

Steam flow to the heat exchanger

Analytical Control System of Heat Exchanger Questions

21 CFR in SCADA and HMI Systems

What is 21 CFR in SCADA and HMI Systems?

pressure transmitter calibration setup

Why Pressure Vessel Connected to Tubing System?

Menu

  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Copyright

Quick Links

  • Learn PLC
  • Helping Hand
  • Part Time Job

YouTube Subscribe

Follow US
All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?