DESIGN OF COMMUTATOR AND BRUSHES

COMMUTATOR DETAILS
Commutator is a device which reversing the direction of flow of electric current. On Dc and
most of AC motors is to ensure that the current flowing through the rotor windings is always in
the same direction, and the proper coil on the rotor is energized in the respect to the field coil.
The Commutator is an assembly of Commutator segments or bars tapered in section. The
segments made of hard drawn copper are insulated from each other by mica or micanite, the
usual thickness of which is about 0.8 mm. The number of commutator segments is equal to the
number of active armature coils.

The diameter of the commutator will generally be about (60 to 80) % of the armature diameter.
Lesser values are used for high capacity machines and higher values for low capacity machines.
Higher values of commutator peripheral velocity are to be avoided as it leads to lesser
commutation time dt, increased reactance voltage and sparking commutation.

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The commutator peripheral velocity vc = π DC N / 60 should not as for as possible be more
than
about 15 m/s. (Peripheral velocity of 30 m/s is also being used in practice but should be avoided
whenever
possible.)

τ
The commutator segment pitch C = (outside width of one segment + mica insulation between

segments) = π DC / Number of segments should not be less than 4 mm. (This minimum segment
pitch is
due to 3.2 mm of copper + 0.8 mm of mica insulation between segments.) The outer surface
width of
commutator segment lies between 4 and 20 mm in practice.
The axial length of the commutator depends on the space required
1) by the brushes with brush boxes
2) for the staggering of brushes
3) for the margin between the brush and commutator
4) for the margin between the brush and riser and width of riser.

If there are nb brushes / brush arm or spindle or holder, placed one beside the other on the
commutator surface, then the length of the commutator LC = (width of the brush wb + brush box
thickness 0.5 cm) number of brushes/spindles + end clearance 2 to 4 cm + clearance for risers 2
to 4 cm + clearance for staggering of brushes 2 to 4 cm.

If the length of the commutator (as calculated from the above expression) leads to small
dissipating surface π DC LC, then the commutator length must be increased so that the

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temperature rise of the commutator does not exceed a permissible value say 550C. The
temperature rise of the commutator can be calculated by using the following empirical formula.

The different losses that are responsible for the temperature rise of the commutator are
(a) Brush contact loss and
(b) Brush frictional loss.
Brush contact loss = voltage drop / brush set × Ia
The voltage drop / brush set depend on the brush material – Carbon, graphite, electro graphite
or metalized graphite. The voltage drop / brush set can be taken as 2.0 V for carbon brushes.
Brush frictional loss (due to all the brush arms)
= frictional torque in Nm × angular velocity
= frictional force in Newton x distance in meter × 2 π N/60

= 9.81 μPbAball ×DC /2×2π N/60

= 9.81μPbAball vC
whereμ = coefficient of friction and depends on the brush material. Lies between 0.22 and 0.27
for
carbon brushes
Pb = Brush pressure in kg / m2 and lies between 1000 and 1500
Aball = Area of the brushes of all the brush arms in m2
= Ab × number of brush arms
= Ab × number of poles in case of lap winding
= Ab × 2 or P in case of wave winding
Ab = Cross-sectional area of the brush / brush arm

BRUSH DETAILS
Since the brushes of each brush arm collets the current from two parallel paths, current collected
by each brush arm is 2 I/2 Ia and the cross-sectional area of the brush or brush arm or holder or
spindle
Ab = cm2. The current density δp depends on the brush material and can be assumed between

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5.5 and 6.5 A / cm2 for carbon.
In order to ensure a continuous supply of power and cost of replacement of damaged or worn out
brushes is cheaper, a number of subdivided brushes are used instead of one single brush. Thus if
i) tb is the thickness of the brush
ii) wb is the width of the brush and
iii) nb is the number of sub divided brushes
then Ab = tbwbnb
As the number of adjacent coils of the same or different slots that are simultaneously undergoing
commutation increases, the brush width and time of commutation also increases at the same rate
and therefore the reactance voltage (the basic cause of sparking commutation) becomes
independent of brush width.
With only one coil undergoing commutation and width of the brush equal to one segment width,
the reactance voltage and hence the sparking increases as the slot width decreases. Hence the
brush width is made to cover more than one segment. If the brush is too wide, then those coils
which are away from the commutating pole zone or coils not coming under the influence of inter
pole flux and undergoing commutation leads to sparking commutation.
Hence brush width greater than the commutating zone width is not advisable under any
circumstances. Since the commutating pole zone lies between (9 and 15) % of the pole
pitch,15% of the commutator circumference can be considered as the maximum width of the
brush.
It has been found that the brush width should not be more than 5 segments in machines less than
50 kW and 4 segments in machines more than 50 kW.
The number of brushes / spindles can be found out by assuming a standard brush width or a
maximum current / sub divided brush.
Standard brush width can be 1.6, 2.2 or 3.2 cm
Current/subdivided brush should not be more than 70A

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GROUP MEMBERS
1. Moses Kakumbula
2. Omary Iddi
3. Immaculate Lucas
4. Samwel A. Mwakalinga
5. Ramadhani Moyo