AC Motor:

An AC motor is an electric machine that converts alternating current into

mechanical rotation. AC motor applications range from industrial bulk power
conversion from electrical to mechanical to household small power conversion.
In this article, let us briefly discuss an AC motor’s various traits and working.

What is an AC Motor?
An AC motor is a motor that converts alternating current into mechanical
power. The stator and the rotor are important parts of AC motors. The stator is
the stationary part of the motor, and the rotor is the rotating part of the motor.
The AC motor may be single-phase or three-phase. Nikola Tesla invented the
first AC induction motor in 1887.

Construction of an AC motor
An alternating current drives an AC motor. The stationary stator and the
rotating rotor are important parts of AC motors. In this section, let us study the
different parts of an AC motor.

AC Motor Diagram
Following are the different parts of an AC motor:

Stator
The stator is the stationary part of the motor that delivers a rotating magnetic
field to interact with the rotor.
Stator Core
The stator core is made of thin metal sheets known as laminations. Laminations
are used to reduce energy loss.
Stator Windings
Stator windings are stacked together, forming a hollow cylinder. The slots of the
stator core coils of insulated wires are insulated.
When the assembled motor operates, the stator windings are connected to a
power source. Each group of coils, along with the steel core, becomes an
electromagnet when the current is applied.

Rotor
A rotor is a central component of a motor that is fixed to the shaft. The most
common type of rotor used in an AC motor is the squirrel cage rotor. A squirrel-
cage rotor is cylindrical and is made by stacking thin steel laminations.
Instead of inserting wire coils between the slots, conductor bars are die-cast into
the evenly spaced slots around the cylinder. Once the conductor bars are die-
casted, they are electrically and mechanically connected to the end rings.

Motor Shaft
The rotor is pressed onto a steel shaft to form a rotor assembly. The shaft
extends outside the motor casing allowing connection to an external system to
transmit the rotational power.

Bearings
Bearings hold the motor shaft in place. The bearings minimize the shaft’s
friction connected to the casing, which increases the motor’s efficiency.

Enclosure
The enclosure protects the internal parts of the motor from water and other
environmental elements. The enclosure consists of a frame and two end
brackets.

Classification of AC Motor
Below, we have discussed the different types of AC motors in detail.
Based on the principle of operation, AC motors are classified as:

 Synchronous Motor
 Induction Motor
Synchronous Motor
The motor that runs at synchronous speed is known as the synchronous motor.
The constant speed at which the motor generates the electromotive force is
known as synchronous speed. An electromagnet in the rotating magnetic field
magnetically locks itself with the rotating magnetic field and rotates
simultaneously with the rotating field. This is where the name synchronous
motor comes from. This also means that synchronous motors have fixed speeds.
The synchronous speed can be calculated using the following formula:
AC Motor Synchronous Speed Formula
ns=120fp
where ns is the synchronous speed, f is the line voltage frequency in Hz, and P is
the number of poles.

Working Principle of a Synchronous Motor

 The synchronous motor works with two electrical inputs provided to it.
 The stator is equipped with a 3-phase AC supply, while the rotor is
provided with the DC supply.
 The stator winding supplied with 3 phase AC supply generates 3 phase
rotating magnetic flux. The rotor carrying DC supply produces a constant
flux.
 At a particular instant, the rotor and the stator poles might be of the same
polarity (N-N or S-S), causing a repulsive force and the very next second,
it will be N-S causing an attractive force.
 Due to this attractive and repulsive force, the motor cannot rotate in any
direction and remains in a standstill position.
  To overcome this resistance to motion, the rotor is initially fed
mechanical input that rotates it in the same direction as the magnetic
field. After some time, magnetic locking occurs, and the synchronous
motor rotates in synchronism.

Induction Motor
Induction motors are the most commonly used motors. Induction motors are
also known as asynchronous motors because they always run slower than
synchronous speed.
Based on the type of rotor construction, they are divided into two types as
follows:

 Squirrel Cage Motor

 Slip Ring Motor

Working Principle of Induction Motors

 In an induction motor, the stator winding is fed with an AC supply. This

causes the stator winding to develop an alternating flux. We call this
rotating flux “Rotating Magnetic Field (RMF).”
 According to Faraday’s Law of Electromagnetic Induction, the relative
speed between the stator RMF and the rotor RMF causes an induced emf
in the rotor conductors. Rotor conductors are short-circuited, and a rotor
current is produced due to induced emf.
 This induced current produces alternating flux around it. It should be
noted that the stator flux lags behind the rotor flux.
 Due to the relative velocity between the rotating stator flux and the rotor,
the rotor rotates in the same direction as that of the stator flux to
minimize the relative velocity. This is the basic working principle of the
induction motor.
 The difference between the synchronous speed (Ns) and the actual speed
(N) of the rotor is known as the slip.

%s=Ns−NNs×100
 Induction Motor Controller and Protection System

Induction motors have been used widely in different fields ranging from
domestic appliances to industrial machinery. This necessitates a speed control
mechanism that is efficient and is also safe to use. Also the induction motor can
be run in either of the two directions which is quite useful in many applications.
But Induction motors like any other motors need efficient control to handle
industrial applications. Along with it motors are the most vulnerable parts to get
damaged as they product the desired motion in any machine. So we also
integrate a temperature and vibration detection alert in the system.
This System provides the following advantages:
 Induction Motor Switching using App
 Induction Motor Speed Control
 Motor Direction Control (Clockwise/Anticlockwise)
 Motor Fire Protection
 Motor Vibration Alert
Components
 Atmega 328 Microcontroller
 Encoder Sensor
 Temperature Sensor
 Vibration Sensor
 Induction Motor
 Switch Buttons
 Status LED’s
 Transformer
 Regulatory Circuitry
 PCB Board
 Resistors
 Capacitors
 Transistors
 Cables and Connectors
 Grid Poles
 Screws and Bolts
Block Diagram
Induction Motor Controller and Protection system serves this purpose of
controlling the speed and direction of the induction motor along with protecting
it from high vibration and temperature. Induction motor runs through direct AC
line the amount of power given to it decides to what RPM it does rotates.
We use an Encoder sensor to measure the RPM of the motor. Also we take the
wheel size input from user so that we can calculate the distance travelled by
motor.
We can modulate the power of the AC line to vary the speed of the induction
motor through AC driver circuitry. An Atmega family microcontroller is used to
give PWM power to an opto-coupler which drives the TRIAC giving supply to
the induction motor. Instructions to the microcontroller are fed through
bluetooth connection to the system.
An app is used to increase the speed of the motor, a button to change direction
and a button to decrease speed of the induction motor. One can observe the
whole process as it happens on the LCD. In this way this project proves to be
quite useful in handling an Induction Motor for its speed and direction.
Now we use a Temperature sensor to detect induction motor temperature. The
sensor is used to monitor temperatures of heavy duty induction motors during
operation. The sensor constantly monitors motor temperature and displays on
LCD Display. As soon as the temperature rises beyond certain limit, the system
turns off the motor to avoid fires or coil burning.
Similarly we use a vibration sensor to monitor the motor vibrations during
operation. The vibration of motor is displayed on LCD display as it runs. If the
motor vibrates beyond a certain limit the system turns off the motor to avoid
any damage to machine or motor so that it can be fixed in time and avoid any
accidents.
Thus the system provides a complete induction motor controlling as well as
protection system for industrial applications.