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Module IV

This document covers the fundamentals of actuators in mechatronics, including their definitions, classifications, and various types such as mechanical, electrical, and electromechanical systems. It discusses the requirements and calculations for drive systems in CNC machines, detailing spindle and feed drives, as well as the operation of DC and AC motors. Additionally, it highlights the mechanisms like cams, ratchet and pawl, and rack and pinion, along with the advantages and limitations of different actuator types.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
27 views21 pages

Module IV

This document covers the fundamentals of actuators in mechatronics, including their definitions, classifications, and various types such as mechanical, electrical, and electromechanical systems. It discusses the requirements and calculations for drive systems in CNC machines, detailing spindle and feed drives, as well as the operation of DC and AC motors. Additionally, it highlights the mechanisms like cams, ratchet and pawl, and rack and pinion, along with the advantages and limitations of different actuator types.

Uploaded by

info45495
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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MECHATRONICS MODULE - 4 17IP73

ACTUATORS: Definition, Classification of Actuators, Brief survey of Electromechanical actuators, Drive


requirements for cutting movements, Requirements of feed drives, Calculation of drive requirements on feed
motor shaft, DC motors & Control of DC motors, AC motors, DC & AC servomotors, Stepper motors- types,
Characteristics, advantages, limitations and applications.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Introduction:
An actuator can be defined as an energy converter which transforms energy from an external source into
mechanical energy in a controllable way. The actuator input quantities depend on the type of energy used and
can be chosen among all the quantities involved in the energy conversion from the energy source to the output
mechanical quantities. For electromagnetic, piezoelectric and magnetostrictive actuators the input quantities can
be the current, the charge or the voltage; for fluid power actuators the fluid pressure or the flow; for shape
memory alloys and thermal expansion actuators the temperature. The output quantities are of mechanical nature.
We will distinguish among (primary) output quantities (actuator force and stroke), and (derived) output
quantities, which can be computed on the basis of the primary quantities. The most used derived output
quantities are the actuator work and the actuator power.

Classification of Actuators

Fig: 1. Classification of Actuators

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Mechanical actuation systems


Mechanical Systems Devices which can be considered to be motion converters in that they transform motion
from one form to some other required form. –Eg: Transform linear motion into rotational motion and vice versa;
A linear reciprocating motion into rotary motion. Mechanical elements can include the use of linkages, cams,
gears, rack-and-pinion, chains, belt drives, etc. – Eg: rack-and-pinion can be used to convert rotational motion
to linear motion. Many of the actions which previously were obtained by the use of mechanism are, however,
often nowadays being obtained, as a result of a mechatronics approach by the use of microprocessor systems.
Types of Motion
The motion of an object shows its changing position, as discussed earlier. But varying objects show varying
types of motion. Like for example, a fan is said to be in motion though it is static in its place or a hanging clock
that shows motion though it is hanging in its position. We say that motion is mainly of three types: Rectilinear
Motion, Circular Motion and Periodic Motion.
i. Rectilinear Motion
In a rectilinear motion, all the objects move along a single line. Some common examples of rectilinear motion
are marching soldiers, moving cars, and moving animals. The common thing in all these examples is that they
move in a single line.
ii. Circular Motion
Some objects are moving even though they are fixed at some position. here the fan undergoes circular motion.
In the circular motion, the objects follow a circular path of motion without changing their position. It is the
circular movement of fan that results in cool air. Some more examples of circular motion are the motion of a
Ferry wheel, satellites and rotation of planets around the sun.
iii. Periodic Motion
Physically the pendulum isn’t moving. It is fixed to some point, yet it shows motion. This kind of motion that
repeats after a specific period of time is known as periodic motion. In the periodic motion, the movement made
by these objects is called oscillation.
Since it repeats after a fixed period of time, it is named so! Clocks and table fans are the most common
examples. Some other examples of the periodic motion are a child’s motion on swings, the motion of the earth
around the Sun, the motion of the moon around the earth.
Cams, Gear trains, Ratchet & Pawl, belt and chain drives Mechanisms
Cams
Cams are mechanical devices which are used to generate curvilinear or irregular motion of mechanical
elements. They are used to convert rotary motion into oscillatory motion or oscillatory motion into rotary

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motion. There are two links namely the cam itself which acts as an input member. The other link that acts as an
output member is called the follower. The cam transmits the motion to the follower by direct contact. In a cam
follower pair, the cam usually rotates while the follower translates or oscillates. Complicated output motions
which are otherwise difficult to achieve can easily be produced with the help of cams. Cams are widely used in
internal combustion engines, machine tools, printing control mechanisms, textile weaving industries, automated
machines etc.
Necessary elements of a cam mechanism are shown in Figure 2.
A driver member known as the cam
A driven member called the follower
A frame which supports the cam and guides the follower

Fig: 2. Cam mechanism


Ratchet and pawl mechanism

Fig: 3. Ratchet and pawl mechanism

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A ratchet is a device that allows linear or rotary motion in only one direction. Figure 3. shows a schematic of
the same. It is used in rotary machines to index air operated indexing tables. Ratchets consist of a gearwheel and
a pivoting spring loaded pawl that engages the teeth. The teeth or the pawl, are at an angle so that when the
teeth are moving in one direction the pawl slides in between the teeth. The spring forces the pawl back into the
depression between the next teeth. The ratchet and pawl are not mechanically interlocked hence easy to set up.
The table may over travel if the table is heavy when they are disengaged. Maintenance of this system is easy.

Rack and pinion mechanism


A rack and pinion gear arrangement usually converts rotary motion from a pinion to linear motion of a rack. But
in indexing mechanism the reverse case holds true. The device uses a piston to drive the rack, which causes the
pinion gear and attached indexing table to rotate. A clutch is used to provide rotation in the desired direction.
This mechanism is simple but is not considered suitable for high-speed operation.

Fig: 4. Rack and pinion mechanism


Geneva mechanism

Fig: 5. Geneva mechanism

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The Geneva drive is also commonly called a Maltese cross mechanism. The Geneva mechanism translates a continuous
rotation into an intermittent rotary motion. The rotating drive wheel has a pin that reaches into a slot of the driven wheel.
The drive wheel also has a raised circular blocking disc that locks the driven wheel in position between steps. There are
three basic types of Geneva motion mechanisms namely external, internal and spherical. The spherical Geneva
mechanism is very rarely used. In the simplest form, the driven wheel has four slots and hence for each rotation of the
drive wheel it advances by one step of 90°. If the driven wheel has n slots, it advances by 360°/n per full rotation of the
drive wheel.

Electrical actuation systems


1. Drives
Basic function of a CNC machine is to provide automatic and precise motion control to its elements such work
table, tool spindle etc. Drives are used to provide such kinds of controlled motion to the elements of a CNC
machine tool. A drive system consists of drive motors and ball lead-screws. The control unit sends the amplified
control signals to actuate drive motors which in turn rotate the ball lead-screws to position the machine table or
cause rotation of the spindle.
2. Power drives
Drives used in an automated system or in CNC system are of different types such as electrical, hydraulic or
pneumatic.
• Electrical drives
These are direct current (DC) or alternating current (AC) servo motors. They are small in size and are easy to
control.
• Hydraulic drives
These drives have large power to size ratio and provide stepless motion with great accuracy. But these are
difficult to maintain and are bulky. Generally they employ petroleum based hydraulic oil which may have fire
hazards at upper level of working temperatures. Also hydraulic elements need special treatment to protect them
against corrosion.
• Pneumatic drives
This drives use air as working medium which is available in abundant and is fire proof. They are simple in
construction and are cheaper. However these drives generate low power, have less positioning accuracy and are
noisy.
In CNC, usually AC, DC, servo and stepper electrical drives are used. The various drives
used in CNC machines can be classified as:
a. Spindle drives to provide the main spindle power for cutting action b. Feed drives to drive the axis

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Spindle drives
The spindle drives are used to provide angular motion to the workpiece or a cutting tool. Figure 6. shows the
components of a spindle drive. These drives are essentially required to maintain the speed accurately within a
power band which will enable machining of a variety of materials with variations in material hardness. The
speed ranges can be from 10 to 20,000 rpm. The machine tools mostly employ DC spindle drives. But as of late,
the AC drives are preferred to DC drives due to the advent of microprocessor based AC frequency inverter.
High overload capacity is also needed for unintended overloads on the spindle due to an inappropriate feed. It is
desirous to have a compact drive with highly smooth operation.

Fig: 6. Schematic of a spindle drive


Feed Drives
These are used to drive the slide or a table. Figure 7. shows various elements of a feed drive. The requirements
of an ideal feed drive are as follows.
The feed motor needs to operate with constant torque characteristics to overcome friction and working
forces.
The drive speed should be extremely variable with a speed range of about 1: 20000, which means it should
have a maximum speed of around 2000 rpm and at a minimum speed of 0.1 rpm.
The feed motor must run smoothly.
The drive should have extremely small positioning resolution.

Fig: 7. Typical feed drive

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Solenoids and Relays


A solenoid is a coil of insulated or enameled wire wound on a rod-shaped form made of solid iron, solid steel, or
powdered iron. Devices of this kind can be used as electromagnets, as inductors in electronic circuits, and as miniature
wireless receiving antennas.
In a solenoid, the core material is ferromagnetic, meaning that it concentrates magnetic lines of flux. This increases the
inductance of the coil far beyond the inductance obtainable with an aircore coil of the same dimensions and the same
number of turns. When current flows in the coil, most of the resulting magnetic flux exists within the core material. Some
flux appears outside the coil near the ends of the core; a small amount of flux also appears outside the coil and off to the
side.

Fig: 8. Solenoid
A solenoid chime is wound on a cylindrical, hollow, plastic or phenolic form with a movable, solid iron or steel core. The
core can travel in and out of the coil along its axis. The coil is oriented vertically; the core normally rests somewhat below
the coil center. When a current pulse is applied to the coil, the magnetic field pulls the core forcefully upward. Inertia
carries the core above the center of the coil, where the core strikes a piece of metal similar to a xylophone bell.

Electromechanical Relay

Fig: 9. Relay

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We have two sets of electrically conductive contacts. Relays may be “Normally Open”, or “Normally
Closed”. One pair of contacts are classed as Normally Open, (NO) or make contacts and another set which are
classed as Normally Closed, (NC) or break contacts. In the normally open position, the contacts are closed only
when the field current is “ON” and the switch contacts are pulled towards the inductive coil.
In the normally closed position, the contacts are permanently closed when the field current is “OFF” as
the switch contacts return to their normal position. These terms Normally Open, Normally Closed or Make and
Break Contacts refer to the state of the electrical contacts when the relay coil is “de-energized”, i.e, no supply
voltage connected to the relay coil. Contact elements may be of single or double make or break designs. An
example of this arrangement is given below.
The relays contacts are electrically conductive pieces of metal which touch together completing a circuit
and allow the circuit current to flow, just like a switch. When the contacts are open the resistance between the
contacts is very high in the Mega-Ohms, producing an open circuit condition and no circuit current flows.
When the contacts are closed the contact resistance should be zero, a short circuit, but this is not always
the case. All relay contacts have a certain amount of “contact resistance” when they are closed and this is called
the “On-Resistance”, similar to FET’s. With a new relay and contacts this ON-resistance will be very small,
generally less than 0.2Ω because the tips are new and clean, but over time the tip resistance will increase

DC/AC Motors

Fig: 10. Classification of motors


Electric drives are mostly used in position and speed control systems. The motors can be classified into two
groups namely DC motors and AC motors. In this session we shall study the operation, construction, advantages
and limitations of DC and AC motors.

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DC motors
A DC motor is a device that converts direct current (electrical energy) into rotation of an element (mechanical energy).
These motors can further be classified into brushed DC motor and brushless DC motors.
Brush type DC motor
A typical brushed motor consists of an armature coil, slip rings divided into two parts, a pair of brushes and horse shoes
electromagnet as shown in Fig 11. A simple DC motor has two field poles namely a north pole and a south pole. The
magnetic lines of force extend across the opening between the poles from north to south. The coil is wound around a soft
iron core and is placed in between the magnet poles. These electromagnets receive electricity from an outside power
source. The coil ends are connected to split rings. The carbon brushes are in contact with the split rings. The brushes are
connected to a DC source. Here the split rings rotate with the coil while the brushes remain stationary.

Fig: 11. Brushed DC motor


The working is based on the principle that when a current-carrying conductor is placed in a magnetic field, it experiences
a mechanical force whose direction is given by Fleming's left-hand rule. The magnitude of the force is given by
𝐹=𝐵𝐼𝐿𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃 …………… eqn 1
Where, B is magnetic field density in weber/m2
I is the current in amperes and
L is the length of the conductor in meter
θ is the angle between the direction of the current in the conductor and the electric field
If the current and filed are perpendicular then θ=90°. The equation 1 becomes,
𝐹=𝐵𝐼𝐿
A direct current in a set of windings creates a magnetic field. This field produces a force which turns the
armature. This force is called torque. This torque will cause the armature to turn until its magnetic field is
aligned with the external field. Once aligned the direction of the current in the windings on the armature
reverses, thereby reversing the polarity of the rotor's electromagnetic field. A torque is once again exerted on
the rotor, and it continues spinning. The change in direction of current is facilitated by the split ring

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commutator. The main purpose of the commutator is to overturn the direction of the electric current in the
armature. The commutator also aids in the transmission of current between the armature and the power source.
The brushes remain stationary, but they are in contact with the armature at the commutator, which rotates with
the armature such that at every 180° of rotation, the current in the armature is reversed.
Advantages of brushed DC motor:
The design of the brushed DC motor is quite simple
Controlling the speed of a Brush DC Motor is easy
Very cost effective

Disadvantages of brushed DC motor:


High maintenance
Performance decreases with dust particles
Less reliable in control at lower speeds
The brushes wear off with usage

Brushless DC motor

Fig: 12. Brushless DC motor


A brushless DC motor has a rotor with permanent magnets and a stator with windings. The rotor can be of
ceramic permanent magnet type. The brushes and commutator are eliminated and the windings are connected to
the control electronics. The control electronics replace the commutator and brushes and energize the stator
sequentially. Here the conductor is fixed and the magnet moves.
The current supplied to the stator is based on the position of rotor. It is switched in sequence using transistors.
The position of the rotor is sensed by Hall effect sensors. Thus a continuous rotation is obtained.

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Advantages of brushless DC motor:


More precise due to computer control
More efficient
No sparking due to absence of brushes
Less electrical noise
No brushes to wear out
Electromagnets are situated on the stator hence easy to cool
Motor can operate at speeds above 10,000 rpm under loaded and unloaded conditions
Responsiveness and quick acceleration due to low rotor inertia

Disadvantages of brushless DC motor:


Higher initial cost
Complex due to presence of computer controller
Brushless DC motor also requires additional system wiring in order to power the electronic
commutation circuitry

Control of DC motors

Fig: 13. PWM (a) Principle of PWM circuit


(b) Varying the average armature voltage by chopping the d.c. voltage
The speed of a permanent magnet motor depends on the current through the armature coil. With a field
coil motor the speed can be changed by either varying the armature current or the field current; generally it is
the armature current that is varied. Thus speed control can be obtained by controlling the voltage applied to the
armature. However, because fixed voltage supplied suppliers are often used, a variable voltage is obtained by an
electronic circuit.
With an alternating current supply, the thyristor circuit can be used to control the average voltage
applied to the armature. However, we are often concerned with the control of d.c motors by means of control
signals emanating from microprocessor. In such cases the technique known as Pulse Width Modulation
(PWM) is generally used. This basically involves taking a constant d.c. supply voltage and chopping it so that

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the average value is varied (Fig 13). Fig 14. Shows how PWM can be obtained by means of a basic transistor
circuit. The transistor is switched on or off by means of a signal applied to its base.

Fig: 14. PWM


The diode is to provide a path for current which arises when the transistor is off as a result of the motor
acting as a generator. Such a circuit can only be used to drive the motor in one direction; a circuit (Fig. 15)
involving four transistors termed an H circuit, can be used to enable the motor to be operated in forward and
reverse directions. This circuit can be modified by the use of logic gates so that one input controls the switching
and one the direction of rotation (Fig. 16).

Fig: 15. H Circuit

Fig: 16. H Circuit

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The above are examples of open-loop control; this assumes that conditions will remain constant, e.g. the
supply voltage and the load driven by the motor. Closed loop control systems use feedback to modify the motor
speed if conditions change. Fig 17 shows some of the methods that might be employed.

Fig: 17. Speed control with feedback


In Fig 17 (a) the feedback signal is provided by a tachogenerator, this giving an analogue signal which has to
be converted to a digital signal by an ADC for input to the microprocessor. The output from the microprocessor
is converted in to analogue signal by an ADC and used to vary the voltage applied to the armature of the d.c
motor.
In Fig 17 (b) the feedback signal is provided by an encoder, this giving a digital signal is provided by an
encoder, this giving a digital signal which after code conversion can be directly inputted to the microprocessor.
As in (a) the system shows an analogue voltage being varied to control the motor speed.

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In Fig 17 (c) the system is completely digital and PWM is used to control the average voltage applied to the
armature.
AC motors
AC motors convert AC current into the rotation of a mechanical element (mechanical energy). As in the case of
DC motor, a current is passed through the coil, generating a torque on the coil. Typical components include a
stator and a rotor. The armature of rotor is a magnet unlike DC motors and the stator is formed by
electromagnets similar to DC motors. The main limitation of AC motors over DC motors is that speed is more
difficult to control in AC motors. To overcome this limitation, AC motors are equipped with variable frequency
drives but the improved speed control comes together with a reduced power quality.

Fig: 18. AC motor working principle


The working principle of AC motor is shown in fig. 18. Consider the rotor to be a permanent magnet. Current
flowing through conductors energizes the magnets and develops N and S poles. The strength of electromagnets
depends on current. First half cycle current flows in one direction and in the second half cycle it flows in
opposite direction. As AC voltage changes the poles alternate.
AC motors can be classified into synchronous motors and induction motors.

Synchronous motor

Fig: 19. Synchronous AC motor

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A synchronous motor is an AC motor which runs at constant speed fixed by frequency of the system. It requires
direct current (DC) for excitation and has low starting torque, and hence is suited for applications that start with
a low load. It has two basic electrical parts namely stator and rotor as shown in fig. 19. The stator consists of a
group of individual wounded electro-magnets arranged in such a way that they form a hollow cylinder. The
stator produces a rotating magnetic field that is proportional to the frequency supplied. The rotor is the rotating
electrical component. It also consists of a group of permanent magnets arranged around a cylinder, with the
poles facing toward the stator poles. The rotor is mounted on the motor shaft. The main difference between the
synchronous motor and the induction motor is that the rotor of the synchronous motor travels at the same speed
as the rotating magnet.
The stator is given a three phase supply and as the polarity of the stator progressively change the magnetic field
rotates, the rotor will follow and rotate with the magnetic field of the stator. If a synchronous motor loses lock
with the line frequency it will stall. It cannot start by itself, hence has to be started by an auxiliary motor.
Synchronous speed of an AC motor is determined by the following formula:

120 x f
𝑁𝑠 =
𝑝

Ns = Revolutions per minute


P = Number of pole pairs
f = Applied frequency

Induction motor

Fig: 20. Induction motor rotor


Induction motors are quite commonly used in industrial automation. In the synchronous motor the stator poles
are wound with coils and rotor is permanent magnet and is supplied with current to create fixed polarity poles.
In case of induction motor, the stator is similar to synchronous motor with windings but the rotors’ construction
is different.

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Rotor of an induction motor can be of two types:


A squirrel-cage rotor consists of thick conducting bars embedded in parallel slots. The bars can be of
copper or aluminum. These bars are fitted at both ends by means end rings as shown in figure 4.1.8.
A wound rotor has a three-phase, double-layer, distributed winding. The rotor is wound for as many
numbers of poles as the stator. The three phases are wired internally and the other ends are connected to
slip-rings mounted on a shaft with brushes resting on them.
Induction motors can be classified into two types:
Single-phase induction motor: It has one stator winding and a squirrel cage rotor. It operates with a single-
phase power supply and requires a device to start the motor.
Three-phase induction motor: The rotating magnetic field is produced by the balanced three-phase power
supply. These motors can have squirrel cage or wound rotors and are self-starting.

In an induction motor there is no external power supply to rotor. It works on the principle of induction. When a
conductor is moved through an existing magnetic field the relative motion of the two causes an electric current
to flow in the conductor. In an induction motor the current flow in the rotor is not caused by any direct
connection of the conductors to a voltage source, but rather by the influence of the rotor conductors cutting
across the lines of flux produced by the stator magnetic fields. The induced current which is produced in the
rotor results in a magnetic field around the rotor. The magnetic field around each rotor conductor will cause the
rotor conductor to act like the permanent magnet. As the magnetic field of the stator rotates, due to the effect of
the three-phase AC power supply, the induced magnetic field of the rotor will be attracted and will follow the
rotation. However, to produce torque, an induction motor must suffer from slip. Slip is the result of the induced
field in the rotor windings lagging behind the rotating magnetic field in the stator windings. The slip is given
by,
Synchronous speed − Actual speed
S= x 100
Synchronous speed2𝑎
Advantages of AC induction motors
• It has a simple design, low initial cost, rugged construction almost unbreakable
• The operation is simple with less maintenance (as there are no brushes)
• The efficiency of these motors is very high, as there are no frictional losses, with reasonably good power
factor
• The control gear for the starting purpose of these motors is minimum and thus simple and reliable operation

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Disadvantages of AC induction motors


• The speed control of these motors is at the expense of their efficiency
• As the load on the motor increases, the speed decreases
• The starting torque is inferior when compared to DC motors

Stepper motors and Servo motors


Stepper motor
A stepper motor is a pulse-driven motor that changes the angular position of the rotor in steps. Due to this
nature of a stepper motor, it is widely used in low cost, open loop position control systems.
Types of stepper motors:
• Permanent Magnet
Employ permanent magnet
Low speed, relatively high torque
• Variable Reluctance
Does not have permanent magnet
Low torque

Permanent magnet (PM) stepper motor

In this type of motor, the rotor is a permanent magnet. Unlike the other stepping motors, the PM motor rotor has
no teeth and is designed to be magnetized at a right angle to its axis. Figure 21. shows a simple, 90⁰ PM motor
with four phases (A-D). Applying current to each phase in sequence will cause the rotor to rotate by adjusting to
the changing magnetic fields. Although it operates at fairly low speed, the PM motor has a relatively high
torque characteristic. These are low cost motors with typical step angle ranging between 7.5⁰ to 15⁰.

Fig: 21. Permanent magnet stepper

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Variable Reluctance Motor

Figure 22. shows the construction of Variable Reluctance motor. The cylindrical rotor is made of soft steel and has
four poles as shown in Fig. It has four rotor teeth, 90⁰ apart and six stator poles, 60⁰ apart. Electromagnetic field is
produced by activating the stator coils in sequence. It attracts the metal rotor. When the windings are energized in a
reoccurring sequence of 2, 3, 1, and so on, the motor will rotate in a 30⁰ step angle. In the non-energized condition,
there is no magnetic flux in the air gap, as the stator is an electromagnet and the rotor is a piece of soft iron; hence,
there is no detent torque. This type of stepper motor is called a variable reluctance stepper.

Fig: 22. Variable reluctance stepper motor

Hybrid stepper motor

Hybrid stepping motors combine a permanent magnet and a rotor with metal teeth to provide features of the variable
reluctance and permanent magnet motors together. The number of rotor pole pairs is equal to the number of teeth on
one of the rotor’s parts. The hybrid motor stator has teeth creating more poles than the main poles windings (Fig.23).

Fig: 23. Hybrid stepper motor

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Rotation of a hybrid stepping motor is produced in the similar fashion as a permanent magnet stepping motor,
by energizing individual windings in a positive or negative direction. When a winding is energized, north and
south poles are created, depending on the polarity of the current flowing. These generated poles attract the
permanent poles of the rotor and also the finer metal teeth present on rotor. The rotor moves one step to align
the offset magnetized rotor teeth to the corresponding energized windings. Hybrid motors are more expensive
than motors with permanent magnets, but they use smaller steps, have greater torque and maximum speed.
Step angle of a stepper motor is given by,

360°
Step angle =
Number of poles

Applications of stepper motors


• Printers
• Plotters
• High end office equipments
• Hard disk drives
• Fax machines
• Medical equipments
• Automotive
Advantages of stepper motors
• Low cost
• Ruggedness
• Simplicity of construction
• Low maintenance
• Less likely to stall or slip
• Will work in any environment
• Excellent start-stop and reversing responses

Disadvantages of stepper motors


• Low torque capacity compared to DC motors
• Limited speed
• During overloading, the synchronization will be broken. Vibration and noise occur when running at high
speed.

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Servomotor

Servomotors are special electromechanical devices that produce precise degrees of rotation. A servo motor is a DC
or AC or brushless DC motor combined with a position sensing device. Servomotors are also called control motors
as they are involved in controlling a mechanical system. The servomotors are used in a closed-loop servo system as
shown in Figure 24. A reference input is sent to the servo amplifier, which controls the speed of the servomotor. A
feedback device is mounted on the machine, which is either an encoder or resolver. This device changes mechanical
motion into electrical signals and is used as a feedback. This feedback is sent to the error detector, which compares
the actual operation with that of the reference input. If there is an error, that error is fed directly to the amplifier,
which will be used to make necessary corrections in control action. In many servo systems, both velocity and
position are monitored. Servomotors provide accurate speed, torque, and have ability of direction control.

Fig: 24. Servo system block diagram

DC servomotors
DC operated servomotors are usually respond to error signal abruptly and accelerate the load quickly. A DC
servo motor is actually an assembly of four separate components, namely:
DC motor
Gear assembly
Position-sensing device
Control circuit

AC servo motor
In this type of motor, the magnetic force is generated by a permanent magnet and current which further produce
the torque. It has no brushes so there is little noise/vibration. This motor provides high precision control with

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the help of high resolution encoder. The stator is composed of a core and a winding. The rotor part comprises of
shaft, rotor core and a permanent magnet.

Advantages of servo motors


• Provides high intermittent torque, high torque to inertia ratio, and high speeds
• Work well for velocity control
• Available in all sizes
• Quiet in operation
• Smoother rotation at lower speeds

Disadvantages of servo motors


• More expensive than stepper motors
• Require tuning of control loop parameters
• Not suitable for hazardous environments or in vacuum
• Excessive current can result in partial demagnetization of DC type servo motor

Dept of Industrial and Production Engg. Page 21

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