ROTATING MAGNETIC FIELDS

4-3 high. Series motors are used for driving fans, electric drills, and other small appliances. Since the series ac motor has the same general characteristics as the series dc motor, a series motor has been designed that can operate both on ac and dc. This ac/dc motor is called a universal motor. It finds wide use in small electric appliances. Universal motors operate at lower efficiency than either the ac or dc series motor. They are built in small sizes only. Universal motors do not operate on polyphase ac power. Q2. Series motors are generally used to operate what type of equipment? Q3. Why are series motors sometimes called universal motors? ROTATING MAGNETIC FIELDS The principle of rotating magnetic fields is the key to the operation of most ac motors. Both synchronous and induction types of motors rely on rotating magnetic fields in their stators to cause their rotors to turn. The idea is simple. A magnetic field in a stator can be made to rotate electrically, around and around. Another magnetic field in the rotor can be made to chase it by being attracted and repelled by the stator field. Because the rotor is free to turn, it follows the rotating magnetic field in the stator. Let’s see how it is done. Rotating magnetic fields may be set up in two-phase or three-phase machines. To establish a rotating magnetic field in a motor stator, the number of pole pairs must be the same as (or a multiple of) the number of phases in the applied voltage. The poles must then be displaced from each other by an angle equal to the phase angle between the individual phases of the applied voltage. Q4. What determines the number of field poles required to establish a rotating magnetic field in a multiphase motor stator? TWO-PHASE ROTATING MAGNETIC FIELD A rotating magnetic field is probably most easily seen in a two-phase stator. The stator of a two- phase induction motor is made up of two windings (or a multiple of two). They are placed at right angles to each other around the stator. The simplified drawing in figure 4-2 illustrates a two-phase stator.