KHATRA VIVEK RAMNIKBHAI - EE23BT052

Experiment 2.1: Brake Test and Speed Control on a DC Shunt

Motor

Objectives of the Experiment

• To conduct a brake test on a DC shunt motor to determine its performance characteristics, including
torque, output power, and efficiency.
• To plot the performance characteristic curves (Speed, Torque, Current, Efficiency vs. Output Power).
• To control the speed of the DC shunt motor using the Armature Control method for speeds below the
rated speed.
• To control the speed of the DC shunt motor using the Field Control (field weakening) method for
speeds above the rated speed.

Summary
This experiment investigates the performance of a DC shunt motor. The brake test is a direct loading
method used to determine the motor’s efficiency and torque-speed characteristics under various loads. The
output power is calculated using the formula Pout = 2πN T
60 . Speed control is explored through two primary
methods: armature voltage control, which provides speeds below the rated value by varying the voltage
across the armature, and field flux control, which achieves speeds above the rated value by weakening the
field flux, based on the relationship N ∝ Eb /ϕ.

Circuit Diagram
Experimental Set up Details
• Photograph of the Setup:
• Explanation of Connections: The DC supply is connected to a DPST switch and fuses. A voltmeter
is placed in parallel to measure the supply voltage VL . The supply line is connected to the 3-point
starter’s ’L’ terminal. The starter’s ’A’ and ’F’ terminals are connected to the armature and field
windings, respectively. An ammeter is in series with the armature winding (via a rheostat for armature
control) and another ammeter is in series with the field winding (via a rheostat for field control). The
brake drum is mechanically coupled to the motor shaft for loading.
• Name Plate Details:

– Type: DC Shunt Motor

– Output power: 3 HP
– Field Excitation Current: 0.6A
– Full load armature current: 12A
– Rated voltage: 220V

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 Figure 1: Circuit for Brake Test and Speed Control of a DC Shunt Motor.

Figure 2: Photograph of the experimental setup.

– Rated speed: 1500 rpm

• Apparatus Parameters:

Apparatus Type Range

Ammeter (Line) DC (0-20)A
Ammeter (Field) DC (0-2)A
Voltmeter DC (0-300)V
Armature Rheostat Wire-wound 50Ω/5A
Field Rheostat Wire-wound 300Ω/2A

Observation
• Observation Tables:

Table 1: Brake Test on DC Shunt Motor

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 S.No. IL (A) VL (V) If (A) N (rpm) S1 (kg) S2 (kg) Torque T (N-m) Pout (W) Pin (W) %η
1 0.9 220 0.45 1500 0 0 0 0 198 0
2 4.0 220 0.45 1454 0 3 2.2 334.97 880 38
3 6.0 218 0.46 1453 0 6 4.41 671.01 1308 51.3
4 8.0 215 0.46 1406 0 11 8.09 1191.13 1720 69.24
5 10.0 213 0.45 1398 0 12 8.82 1291.23 2130 60.62

Table 2: Speed Control of DC Shunt Motor

Armature Control Method Field Control Method

S.No. Va (V) Speed N (rpm) If (A) Speed N (rpm)
1 219 1500 0.46 1500
2 205 1400 0.36 1600
3 200 1370 0.26 1800

• Graphs:

Electrical Characteristics vs. Output Power

Speed 1,500
10
Torque (N-m) / Load Current (A)

Efficiency

Speed (rpm) / Efficiency (%)

8
1,000
6

4 500

2
0
0
−100 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1,000 1,100 1,200 1,300 1,400
Output Power (W)

Torque Load Current

Figure 3: Performance Characteristics (Brake Test).

• Explanation of Observations: From the brake test, it was observed that as the mechanical load on
the motor increases, the line current (IL ) and armature current (Ia ) increase to produce higher torque.
The speed drops slightly due to the increased armature voltage drop (Ia Ra ). The efficiency initially
increases with load, reaches a maximum value of 69.24% at 1191 W, and then starts to decrease due
to rapidly increasing copper losses.
For speed control, the armature control method showed that the speed is directly proportional to the
armature voltage. In the field control method, the speed was observed to be inversely proportional to
the field current, as weakening the flux causes the motor to speed up.

Conclusions
The experiment characterized the DC shunt motor’s performance via a brake test and demonstrated its speed
control. We performed the experiment by connecting the motor with appropriate rheostats and meters,

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 Armature Control Field Control

1,500 1,800

Speed (rpm)
Speed (rpm)

1,700
1,450

1,600
1,400

1,500

200 205 210 215 220 0.45 0.4 0.35 0.3 0.25
Armature Voltage, Va (V) Field Current, If (A)

Figure 4: Speed Control Characteristics.

Speed vs. Torque Torque vs. Load Current Speed vs. Load Current

1,500 1,500
Torque (N-m)
Speed (rpm)

Speed (rpm)
1,450 5 1,450

1,400 0 1,400
0 5 0 5 10 0 5 10
Torque (N-m) Load Current (A) Load Current (A)

Figure 5: Mechanical Characteristics.

applying a variable mechanical load, and measuring the corresponding parameters. The results show that
the motor’s maximum efficiency was **69.24%** at an output power of 1191.13 W. The speed regulation
was found to be approximately **6.8%** from no-load to the final load point. Furthermore, we successfully
controlled the motor’s speed from 1370 rpm to 1800 rpm, confirming the theoretical principles of armature
and field control methods. The results align with the expected behavior of a DC shunt motor.