Experiment Three: Experiments with Direct Current Motors

Introduction
Direct current motors utilize the force exerted by a magnetic field on a current-carrying conductor
loop to produce rotary motion. A magnetic field is created in the fixed portion of the machine,
referred to as the exciting field, whereas the armature winding forms the conductor loop. Rotary
motion would normally come to an end no later than when the exciting field and the armature field
exhibit the same direction. However, a so-called "commutator" (collector) is employed which
reverses the polarity of the armature winding at this position such that force continues to be exerted
on the armature. If a DC machine is driven mechanically, then it acts as a generator. In this
situation, an alternating current is induced into the armature which is subsequently rectified by the
commutator. These machines require only very minor changes to their circuitry to affect a change
between motor and generator operation.

DC machines still have a solid position in drive technology to this day. In contrast to polyphase
machines, they are suitable for rotary speeds well over the 10000 rpm range. Their performance
range extends from under one Watt to over ten Megawatt. In their operational behavior, they differ
primarily by the manner in which the exciter winding is interconnected with respect to the armature
winding. The armature and exciter windings are arranged in parallel for shunt excitation whereas
current is routed in series through the armature and exciter windings for series excitation. If the
exciter winding on a shunt wound machine is fed from a separate voltage source, one refers to this
as separate excitation. For another design type, the compound machine or DC multifunction
machine, there is both a shunt as well as a series winding present. Compounding is the expression
used for the technique of employing a series winding in combination with a shunt winding to attain
a stronger field. If the series winding portion is predominant, one speaks of over-compounding.

If a motor reduces its speed only slightly with increasing amounts of load, this behavior is referred
to as "shunt characteristic". Shunt wound motors are well suited as drives for constant speed, for
example in tool machines, conveyors or rolling mills. "Series characteristic" is the expression used
when there is a strong relationship between speed and load torque. Series wound motors have very
high locked-rotor torque but can also run away to self-destruct at no- load. These are therefore
better suited for applications in railroads, lift mechanisms or as starters in vehicles. The compound-
wound motor combines characteristics from shunt and series wound motors. They are utilized
where the locked-rotor torque of a shunt wound motor is insufficient, e.g. in lift mechanisms. Series
wound motors whose stators and rotors are laminated can also be operated on alternating current.
These are referred to as "universal motors". Because of their advantageous performance/weight
ratio these universal motors are often used in household appliances (e.g. power drills).

Speed adjustment can be affected for most design types with the help of a starter (in the armature
circuit) as well as with a field regulator (in the exciter circuit). Speed can be increased from
standstill to nominal speed by increasing armature voltage whereas speed can even be increased
beyond its nominal value by attenuating the excitation field.

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Study Goals:
After carrying out the experiments, the student will be capable of:
 Connecting a shunt/ series/ compound-wound motor to a power source with or without a starter,
starting the motor, and reversing its direction of rotation.
 Understanding the influence of armature series resistance and the field regulator.
 Controlling the series/compound-wound machine's speed with armature series resistance and with
field shunt resistance.

Equipment lists
Cat.-no. Designation
731 91 shunt wound machine
731 92 series wound machine
731 93 compound-wound machine
731 86 DC multifunction machine
732 44 flywheel
731 42 three pole on/off switch
731 95 field regulator
731 94 starter
725 852 D DC motor supply, 300 W
313 20 digital handheld tachometer
732 40 Resistive Load
731 06 coupling
731 08 coupling guard
731 07 shaft end guards
500 59 Set of 10 Safety Connectors, Black
500 591 Set of 10 Safety Connectors, Green/Yellow
500 851 Set of 32 Safety Experiment Cables
500 852 Set of 10 Safety Experiment Cables, Green/Yellow
727 10 RMS Meters

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 3.1. Experiments with the Shunt Wound Machine
Procedures:
1. Set up the circuit as shown below.

Fig. 3.1.1: Connection of the shunt wound motor without starter

2. Start the motor with a DC voltage of 220 V; observe the direction of rotation and measure the speed
with the digital handheld tachometer.
3. Turn off the motor and change its direction of rotation by reversing current flow in the armature
according to the circuit below.

Fig. 3.1.2: Reversing the direction of rotation for a shunt wound motor without starter

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 4. Observe the direction of rotation and measure the speed again with the digital handheld
tachometer.0.2.1

The experiment below will put a mechanical load on the machine. This is done by attaching the flywheel.
Direct start-up of a loaded shunt wound machine would cause a very high armature current to flow that could
lead to damage of the brushes and commutator. This is why a resistance, the so -called "starter". is placed in
series with the armature during start-up to limit current. The starter has two outputs. Output E, for the exciter
winding, is connected directly to the exciter winding input via a solid bar whereas output A, for the armature
winding, is connected to the armature winding input through a potentiometer. This ensures that the exciter
winding continuously has full voltage during the starting process. When the motor is turned off, this
connection will short-circuit the exciter winding's self-inductance so that damage to the insulation is
prevented.

5. Change the circuit to match Fig. 3.1.3 in order to investigate the effect of starter resistance:

Fig. 3.1.3: Connection of the shunt wound motor with a starter

The experiment should be carried out with a voltage reduced to about 40 % of the test object's nominal
voltage to ensure that the fuses for the DC supply voltage are not overloaded by the high operational current
at the starter's position "0".
6. Set the starter resistance to its maximum value (100 % position) and start up the motor.
7. Measure the current I1 in the supply lead immediately after turn-on then measure its value I2 again
after the motor has come up to full speed.
8. Repeat this experiment with the starter resistance set to its minimum value (0 position).
Compare the current values for the two starter positions.

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 3.2. Experiments with Series Wound Machine

Procedures
1. Set up the circuit as shown in Fig. 3.2.1.

Fig. 3.2.1: Connection of the series wound motor without starter

Note: since a series wound motor without load can run away and destroy itself when nominal voltage is
applied, the following experiment will be carried out with reduced voltage.

2. Start the motor with a DC voltage that is about 20 % of its nominal voltage; observe the direction of
rotation and measure the speed with the digital handheld tachometer.1
3. Turn off the motor and change its direction of rotation by reversing current flow in the armature
according to the circuit shown in Fig. 3.2.3.

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Fig. 3.2.2: Reversing the direction of rotation for a series wound motor without starter

4. Select the same voltage as was used in the previous experiment. Observe the direction of rotation and
again measure the speed with the digital handheld tachometer.

The experiment below will put a mechanical load on the motor. This is done by attaching the flywheel.
5. Change the circuit to match Fig. 3.2.3 in order to investigate the effect of starter resistance:

Fig. 3.2.3: Connection of the series wound motor with a starter

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This experiment is also carried out at reduced voltage because otherwise speed would level out at a rate that
is much too high. This experiment is to be carried out expeditiously and with careful attention not to exceed
a speed rating of the machine so that machine damage can be avoided. This will also prevent the fuses in the
DC voltage supply from becoming overloaded due to the high start-up current drawn when the starter is in its
"0" position.

6. Set the starter resistance to its maximum value (100 % position) and put the motor into operation at half
of its nominal voltage.
7. Measure the current I1 in the supply lead immediately after turn-on then measure its value I2 again after
the motor has come up to full speed.
8. Repeat this experiment with starter resistance set to its minimum value (0 position).
9. Compare the current values for the two starter positions.

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 3.2.2. Speed Control Circuits of Series Wound DC Motor
The speed of a series wound motor can be controlled in two different ways; with an armature series
resistance and with a field shunt resistance.
i. Speed regulation by armature series resistance.

Fig. 3.2.4: Circuit for speed control of a series wound motor by way of armature resistance

A resistive load serves as the armature series resistance; its three individual resistors are arranged in parallel
to increase current-handling capability.
 Change the armature series resistance according to the table below and measure speed and armature
voltage in relationship to armature series resistance.
Because cooling performance of the motor's fan drops off severely as speed is reduced, this experiment is to
be carried out expeditiously for speeds below half of nominal speed.

R/% 0 5 10 15
VA
Measure
n / rpm

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 ii. Speed control with a field shunt resistance.

Fig. 3.2.5: Circuit for speed control of a series wound motor by way of field shunt resistance

A resistive load also serves as the field shunt resistance; here too, its three individual resistors are arranged in
parallel to increase current-handling capability.
 Change the field shunt resistance according to the table below and measure speed and current I1
through the shunt resistance in relationship to the preset resistance value. Here too, the experiment at
low speeds is to be carried out expeditiously.

R/% 100 80 60 40 20 10 5

n / rpm
measure
I1/A

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 3.3. Experiments with the Compound-wound Machine
Procedures
1. Set up the circuit as shown in Fig. 3.2.1.

Fig. 3.3.1: Connection of the compound-wound motor without starter

2. Put the motor into operation at nominal voltage; observe its direction of rotation and measure its speed
with the digital handheld tachometer.
3. Turn off the motor and change its direction of rotation by reversing current flow in the armature
according to the circuit shown below.

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Fig. 3.3.2: Reversing the compound-wound motor's direction of rotation

4. Put the machine into operation again; observe the direction of rotation and again measure its speed with
the digital handheld tachometer.

The experiment below will put a mechanical load on the motor. This is done by attaching the flywheel.
Change the circuit to match Fig. 3.2.3 to investigate the effect of starter resistance:

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 Fig. 3.3.3: Connection of the compound-wound motor with a starter

5. Set starter resistance to its maximum value (100 % position) and put the motor into operation at its
nominal voltage. Measure the current I1 in the supply lead immediately after turn-on then measure its
value I2 again after the motor has come up to full speed.
6. Repeat this experiment with the starter resistance set to its minimum value (0 position).
7. Compare the current values for the two starter positions.

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 3.3.2. Speed Control Circuits of Compound Wound DC Motor
The speed of a compound- wound motor can be controlled in two different ways; with an armature series
resistance and with a field regulator. First change the experiment circuit so that
i. speed regulation with an armature series resistance.2.1

Fig. 3.3.4: Circuit for speed control of a compound-wound motor by way of armature resistance

The starter resistance serves as an armature series resistance.

 Change the armature series resistance, beginning at zero, then measure speed and armature voltage in
relationship to armature series resistance. To prevent the starter resistance from being overloaded, its
setting may not exceed 50 %. Furthermore, at resistance values over 30 % the measurements are to
be made expeditiously.

R/% 0 5 10 15 20 30 40 50

VA/V
measure
n / rpm

T 10.2.1

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 ii. Speed control with a field regulator.

Fig. 3.3.5: Circuit for speed control of a compound-wound motor by way of a field regulator

 Change the field regulator according to Table below and measure speed and exciter current IE in
relationship to the preset resistance value.

R/% 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
n / rpm
IE/A
measure
IE / IEN

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