Chapter 3 : single

phase induction motor

CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF SINGLE
PHASE INDUCTION MOTOR
• Constructionally, single phase induction motor is similar to polyphase
induction motor except that (i) its stator
• is provided with a single phase winding and (ii) a centrifugal switch in
order to cut out a winding used for starting
• purposes. It has distributed stator winding and a squirrel cage rotor.
• The constructional details of single phase induction motor are shown
in figure.
Fig 1. single phase induction motor
1. Stator of Single Phase Induction Motor
 The single-phase motor stator has a laminated iron core with two windings arranged perpendicularly. One is
the main and other is the auxiliary winding or starting winding.
 The stator has laminated construction made up of stampings. The stampings are slotted on its periphery to
carry the winding called stator winding or main winding.
 This is excited by a single phase a.c. supply. The laminated construction keeps iron losses to minimum, lie
stampings are made up of material like silicon steel which minimizes the hysteresis loss.
 The stator winding is wound for certain definite number of poles means when excited by single phase a.c.
supply, stator produces the magnetic field which creates the effect of certain definite number of poles.
 The number of poles for which stator winding is wound, decides the synchronous speed of the motor. The
synchronous speed is denoted as Ns and it has a fixed relation with supply frequency f and number of poles
P. The relation is given by, Ns = 120f/P.

2. Rotor of Single Phase Induction Motor

 The rotor of single phase induction motor is shown in figure.
 The construction of the rotor of the single phase induction motor is similar to the squirrel cage three phase
inductions motor.
 The rotor is cylindrical in shape and has slots all over its periphery.
 The slots are not made parallel to each other but are bit skewed as the skewing prevents magnetic locking of
stator and rotor teeth and makes the working of induction motor more smooth and quieter.
• The squirrel cage rotor consists of aluminium, brass or copper bars. These aluminium or copper bars are
called rotor conductors and are placed in the slots on the periphery of the rotor.
• The rotor conductors are permanently shorted by the copper or aluminium rings called the end rings.
• In order to provide mechanical strength these rotor conductor are braced to the end ring and hence form a
complete closed circuit resembling like a cage and hence got its name as "squirrel cage induction motor".
• As the bars are permanently shorted by end rings, the rotor electrical resistance is very small and it is not
possible to add external resistance as the bars are permanently shorted.
• The absence of slip ring and brushes make the construction of single phase induction motor very simple and
robust.
Fig 2 Rotor construction for single phase induction motor
Fig 3 Skewing in rotor construction of single phase induction motor.
DOUBLE FIELD REVOLVING THEORY:
• When fed from a single-phase supply, its stator winding produces a flux (or field) which is only
alternating i.e. one which alternates along one space axis only. It is a synchronously revolving (or
rotating) flux, as in the case of a two- or a three-phase stator winding, fed from a 2-or 3-phase
supply.
• Now, alternating or pulsating flux acting on a stationary squirrel-cage rotor cannot produce
rotation (only a revolving flux can). That is why a single-phase motor is not self starting.
• However, if the rotor of such a machine is given an initial start by hand (or small motor) or
otherwise, in either direction, then immediately a torque arises and the motor accelerates to its
final speed (unless the applied torque is too high). This peculiar behaviour of the motor can be
explained in two ways (i) by two -field or double- field revolving theory and (ii) by cross-field
theory.
 (f): Waveform

Fig. 4 Double field revolving theory

• According to double field revolving theory, an alternating uniaxial quantity can be represented by
two oppositely rotating vectors of half magnitude. Accordingly, an alternating sinusoidal flux can be
represented by two revolving fluxes, each equal to half the value of the alternating flux and each
rotating synchronously (Ns = 120f/p) in opposite direction.
• As shown in fig. (a), let the alternating flux have a maximum value of Φm. its component fluxes A
and B will each be equal to Φm/2 revolving in anticlockwise and clockwise direction respectively.
After some time, when A and B would have rotated through angle +θ and –θ as in fig (b), the
resultant flux would

• After a quarter cycle of rotation, fluxes A and B will be oppositely directed as shown in fig (c) so that
the resultant flux would be zero.
• After half a cycle, fluxes A and B will have a resultant of

• After three quarters of a cycle, again the resultant is zero as shown in fig. (e) and so on. If we plot
the resultant flux against θ between θ = 0 degree and 360 degree, an alternating flux is obtained.
That is why alternating flux is considered to have two fluxes, each half the value and revolving
synchronously in opposite directions.
Classification of single phase induction
motor:
1. Split phase motor
2. Capacitor start induction run motors
3. Capacitor start and run motors
4. Shaded pole single phase motors
1. Split Phase Motors (Resistance
Start split phase induction motors)
• In split phase machine, the main winding has low resistance but high reactance whereas the starting winding
has a high resistance but low reactance.
• Hence the current Is drawn by the starting winding lags behind the applied voltage V by a small angle
whereas current Im drawn by the main winding lags behind V by a very large angle.
• Phase angle between Is and Im is made as large as possible because the starting torque of a split phase
motor is proportional to sin α.
• A centrifugal switch S is connected in series with the starting winding and located inside he motor.
• Its function is to automatically disconnect the starting winding from the supply when the motor has reached
70 to 80 percent of its full load speed.
• The starting torque is 150 to 200 percent of the full load torque. Starting current is 6 to 8 times the full load
current.
• Applications : Fans, blowers, centrifugal pumps and separators, washing machines, small machine tools,
duplicating machines, domestic refrigerators, and oil burners etc.
• Available sizes range from 1/20 to 1/3 h.p. (40 to 250 W) with speeds ranging from 3450 to 865 rpm.
Fig. 5 split phase induction motor
2. Capacitor Start Induction Run Motors :
• In this motor, the phase difference between Is and Im is produced by connecting a capacitor in series with
the starting winding.
• The capacitor is electrolytic type and is mounted outside the motor as a separate unit.
• When the motor reaches about 75 percent of the full speed, the centrifugal switch S opens and cuts out
both the starting winding and capacitor from the supply, thus leaving only the running winding across the
lines.
• As shown in figure, current Im drawn by the main winding lags the supply voltage V by a large angle whereas
Is leads V by a certain angle.
• The two currents are out of phase with each other by about 800 as compared to nearly 300 for a split phase
motor.
• Torque developed is proportional to sin α (angle between Is and Im), therefore starting torque is as high as
350 to 450 percent.
Fig 6 . Capacitor start induction run motor
3. Capacitor Start and Run motor:
• This motor is similar to the capacitor start motor except that the starting winding and capacitor are
connected in the circuit at all times.
• The advantages of leaving the capacitor permanently in the circuit are
 Improvement of overload capacity of the motor
 A higher power factor o Higher efficiency
 Quieter running of the motor
 Types -----
• (a) Single value Capacitor Run motor – start and run with one value of capacitance in the circuit
• (b) Two Value Capacitor Run motor – start with high value of capacitance but run with low value of
capacitance.
 Single value Capacitor Run motor
• It has one running winding and one starting winding in series
with a capacitor.
• Since capacitor remains in the circuit permanently, this motor is
referred to as permanent split capacitor run motor.
• Since the same capacitor is used for starting and running,
neither optimum starting not optimum running performance
can be obtained.
• Capacitors of 2 to 20 μF are used.
• The low value capacitor result in small starting torque which is
about 50 to 100 % of the rated torque.
• This type of motor can be easily reversed by an external switch
provided its running and starting windings are identical.
• Applications Fans, blowers, voltage regulators etc.

Fig. 7 single value capacitor run motor

 Two Value Capacitor Run motor
• This motor starts with a high capacitor in series with the starting winding so that the starting
torque is high.
• For running, a lower capacitor is substituted by the centrifugal switch.
• Both the running and stating windings remain in the circuit.
• The two values of capacitance can be obtained by using two capacitors in parallel at start and
then switching out one for low value run.
• At start, when the centrifugal switch is closed, the two capacitors are put in parallel, so that their
combined capacitance is sum of their individual capacitances.
• After the motor has reached 75% of full load speed, the switch opens and only capacitor A
remains in the starting winding circuit.
• Thus both optimum starting and running performance is achieved.
• Advantages
(i) Ability to start heavy loads
(ii) Extremely quiet operation
(iii) Higher efficiency and power factor
(iv) Ability to develop 25 percent overload capacity
• Applications
Compressors, fire strokers etc.
4. Shaded pole Single Phase Motor
• In such motors, the phase splitting is produced by induction.
• These motors have salient poles on the stator and a squirrel cage type rotor.
• The figure shows a four pole motor with the field poles connected in series for alternate polarity.
• The laminated pole has a slot cut across the laminations approximately one third distance from one
edge.
• Around the small part of the pole is placed a short circuited Cu coil known as shading coil. This part of
the pole is known as shaded part and the other as unshaded part.
• When an alternating current is passed through the exciting (or field) winding surrounding the pole,
the axis of the pole shifts from the unshaded part a to the shade part b.
• This shifting of magnetic axis is equivalent to the actual physical movement of the pole. Hence the
motor starts rotating in the direction of the shift i.e. from unshaded part to the shaded part.
• The production of rotating magnetic field is explained as follows:
• The current carried by the stator winding is alternating and produces alternating flux. The waveform
of the flux is shown in the Fig.
• Consider the three instants say t1, t2 and t3 during first half cycle of the flux as shown, in the Fig.
• At instant t = t1, rate of rise of current and hence the flux is very high. Due to the transformer action,
large e.m.f. gets induced in the copper shading band.
• This circulates current through shading band as it is short circuited, producing its own flux.
 According to Lenz’s law, the direction of this current is so as to
oppose the cause i.e. rise in current. Hence shading ring flux is
opposing to the main flux.
 Hence there is crowding of flux in unshaded part while
weakening of flux in shaded part.
 Overall magnetic axis shifts in unshaded part as shown in the
Fig.
• At instant t = t2, rate of rise of current and hence the rate of change of flux is almost zero as flux
almost reaches to its maximum value. Hence there is very little induced e.m.f. in the shading ring.
• Hence the shading ring flux is also negligible, hardly affecting the distribution of the main flux. Hence
the main flux distribution is uniform and magnetic axis lies at the centre of the pole face as shown in
the Fig.
• At instant t = t3, the current and the flux is decreasing. The rate of decrease is high which again
induces a very large e.m.f. in the shading ring.
• This circulates current through the ring which produces its own flux. Now direction of the flux
produced by the shaded ring current is so as to oppose the cause which is decrease in flux. So it
oppose the decrease in flux means its direction is same as that of main flux, strengthening it.
• So there is crowding of flux in the shaded part as compared to unshaded part. Due to this the
magnetic axis shifts to the middle of the shaded part of the pole.
• This sequence keeps on repeating for negative half cycle too. Consequently this produces an effect of
rotating magnetic field, the direction of which is from unshaded part of the pole to the shaded part of
the pole.
• Due to this, motor produces the starting torque and starts rotating. The starting torque is low which is
about 40 to 50 % of the full load torque for this type of motor. The torque speed characteristic is
shown in the fig.
• Shaded pole motors are built in very small sizes varying from 1/250 h.p. (3W) to 1/6 h.p. (125 W).
• Advantages
Simple in construction
Extremely rugged
Reliable
Cheap
• Disadvantages
Low starting torque
Very little overload capacity
Low efficiency
Direction of rotation cannot be changed,
because it is fixed by the position of
copper rings.
• Applications: Used for small fans, toys,
hair dryers, ventilators, electric clocks
etc.
Applications :
• Clocks
• Refrigerators, freezers and heaters
• Fans, table fans, ceiling fan, exhaust fans, air coolers and water coolers.
• Blowers
• Washing machines
• machine tools
• Dryers
• Type writers, photostats and printers
• Water pumps and submersible
• Computers
• Grinders
• Drilling machines
• Other Home instrument, equipment and devices etc.
Thank you!!!