How does an electric motor work

What is an electric motor?

Electric motors are the fundamental part of doing any machinery work. No machine has to work without motors.

An electric motor is an electrical machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Electric motors can be powered by direct current (dc) as well as alternating current (AC). When AC or DC voltage is supplied to the electric motor, the shaft rotates.  An electric motor is all about electromagnetism.

Electrical motor

How does an electric motor work

Electrical motors work on the principle of electromagnetism. A motor uses magnets to create motion. As we know that motor converts electrical energy to mechanical energy, so the interaction between the magnetic field and electric current generates a force as torque applied on the moror's shaft.

The electric motor is based on the principle when a current-carrying conductor is placed in a magnetic field, it experiences a mechanical force. Constructionally there is no basic difference between dc motor and dc generator. DC motors are also like dc generators.

The working function of an electric motor

In the motor,  these magnets create rotational motion. Unlike poles of magnets attract such as north and south poles of magnets attract each other and the like poles repel such as north to north or south to south, this attraction and repulsion produced rotation.

This rotational motion creates a force as torque in the motor.

Construction of a basic electric motor

Constructionally, there is no basic difference between dc motor and dc generators. Basic parts of the motor are Armature or rotor, brushes, axle, commutator, permanent magnet, and power source.

When current is supplied to the armature conductor from the power supply, they experience a force tending to rotate the armature. Armature conductor under N-pole of magnet assumed to carry current downward and carry current upward under S-pole. The direction of the force on the conductor can be found by Fleming's left-hand rule. The conductor experience a force as torque that tends to rotate armature in the clockwise or anti-clockwise direction. Reversing the current in the conductor will develop continuous and unidirectional torque.

Structure of electric motor

The working function of the commutator is the same in both the dc motor and dc generator. The commutator assures that the current always flows in one direction. The brushes ride on the commutator. The function of brushes is the transmission of electric current from coil to load in motor.

Applications of electric motor

There are a lot of applications of electric motors because our environment is full of machines and no one can be live without machines that help and facilitates us. 

Almost all the machines operate by electrical motors. There are no machines that do have not an electric motor. Our house, industries, society, and the whole world are full of applications. We can observe by own ourselves the applications of electric motor. 

Some of the applications are as below:

• The electric motor is used in water pumps, drill machines, industrial equipment.

•  There are different machine tools, power tools, fans, compressors, rolling mills, and turbines.

• Spinning machines, lifts, centrifugal pumps

      Winching system, cranes, and elevators.

    

 There are different applications and usage of electric motors concerning the size of the motor and constitutionally, from small machines to huge machines.