Embedded Files
Project Goals
Project Goals
Our goal for this project is to design and build a direct current motor. This motor will be made out of the same set of given materials for each group; a spool of enamel covered wire, 1/8th inch axel material, two bearings, and the access to all other miscellaneous parts in the engineering classroom. The motor required at lease one part to be designed on the Solid Works computer program and 3D printed. Along with the goal of actually getting the motor to work, we as a class were striving to design and build the best performing motor as well.
Learning Goals
Learning Goals
The learning goals of our DC Motor project were simple; learn and understand polarity and commutation. However these goals were quickly joined by other learning hurtles we had to overcome like electrical leakage, flow of electricity, and short circuits. This growing list of learning goals was then tailored to each individual group of two for the specific problems they faced. After we had built our first version of our motors, the learning goals changed from polarity and commutation to improvements and how individual parts of the motor affected the performance.
Version 1
Version 1
The DC motor consists of five main parts.
The stators:
These are the driving force of the motor. The electricity runs through them creating two pole, a North and a South. Put on opposite sides of the armature, the stators attract and repel it when in sync with the commutation.
The armature:
This part of the motor is basically the same as a stator however it is mounted on the axle, allowing it to spin.
The brushes:
These transfer the electricity from the batteries to the armature.
The commutator plate:
This is the brain of the operation. The commutator plate is cut in two which prevents the flow of electricity from creating a closed circuit. One end of the armature wire is soldered to one plate, and the other end is soldered to the other. The brushes touch both of the plates at the same time which creates a magnetic field. However, when the armature spins around, the plates switch sides and the flow of electricity is reversed. This change in electrical flow causes the magnetic fields to switch, allowing the armature to be attracted to the magnetic field of the stator until directly in line with it, at which moment the field of the armature switches and the
Version 2:
Version 2:
What does this project look like?
The version two of our motors were supposed to have one major change and at least two minor changes. We had to build the new version then record the new data and compare it to the version 1.
What are the goals of this project?
The goals for this project were to improve the performance of our version 1 motors and analyze why these adjustments improved it. To achieve these goals, we had to approve our major and minor adjustments with Mr. Varvil so that they were reachable but ambitious enough.
What did we actually do?
For our version two motor, we added a second armature to reduce the amount of space that the motor coasts. The reduction of this space makes the motor more efficient and spins faster. Along with second armature, we had to add another commutator plate. To avoid the wires interfering with the brushes on the first commutator plate, we drilled holes through the original one and fed the wires through to the second. This allowed the second commutator plate to deliver the power to the new armature. Along with these two changes, we also reconnected both of the stators to be powered individually instead of a larger circuit. This allows them to receive more power which gives them a stronger pull on the armature.
How did it turn out?
Our version two motor was one of the only second versions in the class to actually have an improved performance. We increased the speed of our motor by 33%. This was an awesome achievement because our first ideas for the new version were so successful.
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