EXPERIMENT NO.

THE CAGE ROTOR INDUCTION MOTOR

OBJECTIVE:

To investigate the relationships between the speed, current, output power, power factor and
efficiency of a Cage Rotor Induction Motor and the torque developed by the motor.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

The cage rotor induction motor is also known as the squirrel-cage induction motor. It is composed
of armature (stator) windings excited from a three-phase power supply. A laminated cylinder (rotor) is
provided with slots containing copper bars short-circuited at both ends. The rotating field produced by the
stator windings will drag around this rotor. If the rotor conductors are not allowed to follow the rotating
field, heavy currents will be generated in them. These currents will develop magnetic poles that tend to
make the rotor rotate in the same direction as the revolving field. This line of thinking is known
scientifically as the “revolving field theory”.

EQUIPMENT INITIAL SETTINGS

FH2 MkIV Test Bed Speed Range 1800 rev/min
External/Internal Torque
Switch to INT, Torque
Reverse Switch to give
positive meter deflection.
Torque Meter range to 2.5Nm
Brake Torque Control to minimum
FH90 Cage Rotor Induction Motor Test Machine
FH3 MkIV Instrumentation Frame
V3 AC Voltmeter 250V Range
A3 AC Ammeter 2A Range
W1 AC Wattmeter 500W Range both meters

PROCEDURES:

1. Position the FH90 Mimic Diagram over the FH2 Machine Access Sockets.

2. Locate the FH90 Cage Rotor Induction Motor into the right-hand test position and insert the 16-
way plug into the adjacent socket.

3. Set up the equipment and connect the diagram as shown in Figure 1(a) or 1(b).

4. Switch on the power to the FH2 MkIV Test Bed, first at the Mains Switch and then press the Green
ON push-button to activate the contactor. The motor will then start.

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 5. Adjust the brake control so that the motor develops an indicated torque of approximately 0.8 Nm.
Allow the motor to warm up for about 10 minutes. Reset the brake control to minimum.

6. In steps, as indicated in the Results table, increase the torque on the motor and record
corresponding values of torque, speed, power, voltage and current until the motor stalls. Note
that, to obtain reading in the range from maximum torque to stalled condition requires
experimentation.

Note: The line voltage and the line current values are each the average of three indications. At low torque
the indication on one wattmeter will be reversed, and it will be necessary to reverse the connections to
either the current coil or the potential coil and regarding this reading as a negative value in getting the
input power W equal to the algebraic sum of 𝑊𝑎 and 𝑊𝑏 .

7. Finally, measure the Starting Torque and Starting Current using the rotor-locking pin provided.
Deactivate the contactor by pressing the red Off button, and insert the pin into the hole located in
the right-hand Dynamometer boss. It may be necessary to rotate the shaft to align the holes in the
shaft and the boss, and also adjust the Perspex safety guard so that the enlarged section of the slot
coincides with the pin. Disconnect the lead between the dynamometer supply and the
dynamometer. Activate the contactor by pressing the Green ON button, and read torque and
current values.

CAUTION
This procedure must be completed as quickly as possible in order to avoid overheating the
motor, and care must be taken to check the zero reading of the torque measuring system.

CALCULATIONS:

Calculate values of output power, volt-amperes, input power, power factor and efficiency using the
relationships:
𝑟𝑒𝑣
2𝜋 𝑥 𝑆𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑( )𝑥 𝑇𝑜𝑟𝑞𝑢𝑒(𝑁𝑚)
min
Output Power = watts
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Input Power = Algebraic sum of wattmeter reading = 𝑊𝑎 + 𝑊𝑏

Volt-Amperes = (3)1/2 x Line Voltage x Line Current

𝐼𝑛𝑝𝑢𝑡 𝑃𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟
Power Factor =
𝑉𝑜𝑙𝑡−𝐴𝑚𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑠

𝑂𝑢𝑡𝑝𝑢𝑡 𝑃𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟
Per Unit Efficiency =
𝐼𝑛𝑝𝑢𝑡 𝑃𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟

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GRAPHS:

Plot graphs of speed, line current, output power, power factor and efficiency versus torque.

Note:
If a Speed/Slip Indicator, Type S1 module, is available, it is recommended that it is used this experiment

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Torque Speed Output Power Wattmeter Wattmeter Input Power Line Current Line Voltage Volt-Amperes Power Factor Efficiency
(Nm) (Rev/min) (Watts) Wa Wb W (A) (V) (VA) (p.u.)
0.10
0.20
0.30
0.40
0.50
0.60
0.70
0.80
0.90
1.00
1.10
1.20
1.30
1.40

Starting Nm
Torque
Starting A
Current

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 Figure 1(a)

Three- Phase
Source

Delta-connected stator windings

Figure 1(b)

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QUESTIONS AND PROBLEMS:

1. Explain what “revolving field theory” means.

2. Define the meaning of slip of a cage rotor induction motor.

3. Why is it important to determine the starting torque and starting current of a cage rotor
induction motor?

4. Explain why one of the two wattmeters used in the experiment deflected to the left when the
load was still small.

5. Why is the cage rotor induction motor also known as the squirrel cage induction motor?

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