5/4/2020 Servo Motor Torque Curve: What You Need to Know

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Servo-motor torque curves: What you

need to know
MARCH 20, 2018 BY DANIELLE COLLINS — LEAVE A COMMENT

Updated November 2019 || A servo motor, when coupled with a feedback device, servo
ampli er, and error-correcting control loops, can maintain a tightly controlled position, torque,
or speed in applications that require closed-loop operation and the ability to respond to
disturbances.

But another bene t of servo motors is their ability to produce signi cant torque over a wide
range of speeds.

So the servo-motor torque curve, which depicts the amount of torque a motor can produce
over its range of operating speeds, is one of the most useful tools in servo -motor sizing
and selection.

The servo-motor torque curve shows two operating zones — continuous and intermittent. The
continuous operating zone encompasses the combinations of torque and speed that the
motor can produce inde nitely.

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5/4/2020 Servo Motor Torque Curve: What You Need to Know

When evaluating whether an application lies within the continuous duty zone, the motor’s root
mean square (RMS) torque is used. RMS torque takes into account the varying torque
requirements during the motor’s full duty cycle — including acceleration, constant velocity,
deceleration, and dwell — as well as the amount of time that each level of torque must be
produced. The purpose of RMS torque is to determine the torque value that, if it was produced
continuously by the motor, would result in the same level of motor heating as all the various
torques and durations the motor experiences during its duty cycle.

Ambient temperature also a ects how quickly the motor will reach its thermal limit, and
therefore, its continuous torque rating. If the motor will be operated in an area with an ambient
temperature greater than that speci ed by the manufacturer, the servo motor torque curve will
need to be adjusted (derated) accordingly. Conversely, if the ambient temperature around the
motor is well below the ambient temperature speci ed by the manufacturer, the motor’s
continuous torque rating may be increased.

Servo motors have two operating zones: continuous duty and intermittent (peak) duty.
Image credit: Moog Animatics

Servo motor torque curves are relatively at up to the motor’s maximum speed, unlike stepper
motors, whose torque drops sharply beyond a certain operating speed.

The maximum torque required by the motor is typically the sum of torque during acceleration,
torque due to the load, and torque to overcome friction. Because maximum torque is required
for only a short amount of time, it can fall outside of the motor’s continuous operating zone,
but must fall within the intermittent duty zone.
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However, there are two caveats when considering the application’s maximum and its
relationship to the motor’s intermittent operation zone:

1) The duration of maximum torque must fall within the time limit de ned by the motor
manufacturer for intermittent operation

2) Both the maximum torque and maximum speed should fall within the intermittent zone. If
either parameter lies outside the motor’s operating limits, damage to the motor could occur).

The maximum speed of the motor is limited by voltage … or more speci cally by back EMF
voltage. Back EMF is generated by the motor’s rotation and opposes the applied voltage. As
speed increases, so does back EMF, and at some point, the back EMF can reach or exceed the
voltage supplied by the drive.

Note that the servo ampli er (aka servo drive) can limit the motor’s maximum operating
parameters, so torque-speed curves are often developed for speci c motor-ampli er
combinations. Using a di erent ampli er than that speci ed for the torque-speed curve could
change the motor’s continuous and intermittent operation limits.

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FILED UNDER: FAQS + BASICS, FEATURED, SERVO MOTORS

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