Parts found in the motor is listed below:
Rear Cover
Electronics
Permanent Magnet
The permanent magnet creates its own magnetic
field. Ferromagnetic materials that can be
magnetized and strongly attach to a magnet such as
iron, nickel, cobalt and their alloys are used to make
permanent magnet. Specifically, permanent magnets
in dc motor are made from hard ferromagnetic
materials such as alnico. Alnico is a cast or sintered
alloy consisting of a combination of aluminum, nickel
and cobalt. These elements undergo special
processing in a strong magnetic field during
production process to align their internal microcrystalline structure, so they are difficult to be
demagnetized. 1
The alnico permanent magnet is generally produced by casting or sintering process. Sintering
process is used in this case as the magnet is small and require large quantity production. Hence,
sintered Alnico magnets are more economical to produce. Casting process is used when a large
magnet is required, generally weighing tens of kilograms.
Sintering process
Firstly, the appropriate amounts aluminum, nickel and cobalt are heated to molten state in
vacuum. The vacuum environment prevents the chemical reaction between the molten
materials and the atmosphere that might contaminate the final metal alloy. The product is then
broken into small pieces after solidification and it is finely grounded by milling into tiny
particles. The powdered material is then placed in a mold, also known as die, and then pressed
under tones of pressure (typically 70MPa to 100MPa) by hydraulics or mechanical arm. During
pressing process, magnetic force is applied to align the powder particles. After pressing, the
material is sintered in a furnace in a hydrogen atmosphere at over 1200°C. Sintering process
fuses all the tiny particles together to form the desired shape of the magnet. The sintered
material is then undergoing annealing process where the product is cooled slowly to prevent
oxidation and defects withing the materials. Lastly, the product is magnetized by placing it
inside a coil or solenoid magnetizer for one fifth of a second. 3
Casting process
Firstly, the appropriate amounts aluminum, nickel and cobalt are heated to molten state in an
induction furnace at temperature over 1750°C. During the melting process and before casting,
sample is taken for inspection by using x-ray spectrometer to ensure exact ratios of raw
materials present and allow to make any adjustments. Then, the molten material is poured into
a mold to form the desired shape of the magnet. The casted magnet is removed from the mold
and then fettled on grinding wheels to remove the runner gates. The magnets are then heated
to very high temperature and are placed into magnetizers to harden the magnet. They are then
grinded to accurate tolerances and finally tested with hysteresis graph testing machine. Lastly,
the product is magnetized by placing it inside a coil or solenoid magnetizer for one fifth of a
second. 3
Rotor Core (Armature)
Armature is part of the rotor that rotates and transfer energy to the shaft. It is made of
laminated steel and it has slots for the copper wire winding. Laminations are used to reduce
energy losses due to eddy current.
The manufacturing process is started with a metallic disk. The disk is cut in to shape like this call
‘’Lamination’’. Laminations are collected together to form the rotor core. Plastic insulation is
provided at the edge of the core. Laminations are used to reduce energy losses due to eddy
current.
Winding
Each bar of the armature consists of several turns of insulated copper wire. It is used to carry
magnetic field. The first step to make copper wire is by drawing. A machine is used to pull
copper rods through a drawing die. The end of the rod which goes into the die is the same size
as the die, when the die narrows, it forces the diameter of the copper rod to shrink to a longer
length. This process is repeated several times with smaller drawing dies until the desired
diameter. Next the copper wire will undergo annealing process. This is because copper is brittle
and not flexible after drawing process. The copper wire is put into an electric furnace for
annealing. This process removes internal stresses and allows the metal to recrystallize into its
original structure. 6
Motor Shaft
The rotor is fitted with a cylindrical steel shaft. Generally, carbon steel SAE 1045 in either cold-
rolled or hot-rolled steel (CRS or HRS) is used to make the shaft. Normally, HRS is 15% cheaper
than CRS as CRS provides better machining. 5
HRS undergo rolling process involves steel at high temperature (more than 1000°C), which is
above the steel’s recrystallization temperature (400°C to 700°C). As such, it can be formed and
shaped easily. 4 CRS is HRS which undergo further processing, where the material is cooled at
room temperature followed by annealing. As such, the final steel product will have accurate
dimensional tolerances and a wider range of surface finishes.
Commutator
Ends of armature winding are connected to commutator. Commutator is constructed in
cylindrical arrangement of insulated copper bars. It is often insulated electrically from shaft to
avoid short circuit. Generally, commutator is made from copper and brushes are usually made
from carbon or graphite. The commutator is in segmented form to archive unidirectional
torque, so the armature can rotate in one direction. The commutator in our case has 5
segments which is equal to the number of coils in armature. 2
Brushes
Washer
Motor terminal
Motor End Frame
Motor Casing (Stator)
Made of steel or case iron.
Bearing
Bearings are used to support the rotor and shaft assembly. This helps to maintain the position
relative to the stator and reduce the friction between the shaft and the end frames. The bearing
used in this case is sleeve bearings. The are 2 common types of sleeve bearings which are rigid
steel-backed babbitt bearing and the self-aligning sintered bearing. Babbitt metal is a soft alloy
of tin and lead that used as a bearing surface in a plain bearing. It has a low coefficient of
friction and can be damaged easily. However, the structure of the alloy is made up of small hard
crystals dispersed in a matrix of soft metal. Thus, as the bearing wears down, the softer metal
erodes and the harder crystal is exposed, creating a path for lubricants. 7 The bearings are
pressed into the end frame and burnished.
Figure 1 shows the microscopic structure of babbitt
Hall element (Detects rotor rotational position)
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