Induction motor

"Tesla motor" redirects here. For the electric car company, see Tesla, Inc.

Three-phase totally-enclosed fan-cooled (TEFC) induction motor with end cover on the left, and without end cover to show cooling fan on the right. In TEFC motors, interior heat losses are dissipated indirectly through enclosure fins, mostly by forced air convection.
Cutaway view through stator of TEFC induction motor, showing rotor with internal air circulation vanes. Many such motors have a symmetric armature, and the frame may be reversed to place the electrical connection box (not shown) on the opposite side.

An induction motor or asynchronous motor is an AC electric motor in which the electric current in the rotor that produces torque is obtained by electromagnetic induction from the magnetic field of the stator winding.[1] An induction motor therefore needs no electrical connections to the rotor.[a] An induction motor's rotor can be either wound type or squirrel-cage type.

Three-phase squirrel-cage induction motors are widely used as industrial drives because they are self-starting, reliable, and economical. Single-phase induction motors are used extensively for smaller loads, such as garbage disposals and stationary power tools. Although traditionally used for constant-speed service, single- and three-phase induction motors are increasingly being installed in variable-speed applications using variable-frequency drives (VFD). VFD offers energy savings opportunities for induction motors in applications like fans, pumps, and compressors that have a variable load.

  1. ^ IEC 60050 (Publication date: 1990-10). Section 411-31: Rotation Machinery – General, IEV ref. 411-31-10: "Induction Machine – an asynchronous machine of which only one winding is energized".


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