3160919: Electric Drives, Prof. A. B.

Patel

DR. S. & S. S. GHANDHY GOVERNMENT ENGINEERING COLLEGE, SURAT

ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT
B.E. SEMESTER 6
3160919 – ELECTRIC DRIVES

HANDOUT 2
Dynamics of Electric Drives
❖ Types of load torques:
Load torque can be of two types:
• Active load torque: Active torques continues to act in the same direction irrespective of the
direction of the drive. e.g. gravitational force or deformation in elastic bodies.
• Passive load torque: the sense of the load torque changes with the change in the direction of
motion of drive. e. g. torques due to friction, due to shear and deformation of inelastic bodies.
❖ Quadrant diagram of speed-torque characteristics:
• The speed is assumed to be positive if the direction of rotation is anticlockwise or in such a
way to cause an ‘upward’ or forward motion of the drive. For reversible drive positive
direction of the speed can be assumed arbitrarily either clockwise or anticlockwise.
• The motor torque is positive if it produces increase in speed in the positive sense. The load
torque is assigned the positive sign when it is directed against the motor torque.
• Plot of speed torque characteristics of the load/ motor for all four quadrant of operation is
known as quadrantal diagram.

Fig. 1 Four quadrant operation of electric motor

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3160919: Electric Drives, Prof. A. B. Patel

• Motor is driving a hoist consisting of a cage with or without load, a rope wound on to a drum
to hoist the cage and a balance weight of magnitude greater than that of the empty cage but
less than that of the loaded cage.
• The arrow in the figure indicates the actual directions of the motor torque, load torque and
motion in four quadrants.
• The load torque of the hoisting mechanism is of active type and assumed to be constant due
to negligible friction and windage for low speed hoist.
• Speed torque curve of the hoist is represented by vertical line passing through two quadrants.
Loaded hoist characteristics in first and fourth and unloaded in second and third quadrants.
• Speed torque curve of the hoist is represented by vertical line passing through two quadrants.
Loaded hoist characteristics in first and fourth and unloaded in second and third quadrants.
• In the first quadrant the load torque acts in the opposite direction to that of rotation. Hence to
drive the loaded hoist up, the motor developed torque must be in the direction of the rotation
or must be positive. The power will also be positive so, this quadrant is known as ‘Forward
motoring quadrant’.
• The hoisting up of the unloaded cage is represented in the second quadrant. As the
counterweight is heavier than the empty cage, the speed at which hoist moves upwards may
reach a very high value. To avoid this, the motor torque must act in the opposite direction of
rotation or motor torque must be negative. The power will be negative though the speed is
positive, so this quadrant is known as ‘Forward braking quadrant’.
• The third quadrant represents the downward motion of the empty cage. Downward journey
will be opposed by torque due to counterweight and friction at the transmitting parts, move
cage downwards the motor torque should must be in the direction of the rotation. Electric
machine acts as a motor but in the reverse direction compared to first quadrant. The torque is
negative as speed is increased I the negative direction, but the power is positive, this quadrant
is known as ‘Reverse motoring quadrant’.
• Fourth quadrant has the downward motion of the loaded cage. As loaded cage has more
weight than the balanced weight to limit the speed of the motion, motor torque must have
opposite polarity with respect to rotation and acts as a brake. The motor torque sign is
positive, but as speed has negative direction; the power will be negative, this quadrant is
designated as ‘Reverse braking quadrant’.
❖ Types of loads:
• Dry friction load or coulomb friction load:-
o It is a passive load to the motor.

o Load torque is independent of the speed of the motor. (Fig. 2)

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3160919: Electric Drives, Prof. A. B. Patel

o Characterized by the requirement of an extra torque at very near zero speed.

o It is also known as break away torque or stiction.

Fig. 2 Dry friction or coulomb friction Fig. 3 Viscous friction load

• Viscous friction load:-
o Torque is directly proportional to the speed. (Fig. 3)

o Calendaring machines, eddy current brakes and separately excited dc generators feeding
fixed resistance loads have such characteristics.
• Fan type load:-
o Load torque magnitude is proportional to some power of speed.
o Centrifugal pumps, propeller in ships or aero planes, fan or blower type of load has such
characteristics. (Fig. 4)
o For fan,

Torque (speed )2

Fig. 4 Fan type load Fig. 5 Constant power load

• Constant power load:-

o Hyperbolic speed-torque characteristics, where load torque is inversely proportional to
speed or load power is constant.

o Certain type of lathes, boring machines, milling machines, steel mill coilers etc. is having
this type of load characteristics.(Fig. 5)

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3160919: Electric Drives, Prof. A. B. Patel

❖ Fundamental torque equation:

• A motor drives a load through some transmission system. While motor always rotates, the
load may rotate of may undergo a translational motion.
• Load speed may be different and from that of motor, and if the load has many parts, their
speed may be different and while some may rotate, others may go through a translational
motion.
• A motor load system is given by an equivalent rotational system as shown in Fig. 6 below.

Fig. 6 a typical motor load system

• Various notations used are:
J = Polar moment of inertia of motor-load system refereed to the motor shaft, kg-m2.
ωm = Instantaneous angular velocity of motor shaft, rad/sec
T = Instantaneous value of developed motor torque, N-m.
Tl = Instantaneous value of load (resisting) torque, referred to motor shaft, N-m
• Remember that load torque includes friction and windage torque of motor.
• System of Fig. 6 can be described by the following fundamental torque equation.
d dm dJ
T − Tl = ( Jm ) = J + m ……… (1)
dt dt dt
• Above equation is applicable to variable inertia drives such as mine winders, reel drives,
industrial robots.
• For drives having constant inertia, J (d m / dt ) = 0 . Hence

dm
T = Tl + J ………… (2)
dt
• From Eq. (2) we can say that torque developed by motor is counter balanced by a load torque
Tl and a dynamic torque J (dm / dt ) . Torque component J (dm / dt ) is called the dynamic

torque because it is present only during the transient operations.

• Drive accelerates or accelerates depending on whether T is greater or less than Tl.
• T > Tl, i.e. dω/dt > 0, i.e. the drive will be accelerating, picking up the speed to reach rated
speed.
• T < Tl, i.e. dω/dt < 0, i.e. the drive will be decelerating and coming to the rest.
• T < Tl, i.e. dω/dt = 0, i.e. the motor will continue to run at the same speed, if it were running
or will continue to be at rest, if it were not running.

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3160919: Electric Drives, Prof. A. B. Patel

• During acceleration motor should supply not only the load torque but an additional torque
component J (dm / dt ) in order to overcome the drive inertia.

• In drives with large inertia, such as electric trains, motor torque must exceed the load torque
by a large amount in order to get adequate acceleration.
• Energy associated with dynamic torque J (dm / dt ) is stored in the form of kinetic energy

given by ( Jm / 2) .
2

• During deceleration, dynamic torque J (dm / dt ) has a negative sign. So, it assists the motor

developed torque T and maintains drive motion by extracting energy from stored kinetic
energy.
❖ Equivalent values of drive parameters:
• As we know, different parts of a load are coupled through different mechanisms, such as
gears, V-belts and crankshaft.
• All these parts may have different speeds and different types of motions such as rotational
and translational.
• Let us derive the equation to calculate equivalent moment of inertia (J) and equivalent torque
components, referred to motor shaft.

Loads with Translational Motion

• Considering a motor driving two loads, one coupled directly to its shaft and other through a
gear with n and n1 teeth as shown in Fig. 7.

Fig. 7
• Let the moment of inertia of motor and load directly coupled to its shaft be J0, motor speed
and torque of the directly coupled load be ωm and Tl0 respectively.
• Let the moment of inertia, speed and torque of the load coupled through a gear be J1, ωm1 and
Tl1 respectively.
• Now,
m1 n
= = a1 …………….. (3)
m n1
where a1 is the gear tooth ratio.

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3160919: Electric Drives, Prof. A. B. Patel

• Suppose, we neglect the losses in transmission, then the kinetic energy due to equivalent
inertia must be the same as kinetic energy of various moving parts.
Hence,
1 1 1
Jm = J 0m + J1m1 …………………… (4)
2 2 2

2 2 2
• From Eq. (3) and (4),
J = J 0 + a1 J1 …………………….. (5)
2

• If in addition to load directly coupled to the motor with inertia J0 there are m other loads with
moment of inertia J1, J2, ,… Jm and gear teeth ratios of a1, a2,….am then
J = J 0 + a1 J1 + a2 J 2 + ......+ am J m ………. (6)
2 2 2

• Power at the loads and motor must be the same. If transmission efficiency of the gears be η1.
Tl1m1
Tl m = Tl 0m + ………………. (7)
1
where Tl is the total equivalent torque referred to motor shaft.
• From Eq. (3) and (7)
a1Tl1
Tl = Tl 0 + ……………………. (8)
1
• If m loads with torques Tl1, Tl2,….., Tlm are coupled through gears with teeth ratios a1,
a2,….am and transmission efficiencies η1, η2, …. ηm, then
a1Tl1 a2Tl 2 amTlm
Tl = Tl 0 + + + ..... + ………….. (9)
1 2 m
• If loads are driven through a belt drive instead of gears, then neglecting slippage, the
equivalent inertia and torque can be obtained by considering a1, a2,….am each to be the ratios
of diameters of wheels driven by the motor to the diameters of wheels mounted on the load
shafts.

Loads with Translational Motion

• Considering a motor driving two loads, one coupled directly to its shaft and other through a
transmission system converting rotational motion to linear motion (Fig.8).
• Let the moment of inertia of the motor and load directly coupled to it be J 0, load torque
directly coupled to motor be Tl0, and the mass, velocity and force of load with translation
motion be M1 (kg), v1 (m/sec) and F1 (Newtons), respectively.

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3160919: Electric Drives, Prof. A. B. Patel

Fig. 8
• If the transmission losses are neglected, then kinetic energy due to equivalent inertia J must
be the same and kinetic energy of various moving parts. So,
1 1 1
Jm = J 0m + M 1v1
2 2 2

2 2 2
2
v 
J = J 0 + M 1  1  ………………. (10)
 m 
• Power at the motor and load should be the same, so if efficiency of transmission be η1
F1v1
Tl m = Tl 0m +
1

F1  v1 
Tl = Tl 0 +   …………. (11)
1   m 
• If, in addition to one load directly coupled to the motor shaft, there are m other loads with
translational motion with velocities v1, v2, …vm and masses M1, M2,….., Mm, respectively,
then
2 2 2
v  v  v 
J = J 0 + M 1  1  + M 2  2  + ..... + M m  m  ……. (12)
 m   m   m 

F1  v1  F2  v2  F  vm 
Tl = Tl 0 +   +   + ..... + m   ……… (13)
1  m   2  m  m  m 

*******

Extracted From:-

1. Vedam Subramanyam, “Electric Drives”, TMH (I), Second Edition

2. G. K. Dubey, “Fundamentals of Electrical Drives”, Narosa Publishing House, New Delhi, 2nd
Ed., 2001.
3. R. Krishnan, “Electric Motor Drives- Modeling, Analysis and Control” PHI.
4. Bimal K. Bose, “Modern Power Electronics and AC drives”, Pearson Education.

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