Induction Motor ( AC Motor ): Working Principle, Types & Definition :-

What is an Induction Motor?

An induction motor (also known as an asynchronous motor) is a commonly used AC electric motor. In an induction motor, the electric current in the rotor needed to produce torque is obtained via electromagnetic induction from the rotating magnetic field of the stator winding. The rotor of an induction motor can be a squirrel cage rotor or wound type rotor.

Induction motors are referred to as ‘asynchronous motors’ because they operate at a speed less than their synchronous speed. So first thing to understand – what is synchronous speed?

Synchronous Speed-

                Synchronous speed is the speed of rotation of the magnetic field in a rotary machine, and it depends upon the frequency and number poles of the machine. The induction motor always runs at speed less than its synchronous speed. The rotating magnetic field produced in the stator will create flux in the rotor, hence causing the rotor to rotate. Due to the lag between the flux current in the rotor and the flux current in the stator, the rotor will never reach its rotating magnetic field speed (i.e. the synchronous speed).

There are basically two types of induction motor. The types of induction motor depend upon the input supply. There are single phase induction motors and three phase induction motors. Single phase induction motors arenot a self-starting motor, and three phase induction motor are a self-starting motor.

Working Principle of Induction Motor

We need to give double excitation to make a DC motor to rotate. In the DC motor, we give one supply to the stator and another to the rotor through brush arrangement. But in induction motor, we give only one supply, so it is interesting to know how an induction motor works. It is simple, from the name itself we can understand that here, the induction process is involved. When we give the supply to the stator winding, a magnetic flux gets produced in the stator due to the flow of current in the coil. The rotor winding is so arranged that each coil becomes short-circuited.