Performance Characteristics of the Rotor Conductor of an IE4 Class Induction Motor With Varying Al-Cu Ratio

Abstract

This study analyzed, the performance characteristics of a rotor conductor with respect to changes in the material composition. Because of the low price and high productivity of aluminum (Al) rotors, they have been used in induction motors for general applications. The Al rotor has a limitation in that the size must be increased to improve efficiency. In the same frame, the copper (Cu) rotor has higher efficiency than the Al rotor. However, the Cu rotor has problems with reduced starting torque, low mass production capability, and high manufacturing costs. Thus, the modeling method of Al-Cu rotor with high starting torque and high efficiency is proposed using multiphysics analysis (MA). The efficiency, power factor, and starting torque parameters of an Al-Cu rotor can be adjusted by changing the ratio of the material composition. The loss separation test was performed with the fabricated Al-Cu rotor, and the results were compared with those of thermal analysis and finite element analysis (FEA).