Modeling of the solid rotor induction motor

Abstract

Conventionally the rotors of cage type induction motors are laminated. There is also the possibility of using a solid rotor made from magnetic steel. This option offers advantages associated with ease of construction and reduced material costs. There are two main versions of solid rotor construction. The simpler version is essentially a steel cylinder without a cage or end-rings. A solid steel rotor with an embedded aluminum or copper cage constitutes the other version. There has been very little published work on the first version and, to the author's knowledge, there has not been anything reported on the second version. In this paper an equivalent circuit model is developed for the solid rotor induction motor. The model allows analysis of both rotor versions. It highlights the operational advantages and disadvantages of solid rotor construction.