Can someone please explain the torque/speed characteristics of an induction motor? In particular, I am confused about the following graph:
http://www.ecmweb.com/mag/405ecm08fig2.jpg
I think maybe my understanding of torque is not accurate...I thought it was just a force that was exerted on an object causing it to spin (because there is a fixed axis of rotation). In the case of an induction motor, the torque should be dependent on the current through the rotor, which is in turn dependent on the speed of the rotor...so torque and speed should be dependent on one another. The book (Wildi - Electrical Machines) I'm reading doesn't seem to agree with me there. Also, I'm not sure why the torque starts out high (assuming it has something to do with momentum & starting from rest?), and then gets lower, and reaches the breakdown torque at a speed lower than the full load speed....if it breaks down before it gets to full load speed, how can it ever get there?
As the rotor starts to turn, the torque would be at its highest (I think) because the most amount of current is flowing through the rotor bars and thus the force on it is strongest. But then as the rotor speeds up, the current in the rotor decreases because the changing flux decreases so shouldn't the torque decrease as well?
Thank you for your help.
http://www.ecmweb.com/mag/405ecm08fig2.jpg
I think maybe my understanding of torque is not accurate...I thought it was just a force that was exerted on an object causing it to spin (because there is a fixed axis of rotation). In the case of an induction motor, the torque should be dependent on the current through the rotor, which is in turn dependent on the speed of the rotor...so torque and speed should be dependent on one another. The book (Wildi - Electrical Machines) I'm reading doesn't seem to agree with me there. Also, I'm not sure why the torque starts out high (assuming it has something to do with momentum & starting from rest?), and then gets lower, and reaches the breakdown torque at a speed lower than the full load speed....if it breaks down before it gets to full load speed, how can it ever get there?
As the rotor starts to turn, the torque would be at its highest (I think) because the most amount of current is flowing through the rotor bars and thus the force on it is strongest. But then as the rotor speeds up, the current in the rotor decreases because the changing flux decreases so shouldn't the torque decrease as well?
Thank you for your help.