Motor-Components

What Makes an Electric Motor?

Electric motors consist of three elements:

  • Stator: The portion of the motor which remains stationary.
  • Rotor: Connected to the drive shaft, this is the part of the motor that rotates.
  • Windings: Coils of conductive wire attached to either the stator or the rotor.

Windings carry an electric current which, depending upon motor construction, either turns the stator into an electromagnet or flows through an existing magnetic field to create a force on the rotor. With the exception of a brushed Direct Current (DC) motor, windings are on the stator. Rotors typically consist of either permanent magnets or ferromagnetic material.

rotor-and-stator.png
Alternating Current (AC) Induction Motor
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