Traction Motor

Traction motor is a type of electrical motor offering the main rotational torque of the machine, generally for the conversion into traction or linear motion.  The traction motor is generally used in the eclectically  powered  rail vehicles like electric locomotives and electric multiple units and various other vehicles such as  conveyors, electric milk floats and elevators and the vehicles with the electrical transmission systems like the battery electric vehicles, electric hybrid vehicles and diesel-electric vehicles.  In addition electrical motors in others items such as the primary motor in the washing machine are called as traction motors. Usually, these were the direct current types of wound motors that generally working on about 600 volts of electricity.

 The availability of the high-powered semiconductors (the IGBT and thyristors) has now made the realistic the use of a lot simpler, the high reliability alternating current induction motors which are called as the asynchronous traction motors. The Synchronous AC motors are also sometimes used in the French TGV.  Before the mid twentieth century, the single big motor was generally used in order to drive several driving wheels via connecting rods which were similar to those that used to on the steam locomotives.   For example Pennsylvania Railroad FF1, L5 and DD1 and the several Swiss Crocodiles. Now it has become a common practice to offer single traction motor driving on every axle via the gear drive. The traction motor generally suspended in three-point between the driven axle and bogie frame and this is called as ‘nose-suspended traction motor’.  The main problem with such type of arrangement is that a part of the weight of the motor is unsprung, rising forces on the track. The   most popular PRR GG1 uses the two bogie-mounted traction motors drove every axle via the quill drive.

Questionnaire:

• What is Traction motor?