DC motors were first developed in the early 19th century and continue to be used today. Ányos Jedlik is credited as being the first to experiment with DC motors in 1827. William Sturgeon (1832) and Thomas Davenport (1837) are credited with taking Jedlik’s laboratory instrument and trying to commercialize it. It wasn’t until 1871 when Zénobe Gramme’s design of a dynamo was accidentally connected to a second dynamo that was producing a voltage that the DC motor we think of today start to turn and do work.The DC motor reigned alone in the factory for only 11 years. In 1888, Nicola Tesla stepped into the factory with today’s well known three-phase electric system and the AC induction motor has been taking work away from the DC motor ever since.So, the question remains — why has the DC motor continued to be used from 1888 until today?
A primary reason is the motor’s variable speed characteristic. When the voltage to a DC motor is increased from zero to some base voltage, the motor’s speed increases from zero to a corresponding base speed. An induction motor, on the other hand, always runs at full speed. If a speed other then this is desired, it must be achieved via belts and pulleys, hydraulic pumps and motors, or gear boxes and clutches. These devices provide for rotation at a speed something less (or greater) then the design speed, but adds mechanical complexity.
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Dodge Group: Baldor has an expanded line of DC Motors
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