The stator assembly is made up of a system of copper coils. This power comes from an external power source or from small generators attached to self-excited alternators. As the poles move in this way, magnetic flux is generated.īrushes, which produce the magnetic field in each pole, are located near the poles and send them a direct current via slip rings around the prime mover. The rotor is powered by the turning crankshaft of a running engine via a belt (usually the serpentine belt in modern vehicles), which connects to the prime mover and turns the entire rotor (following the previous example, the flower spins). These magnetic poles alternate North and South. The rotor has roughly 10 to 20 magnetic poles sticking off of a center prime mover like petals of a flower growing off of a stem. The housing is made of aluminum because it cannot be magnetized and dissipates heat well. This coconut-sized part usually sits near the top of the engine and consists of an outer housing covering a stator and rotor. This process is known as electromagnetic induction. Vehicle batteries and accessories use DC power so the alternator’s electricity is transformed to DC power as it leaves the alternator.ĪC power is generated in a copper coil when a magnetic field rotates with respect to the coil. It is so named because it creates AC (alternating current) power, which reverses direction periodically.Īlternating current has been used in vehicles since the 1960s since it is more efficient and produces more voltage than DC (direct current) power, which is unidirectional. The alternator converts mechanical energy from the vehicle’s running engine into electrical energy that is used to power the vehicle’s electrical systems and charge the battery.
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