What do you need for a homopolar motor?
Materials
- AA battery.
- 1/2 inch diameter cylindrical neodymium magnet. The magnet should be roughly 1/2 inch long.
- 16 gauge bare copper wire (other gauges will work—the wire should be flexible enough that you can easily bend it by hand, but strong enough to hold its shape)
- Scissors or wire cutters.
Do homopolar motors work?
Unfortunately, you will never generate enough power from a homopolar motor to power any domestic appliances but they are great fun to make and really useful for demonstrating the effects of electromagnetism and how electric motors work. Because high currents flow through the wire the battery runs out very quickly.
Do you need copper wire for a homopolar motor?
Step 1: Get the Materials. Before you can start making a homopolar motor you need a double A battery, Copper wire (The thicker the wire, the slower the motor will go), Neodymium magnet (also known as “rare earth magnets”), Needle nose pliers, and a Wire cutter.
What is the advantage of homopolar motor?
Compared to general motors, this motor has the advantages of simple structure, high rotor strength, and low iron loss in rotation.
How fast can homopolar motor go?
Lamme described in 1913 a homopolar machine rated 2,000 kW, 260 V, 7,700 A and 1,200 rpm with 16 slip rings operating at a peripheral velocity of 67 m/s.
Why do homopolar motors work?
A homopolar motor is one of the simplest motors built due to the fact that it uses direct current to power the motor in one direction. The magnet’s magnetic field pushes up towards the battery and the current that flows from the battery travels perpendicularly from the magnetic field.
Why does the wire turn in the homopolar motor?
Because the polarities of the magnetic fields do not change (hence the name homopolar), the direction of the force will not change and the wire will rotate in a constant circular motion. As mentioned above, it is the Lorentz force acting on the wire which causes it to turn.
Are homopolar motors efficient?
Regardless of the design changes, the homopolar motor analyzed here is capable of operating at no more than 50% efficiency.
What is a homopolar motor?
We’ve already established that a homopolar motor is a type of electric motor, specifically it is one that uses direct current to power rotational movement, such as that generated by a battery. It was the first type ever built and demonstrated by Michael Faraday in 1821.
What is a homopolar generator?
Homopolar generators (HPGs) were extensively researched in the late 20th century as low voltage but very high current DC power supplies and have achieved some success powering experimental railguns . A homopolar motor is very easy to build.
What kind of motor is in a unipolar generator?
A unipolar generator rated 1,125 kW, 7.5 V 150,000 A, 514 rpm built in 1934 was installed in a U.S. steel mill for pipe welding purposes. The homopolar motor is driven by the Lorentz force which is a physical force.
What is the best magnet for a homopolar motor?
If using an AA battery to make a homopolar motar an ideal magnet to use is a 12mm diameter x 6mm thick neodymium disc magnet. electric motor experiments homopolar motor
