A traction motor is a type of electric motor used to power the driving wheels of a vehicle such as a railroad locomotive, electrical multi-unit train (such as a subway or light rail vehicle train), a tram, or an automobile. Rotating magnetic field as a sum of magnetic vectors from 3 phase coils An electric motor converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. ... Great Western Railway No. ... A classic Belgian multiple unit of type 74 A multiple unit (MU) is a passenger train whose carriages have their own motors, either diesel (DMUs) or electric (EMUs), and do not need to be hauled by a locomotive, and can be coupled with other similar units to operate together, in... A rapid transit, underground, subway, tube, elevated, or metro(politan) system is a railway—usually in an urban area—with a high capacity and frequency of service, and grade separation from other traffic. ... This article is about light rail systems in general. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Karl Benzs Velo (vélo means bicycle in French) model (1894) - entered into the first automobile race 2005 MINI Cooper S. An automobile (also motor car or simply car) is a wheeled passenger vehicle that carries its own motor. ...

Traditionally, these have been large DC series-wound motors, usually running on approximately 600 volts. The availability of high-powered semiconductors (such as thyristors and the IGBT transistor) has now made practical the use of much simpler, higher-reliability AC induction motors known as asynchronous traction motors. Synchronous AC motors are also occasionally used, as in the French TGV. Direct current (DC or continuous current) is the continuous flow of electricity through a conductor such as a wire from high to low potential. ... The thyristor is a solid-state semiconductor device similar to a diode, with an extra terminal which is used to turn it on. ... A power IGBT The Insulated (or sometimes called Isolated) Gate Bipolar Transistor combines the simple gate drive characteristics of the MOSFET with the high current and low saturation voltage capability of bipolar transistors by combining an isolated gate FET for the control input, and a bipolar power transistor as a... City lights viewed in a motion blurred exposure. ... For the group of heart conditions referred to as TGV, see transposition of the great vessels. ...

Before large scale dieselization in the mid-20th century, a single large motor was often used to drive multiple driving wheels through connecting rods that were very similar to those used on steam locomotives. It is now standard practice to provide one traction motor driving each axle through a gear drive. Dieselisation (British English spelling) or Dieselization (US English spelling) is generally used in the context of rail transportation to refer to the replacement of the steam locomotive with the diesel-electric locomotive, (often referred to as a diesel locomotive,) a process which began in the 1930s and is now substantially... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... On a steam locomotive, a driving wheel is a powered wheel which is driven by the locomotives pistons (or turbine, in the case of a steam turbine locomotive). ... piston (top) and connecting rod from typical automotive engine (scale is in centimetres) Components of a typical, four stroke cycle, DOHC piston engine. ... Union Pacific Big Boy #4012 at work on a cold November 29, 1941 A steam locomotive is a locomotive powered by steam. ...

Usually, the traction motor is simply suspended between the truck (bogie) frame and the driven axle; this is referred to as a "nose-suspended traction motor". The problem with such an arrangement is that a portion of the motor's weight is unsprung, increasing forces on the track. Occasionally, other mounting arrangements are made. In the case of the GG1, two truck-mounted motors drove each axle through a quill drive. The "Bi-Polar" electric locomotives built by General Electric for the Milwaukee Road had gearless motors. The rotating shaft of the motor was also the axle. In the case of the TGV power units, a motor mounted to the power unit’s frame drives each axle; a "tripod" drive allows a small amount of flexibility in the drive train allowing the trucks (bogies) to pivot. By mounting the relatively heavy traction motor directly to the power unit rather than to the truck (bogie), better dynamics are obtained allowing much-improved high-speed operation. A bogie is a wheeled wagon or trolley. ... The Pennsylvania Railroads GG1 class of electric locomotives were built between 1934 to 1943 at the PRR shops in Altoona, Pennsylvania, with a total of 139 units constructed. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... GE redirects here. ... The Milwaukee Road, officially the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. ... Bogies This game was started by BBCs Dick and Dom as part of their hit childrens TV show, Dick and Dom in da Bungalow. ... A bogie is a wheeled wagon or trolley. ...

Because of the high power levels involved, traction motors are almost always cooled using forced air.

See also

Rotating magnetic field as a sum of magnetic vectors from 3 phase coils An electric motor converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. ... A ball bearing motor is an unusual electric motor that is constructed as follows: Take a short hollow copper pipe and fit 2 ball bearings on either end. ... A brushless DC motor (BLDC) is an AC synchronous electric motor that from a modeling perspective looks very similar to a DC motor. ... The inchworm motor is a device using piezoelectric actuators to move a shaft with nanometer precision. ... A linear motor is essentially an electric motor that has had its stator unrolled so that instead of producing a torque (rotation), it produces a linear force along its length. ... The Mendocino motor is a solar powered magnetically levitated motor. ... A piezoelectric motor or piezo motor is a type of electric motor based upon the change in shape of a piezoelectric material when an electric field is applied. ... A Repulsion motor is a type of electric motor for use on alternating current. ... The top electromagnet (1) is charged, attracting the topmost four teeth of a sprocket. ... The electronic (gold-plated) contacts of an EF mount lens. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (707x768, 49 KB) Summary Largest motor: 1 Hp (750 W) Next largest: 25 W Small motors: CD player motor, toy motor, CD drive head traverse motor Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and... A motor controller is a device or group of devices that serves to govern in some predetermined manner the performance of an electric motor. ... Adjustable speed drive (ASD) is one of the most general terms applied to equipment used to control the speed of machinery. ... Direct torque control is one method used in variable frequency drives to control the torque (and thus finally the speed) of the three-phase AC electric motors. ... A direct on line starter is often abbreviated DOL starter and is a widely-used starting method of electric motors. ... An electronic speed control or ESC is a device mounted onboard an electrically-powered R/C model in order to vary its drive motors speed, its direction and even to act as a dynamic brake in certain controllers. ... Small Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) A variable-frequency drive (VFD) is a system for controlling the rotational speed of an alternating current (AC) electric motor by controlling the frequency of the electrical power supplied to the motor. ... Barlows Wheel is the name given to an early demonstration of an electric motor, designed and built by English mathematician and physicist, Peter Barlow in 1822. ... In electrical engineering, brushes conduct current between stationary wires and moving parts, most commonly in a rotating shaft. ...

External links

• "Deconstructing a traction motor - Associated Rewinds (Ireland) Limited"

Manufacturers

• Advanced DC makers of DC traction motors
• Siemens drive technology makers of AC traction drive systems