DC vs AC Motors

DC or direct current motors work in particular situations whereby the speed of the motor needs to be externally controlled. On the other hand AC or alternating current electric motors are used in a completely different process drawing upon the kind of ac motor being used.

DC motors generally characterize a continual and standard current flow. These were infact the first ever kind of motors to be used, the earliest form, whereas, the single phase AC motors are precisely termed as the general purpose motors which can be used in variant situations irrespective of the quality of the current flow.

AC motors work exceedingly well for hard systems as these need a lot of upfront power. On the other hand, DC motors do not perform that well at producing power over extended periods of time.

The two main kinds of DC motors are,

• DC motors with brushes: This particular motor is capable of generating a swinging current in the armature or the wound rotor using a split ring commutator ore a magnet stator.
• DC motors without brushes: In this motor there is a mechanical rotating switch or external electronic switch placed just in the motor’s place.

AC motors also have two basic types namely,

• The synchronous AC motors: It starts rotating just when a sub-multiple of the supply frequency or the supply frequency hits. The rotor magnetic field is the result of slip ring current or some permanent magnet.
• The induction AC motors: This one turns a little slower than the standard supply frequency. The magnetic field on the rotor in this case works with the help of induced current.

Thereon DC motors are self starting and require no external help whereas AC motors require effective starting equipment to start operation. Moreover, DC motors are single phase motors whereas AC motors are both 1 and 3 phase. Though both DC and AC motors work on the same principle of armature winding and magnetic field yet in the former the armature rotates while the magnetic field remains stationary, whereas in AC motors the armature remains stationary and the magnetic field keeps rotating.

Summary:
1.DC motors are direct current motors while ac motors are alternating current motors.
2.DC motors generally characterize a continual and standard current flow while AC motors are used in variant situations irrespective of the quality of the current flow.
3.DC motors are self starting whereas AC motors require effective starting equipment.