Arc Models for Simulation of Brush Motor Commutations

Conventional modeling approach of brush dc motor uses an equivalent electrical circuit with a variable switched-on resistance to model brush-collector contacts. Magnetic saturation and collector electric sparks are usually neglected despite their great influence on performance estimation and on current or voltage waveforms. In this paper, we compare several arc models that can be easily used for brush-collector contact modeling in finite-element simulation of brush motors with a direct coupling method. These models are validated by experimental measurements on a small brush dc motor.