Fabricated Aluminum Cage Construction in Large Induction Motors

The use of aluminum in fabricated cage windings of large induction motors has been explored, and it was found that aluminum and its alloys present a viable alternative to copper and its alloys. This paper enumerates the advantages and limitations of aluminum as a cage material, outlines the considerations necessary in the utilization of the material for this application, and summarizes the results of a testing program which demonstrated the adequacy of aluminum alloy cages in full scale machines.