Related Directory Categories
- Electronics and Electrical (9887)
- Components (1675)
- Electromechanical (1289)
- Instrumentation (1250)
- Contract Manufacturing (974)
- Power Supplies (801)
- Semiconductors (757)
- Printed Circuit Boards (641)
- Electric Motors (568)
- Control Systems (551)
Sources
Help build the largest human-edited directory on the web.
Submit a site - Become an editor
Wikipedia. Licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Are you an expert in this subject? Join the discussion and share your knowledge at Wikipedia.org.
Brush (electric)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In electrical engineering, brushes conduct current between stationary wires and moving parts, most commonly in a rotating shaft. Most importantly, in an electric motor, an alternator or electric generator, the coils of the rotor have to be connected. To accomplish this, two metal (copper or brass) 'slip rings' are affixed on the shaft and springs press braided copper wire 'brushes' onto the rings which conduct the current. Later, these copper wire brushes were replaced with carbon blocks — but these blocks are still called brushes. As the brushes are slowly abraded, they may have to be replaced, if this is possible.
If the copper rings are split into parts with "interlaced" connections, the arrangement is called a commutator.
Metal fiber brushes are currently being developed again. These brushes may have advantages over current carbon brushes, but have not yet seen wide implementation.
|
|
||
|---|---|---|
| Broad Motor Categories | Synchronous motor • AC motor • DC Motor |  |
| Conventional Electric Motors | Induction • Brushed DC • Brushless DC • Stepper • Linear • Unipolar • Reluctance | |
| Novel Electric Motors | Ball bearing • Homopolar • Piezoelectric • Ultrasonic • Electrostatic | |
| Motor Controllers | Adjustable-speed drive • Direct Torque Control • Direct on line starter • Electronic speed control • Variable-frequency drive | |
| See also | Barlow's Wheel • Nanomotor • Traction motor • Lynch motor • Mendocino motor • Repulsion motor • Inchworm motor • Booster (electric power) • Brush (electric) | |