Finite Element 2D and 3D Models of a Rotor Bar Breakage in a Squirrel-Cage Induction Motor

Frequency domain and step by step in time domain finite element analyses of the electromagnetic field in a squirrel cage inductor motor are considered for different 2D and 3D models of a rotor bar breakage process and of the end of this process - the broken bar fault.The faulty operation states of a rotor squirrel cage are correctly reflected only by the 3D models. However, there are cases when 2D approximate models, much more advantageous related the computation time and memory requirements can offer satisfactory results. Comparing 2D and 3D results, this paper shows in case of a rotor bar breakage when the option for a 2D model instead the 3D model can be accepted.