Prediction of performance characteristics of a universal motor using parametric finite element analysis

A procedure is derived that uses finite element analysis to predict the performance characteristics of a typical universal (AC series) motor. A number of different finite element analyses are made with parametric variations of current and rotor position. Then the AC voltage waveform is applied and the resulting performance is computed using a time-stepping algorithm. The computed torque-speed, current-speed, and power-speed curves are shown to agree closely with the measured curves.