armature

The part of an electric motor and generator which includes the principal current-carrying windings. In small motors the armature usually comprises several coils of wire wound on a soft iron core and mounted on the drive shaft, though on larger AC motors the armature is often the stationary component. When the current flows in the armature winding of a motor, it interacts with the magnetic field produced by the field windings giving rise to a torque between the rotor and stator. In the generator the armature is rotated in a magnetic field giving rise to an electromotive force in the windings.

Related category

• ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM

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