3 ms·
A lot of it had to with the efficiency of DC motors as well. Electrification of heavy industry never took place until the introduction of 3-phase AC motors whic
by aphextron 9y ago
A lot of it had to with the efficiency of DC motors as well. Electrification of heavy industry never took place until the introduction of 3-phase AC motors which were able to provide the sufficient horsepower.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Induction_motor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Induction_motor
- Animats 9y agoNo, steel mill drives in both AC and DC were used.[1] They each have their advantages. Speed control in the early days took additional rotating electrical machinery. Huge rotating machinery. Diesel-electric locomotives mostly used DC motors in the 20th century. 3-phase AC synchronous motors with elaborate semiconductor control systems are now used in most new locomotives, but that's only in the last 20 years.[2] There are still thousands of DC-motor locomotives running on US rails. High-speed elevators were DC for most of the 20th century. Speed control of DC motors was, for a long time, easier than speed control for AC motors. The reverse is now true, because power semiconductors are so good. [1] https://books.google.com/books?id=-thQAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA308 https://books.google.com/books?id=-thQAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA308 [2] http://www.republiclocomotive.com/ac-traction-vs-dc-traction.html http://www.republiclocomotive.com/ac-traction-vs-dc-traction...