The Red Cloud chief., 1908-06-19
The Secret Of the G?naratcr.

W ! "bt' lbt tItN'Il' lISbh J. "hiAt"i
or TO turn tie little switch to satisfy
our demands for electric Ioaer and
heat that the source Of all this uys-
terious power is not given the slight.
est attention or consideration. Most
people understand to IA certain extent
that an invisible electric current is
flowing along the wires which, at their
bidding, gives IN abundance Of brill
liant light, a wealth Of clean, flexible
power and p.euty OF economic heat.
The most of these current. came from
a dynamo or generator in the distant
power house at the central station but
beyond this guess al is chaos aud dark.
A hundred years ago when DANy and
Volta were experimenting it'll electric
lights the current was obtained from
the costly an cumbersome primary
batteries by the action of chemicals on
metals. This source of current was
too weak and costly for anything but
experiments and but for the GiscCv
cry by Faraday that electricity could
be generated 10y mechanical power the
electric industry would still be in it,
swaddling clothes.
The electricity which lights our build.
ings and streets, drives u mills and
factories and does the work Of a hun.
dred trades and professions and count
less lesser jobs comes from mechan-
ical generators. These generators are
of two kinds the direct current gen
orator which produces a current flow
ing always one way, and the alteinat-
ing current generator which produces
a current which surges ack and forth
over the wires, first way, then the
other, as often as 60 times a secoL!.
1t was in 1881 Faraday discovered
that electric currents could be gener-
atcd 10y moving conductors in a mag
netic field so as to cut the lines o.
magnetic force. In palmer words, if a
copper wire is rassel between the
poles OF IL magnet a current is gcner-
. ated in the wire. Why this is 50 no
ian knows beyond the fact that it is
one Of the irlevocab,e laws Of nature.
Faraday proycd that lines Of mag
, nrtic force cNi I'd between the poles
| e a magnet and that if a conducting
- substance is moved so as to cut across
:, these lines an electric current is gel
e Grated and if Il conducting circuit is
made IL current will flow. AS long as
p the motion is continuous the current
will flow steadily. Therefore all that
T is nee led to obtain an e~lectri: cu"rcut
By mechanical means |, somt coa.liy
aace by which a conductor eau te
moved continually in a magnetic field
cutting the lines of force at right
angles, with suitable arrangements TO,
making c)ntact with and withdrawing
the current. Such a machine is called
IN electric generator. It's invention
laid the foundation for all the electric
light and power O. to day.
The m Jdern generator con ,ists OF 6
number of powerful electro magnet
and their consequent fields of mag
uetic force e'ween their respective
poles. Revolving between the pole
n Of these magnets is an armature FOL
tanning a number of loops of wire
X When this armature is revolved thes'
loops of copper wire, which are goo'
= conductors, cut the lines of magneti,
force and II current Of electricity i
generated in each loor. This curren
r, is collected and carried to Il trans
-, mission lines 10y the ~commutator an
ne brushes. The commutator is a ring o
10. copper bars mounted around the al
mature axle. The brushes are merel!
\ carbon cubes in contact with the re
Of volving commutator.
rs 1t takes considerable power to re
' Ias volve the armature in a generator a
IN it is necessary to overcome the mag
netic forces which are striving to ad
lly Just themselves between the field mas
er nets AMI the revolving armature.
ny A glance at one of the generators i
lot the central station will reveal all thes
en- facts. Recently it has been the Gu:
10 tom of the General Electric Compan
lid and other electrical manufacturers {
make their generators with revolv.n
fields. That is the field magnets al
revolved instead of the armature-br
III the principle remains the same AS e,
planned above.
es At first all the generators were dr.
o' ell by large r%eciprocating engines bl
A. .a, - tlo ,tnnr, tr,li,