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| On this founding occasion for NMERL, we propose
the new paradigm of motology, stemming from our firm conviction that
the study of motors must be extended much further than has been
conventionally accepted in the past. While motology clearly must be built
on a theoretical foundation consisting of the physics of electric motors,
our new proposal is based on the presumption that the application and
principles of motors
are inherently connected to human activities.
In Euclidean geometry, a basic postulate of plane and space is that
‘a
rigid object (figure) can be picked up and moved while preserving both
its shape and size’.
‘Picking up and
moving’ such objects
is a very natural human activity in the physical world. In the same way, the electric
motor, a product of our industrial society, can be seen as a tool designed for
the same purpose. When we look on motors as meeting such a basic human need, we realize that motor design
should of necessity engage the entire spectrum of engineering and scientific
disciplines. |
| To give one example, the science involved in the technology to diagnose the motor’s interior (utilizing electromagnetic wave analysis,
acoustic analysis, vibration analysis, thermal/fluid analysis and optoelectronics) would comprise one aspect of motology. When the results of such analytic
and diagnostic techniques are visually displayed on a computer monitor,
we can coin another term for the technology involved-motography. |
| Our choice of the expression motography is suggested by ‘tomography’,
which comes from the Greek word ‘tomos’ meaning ‘section’ and ‘graphy’.
Tomography is the study of the reconstruction of two- and three-dimensional
objects from one-dimensional slices (computed tomography is a radiographic
technique used in modern medical diagnosis, in which a three-dimensional
image of a body structure is constructed by computer from a series of
plane cross-sectional images). The mathematical foundation for tomography
is provided by the Radon transform, which was introduced in 1917 by Johann
Radon. In like manner, but without necessarily being confined by mathematical
rigour, the Radon transform may provide valuable insights for motography,
which may also draw from the latest developments in engineering theory
and practice. Indeed, it is our conviction at NMERL that motography will
prove to be an essential tool for the systems analysis and design of
motors in our new age. |
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