Simulink Model of Induction Motor Driving Conveyor Belt

I’m looking for a ready-made Simulink model where an induction motor drives a mechanical load, specifically a conveyor belt or similar system. It should include:

• A voltage source (or inverter)
• Induction motor
• Mechanical load (torque/inertia/damping)

I’ve seen the InductionMotorFieldOrientedControlExample, but I want a more practical system where the motor is actually loaded (not spinning freely). Any help or example .slx file would be appreciated.

Thanks

Answer 1

[Ruchika Parag]

Hi @Damascus, there isn’t a ready-made Simulink example that exactly matches a conveyor belt system driven by an induction motor with full mechanical loading. However, you can build one fairly easily using built-in Simscape and Simulink components.

Here’s what you can include:

• Voltage Source / Inverter: Use the Three-Phase Source or Universal Bridge block depending on your control method.
• Induction Motor: Use the Asynchronous Machine (Squirrel Cage) block from Simscape Electrical.
• Mechanical Load: Combine a Rotational Inertia, Rotational Damper, and possibly an external load torque block to model the conveyor belt resistance.

For the mechanical system, you can represent the belt as a lumped load with inertia, damping, and a torque load that reflects friction or weight. You can attach this directly to the rotor shaft of the motor.

If you want to control the motor, you could base your control logic on examples like the InductionMotorFieldOrientedControlExample and just modify the mechanical part to add a realistic load (inertia, torque, etc.) so the motor doesn’t spin freely. Hope this helps!