A secondary magnetic pole installed in the stator of a direct current motor or generator, located exactly midway between the primary field poles. Its winding is connected in series with the armature to produce a magnetic flux that cancels out armature reaction in the neutral zone. This prevents destructive sparking at the brushes during heavy load changes.
Heard on the job
The maintenance crew found heavy carbon buildup on the commutator because the interpole windings had a short circuit.
Also heard as
- commutating pole