Overview of the Rectangular Wire Windings AC Electrical Machine

The rectangular wire winding AC electrical machine has drawn extensive attention due to their high slot fill factor,good heat dissipation,strong rigidity and short end-windings,which can be potential candidates for some traction application so as to enhance torque density,improve efficiency,decrease vibration and weaken noise,etc.In this paper,based on the complex process craft and the electromagnetic performance,a comprehensive and systematical overview on the rectangular wire windings AC electrical machine is introduced.According to the process craft,the different type of the rectangular wire windings,the different inserting direction of the rectangular wire windings and the insulation structure have been compared and analyzed.Furthermore,the detailed rectangular wire windings connection is researched and the general design guideline has been concluded.Especially,the performance of rectangular wire windings AC machine has been presented,with emphasis on the measure of improving the bigger AC copper losses at the high speed condition due to the distinguished proximity and skin effects.Finally,the future trend of the rectangular wire windings AC electrical machine is prospected.

Quantitative Comparison of Electromagnetic Performance of Electrical Machines for HEVs/EVs

In this paper,various types of sinusoidal-fed electrical machines,i.e.induction machines(IMs),permanent magnet(PM)machines,synchronous reluctance machines,variable flux machines,wound field machines,are comprehensively reviewed in terms of basic features,merits and demerits,and compared for HEV/EV traction applications.Their latest developments are highlighted while their electromagnetic performance are quantitatively compared based on the same specification as the Prius 2010 interior PM(IPM)machine,including the torque/power-speed characteristics,power factor,efficiency map,and drive cycle based overall efficiency.It is found that PM-assisted synchronous reluctance machines are the most promising alternatives to IPM machines with lower cost and potentially higher overall efficiency.Although IMs are cheaper and have better overload capability,they exhibit lower efficiency and power factor.Other electrical machines,such as synchronous reluctance machines,wound field machines,as well as many other newly developed machines,are currently less attractive due to lower torque density and efficiency.

Overview on Amorphous Alloy Electrical Machines and Their Key Technologies

Amorphous alloy(AA)is attracting more and more attention in electrical machines due to its excellent low loss characteristics.This paper overviews advances on AA electrical machines over the last 30 years,with particular reference to new and novel topologies and processing techniques of AA electrical machines and their key technologies.These include current states and trends for radial-flux AA electrical machines,axial-flux AA electrical machines,influences of processing techniques on electrical performance of AA iron cores,the characteristics of loss and vibration and noise of AA core and AA machines,optimum design of AA electrical machines,etc.The paper highlights the application prospects of the AA electrical machines.

The Principle and Architecture of a Hybrid System of a Neural Network and an Expert System in Intelligent CAD of Electrical Machines

Using expert systems in intelligent CAD of electrical machines have limitations such as knowledge acquisition bottlenecks and matching conflict, combinatorial explosion, and endless recursion in the reasoning process. This paper discusses the principle of a hybrid system of a neural network and an expert system (HNNES), i.e., knowledge representation, reasoning mechanism, and knowledge acquisition based on neural networks. An architecture of HNNES is presented in consideration of the feature of the design of electrical machines.

CUTTING REGULARITY AND DISCHARGE CHARACTERISTICS BY USING COMPOSITE COOLING LIQUID IN WIRE CUT ELECTRICAL DISCHARGE MACHINE WITH HIGH WIRE TRAVELING SPEED

The analysis of cutting regularity is provided through using and comparing two typical cooling liquids. It is proved that cutting regularity is greatly affected by cooling liquid＇s washing ability. Discharge characteristics and theoretic analysis between two electrodes are also discussed based on discharge waveform. By using composite cooling liquid which has strong washing ability, the efficiency in the first stable cutting phase has reached more than 200 mm^2/min, and the roughness of the surface has reached Ra〈0.8 μm after the fourth cutting with more than 50 mm^2/min average cutting efficiency. It is pointed out that cutting situation of the wire cut electrical discharge machine with high wire traveling speed （HSWEDM） is better than the wire cut electrical discharge machine with low wire traveling speed （LSWEDM） in the condition of improving the cooling liquid washing ability. The machining indices of HSWEDM will be increased remarkably by using the composite cooling liquid.

Recent Advances in Variable Flux Memory Machines for Traction Applications: A Review

This paper overviews the recent advances in variable flux memory machines(VFMMs)for traction applications with particular reference to newly emerged machine topologies and related control strategies.Due to the use of flux memorable low coercive force(LCF)magnets,the air-gap flux of VFMM can be flexibly varied via a magnetizing current pulse.Thus,the copper loss associated with the flux weakening current and high-speed iron loss can be significantly reduced,and hence high efficiency can be achieved over a wide speed and torque/power operation.These merits make VFMM potentially attractive for electric vehicle(EV)applications.Various novel VFMMs are reviewed with particular reference to their topologies,working principle,characteristics and related control techniques.In order to tackle the drawbacks in the existing VFMMs,some new designs are introduced for performance improvement.Then,the electromagnetic characteristics of an exemplified EV-scaled switched flux memory machine and various benchmark traction machine choices,such as induction machine,synchronous reluctance machines,as well as commercially available Prius 2010 interior permanent magnet(IPM)machine are compared.Finally,the key challenges and development trends of VFMM are highlighted,respectively.

Robust Multiobjective and Multidisciplinary Design Optimization of Electrical Drive Systems

Design and optimization of electrical drive systems often involve simultaneous consideration of multiple objectives that usually contradict to each other and multiple disciplines that normally coupled to each other.This paper aims to present efficient system-level multiobjective optimization methods for the multidisciplinary design optimization of electrical drive systems.From the perspective of quality control,deterministic and robust approaches will be investigated for the development of the optimization models for the proposed methods.Meanwhile,two approximation methods,Kriging model and Taylor expansion are employed to decrease the computation/simulation cost.To illustrate the advantages of the proposed methods,a drive system with a permanent magnet synchronous motor driven by a field oriented control system is investigated.Deterministic and robust Pareto optimal solutions are presented and compared in terms of several steady-state and dynamic performances(like average torque and speed overshoot)of the drive system.The robust multiobjective optimization method can produce optimal Pareto solutions with high manufacturing quality for the drive system.

Statistical Description of Debris Particle Size Distribution in Electrical Discharge Machining

Gap debris as discharge product is closely related to machining process in electrical discharge machining（EDM）. A lot of recent researches have focused on the relationship among debris size, surfaces texture, remove rate, and machining stability. The study on statistical distribution of debris size contributes to the research, but it is still superficial currently. In order to obtain the distribution law of the debris particle size, laser particle size analyzer（LPSA） combined with scanning electron microscope（SEM） is used to analyze the EDM debris size. Firstly, the heating dried method is applied to obtain the debris particles. Secondly, the measuring range of LPSA is determined as 0.5–100 μm by SEM observation, and the frequency distribution histogram and the cumulative frequency distribution scattergram of debris size are obtained by using LPSA. Thirdly, according to the distribution characteristic of the frequency distribution histogram, the statistical distribution functions of lognormal, exponentially modified Gaussian（EMG）, Gamma and Weibull are chosen to achieve curve fitting of the histogram. At last, the distribute law of the debris size is obtained by fitting results. Experiments with different discharge parameters are carried out on an EDM machine designed by the authors themselves, and the machining conditions are tool electrode of red-copper material, workpiece of ANSI 1045 material and working fluid of de-ionized water. The experimental results indicate that the debris sizes of all experiment sample truly obey the Weibull distribution. The obtained distribution law is significantly important for all the models established based on the debris particle size.

Micro Electrical Discharge Machining Deposition in Air for Fabrication of Micro Spiral Structures

Micro electrical discharge machining（EDM） deposition process is a new micro machining method for fabrication of metal micro structures. In this process, the high level of tool electrode wear is used to achieve the metal material deposition. Up to now, the studies of micro EDM deposition process focused mainly on the researches of deposition process, namely the effects of discharge parameters in deposition process on the deposition rate or deposition quality. The research of the formation of micro structures with different discharge energy density still lacks. With proper conditions and only by the z-axis feeding in vertical direction, a novel shape of micro spiral structure can be deposited, with 0.11 mm in wire diameter, 0.20 mm in outside diameter, and 3.78 mm in height. Then some new deposition strategies including angular deposition and against the gravity deposition were also successful. In order to find the forming mechanism of the spiral structures, the numerical simulation of the transient temperature distribution on the discharge point was conducted by using the finite-element method（FEM）. The results show that there are two major factors lead to the forming of the spiral structures. One is the different material removal form of tool electrode according with the discharge energy density, the other is the influenced degree of the movement of the removed material particles in the discharge gap. The more the energy density in single discharge is, the smaller the mass of the removed material particles is, and the easier the movements of which will be changed to form an order tendency. The fine texture characteristics of the deposited micro spiral structures were analyzed by the energy spectrum analysis and the metallographic analysis. It shows that the components of the deposited material are almost the same as those of the tool electrode. Moreover the deposited material has the brass metallic luster in the longitudinal profile and has compact bonding with the base material. This research is useful to understand the micro-process of micro EDM deposition better and helpful to increase the controllability of the new EDM method for fabrication of micro structures.

Surface Modification Process by Electrical Discharge Machining with Ti Powder Green Compact Electrode

This paper describes a new method of surface modification by Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM). By using ordinary EDM machine tool and kerosene fluid, a hard ceramic layer can be created on the workpiece surface with Ti or other compressed powder electrode in a certain condition. This new revolutionary method is called Electrical Discharge Coating (EDC). The process of EDC begins with electrode wear during EDM,then a kind of hard carbide is created through the thermal and chemical reaction between the worn electrode material and the carbon particle decomposed from kerosene fluid under high temperature. The carbide is piled up on a workpiece quickly and becomes a hard layer of ceramic about 20 μm in several minutes. This paper studies the principle and process of EDC systemically by using Ti powder green compact electrode. In order to obtain a layer of compact ceramic film, it is very important to select proper electric pulse parameters, such as pulse width, pulse interval, peak current. Meantime, the electrode materials and its forming mode will effect the machining surface quality greatly. This paper presents a series of experiment results to study the EDC process by adopt different technology parameters. Experiments and analyses show that a compact TiC ceramic layer can be created on the surface of metal workpiece. The hardness of ceramic layer is more 3 times higher than the base body, and the hardness changes gradiently from surface to base body. The method will have a great future because many materials can be easily added to the electrode and then be coated on the workpiece surface. Gearing the parameters ceramic can be created with different thickness. The switch between deposition and removal process is carried out easily by changing the polarity, thus the gear to the thickness and shape of the composite ceramic layer is carried out easily. This kind of composite ceramic layer will be used to deal with the surface of the cutting tools or molds possibly, in order to lengthen their life. It also can be found wide application in the fields of surface repairing and strengthening of the ship or aircraft.

Experimental Research on Effects of Process Parameters on Servo Scanning 3D Micro Electrical Discharge Machining

Servo scanning 3D micro electrical discharge machining (3D SSMEDM) is a novel and effective method in fabricating complex 3D micro structures with high aspect ratio on conducting materials. In 3D SSMEDM process, the axial wear of tool electrode can be compensated automatically by servo-keeping discharge gap, instead of the traditional methods that depend on experiential models or intermittent compensation. However, the effects of process parameters on 3D SSMEDM have not been reported up until now. In this study, the emphasis is laid on the effects of pulse duration, peak current, machining polarity, track style, track overlap, and scanning velocity on the 3D SSMEDM performances of machining efficiency, processing status, and surface accuracy. A series of experiments were carried out by machining a micro-rectangle cavity (900 μm×600 μm) on doped silicon. The experimental results were obtained as follows. Peak current plays a main role in machining efficiency and surface accuracy. Pulse duration affects obviously the stability of discharge state. The material removal rate of cathode processing is about 3/5 of that of anode processing. Compared with direction-parallel path, contour-parallel path is better in counteracting the lateral wear of tool electrode end. Scanning velocity should be selected moderately to avoid electric arc and short. Track overlap should be slightly less than the radius of tool electrode. In addition, a typical 3D micro structure of eye shape was machined based on the optimized process parameters. These results are beneficial to improve machining stability, accuracy, and efficiency in 3D SSMEDM.

Micro electrical discharge machining of small hole in TC4 alloy

Aiming at machining deeply small holes in TC4 alloy,a series of experiments were carried out on a self-developed multi-axis micro electrical discharge machining(micro-EDM)machine tool.To improve machining efficiency and decrease relative wear of electrode in machining deeply small hole in TC4 alloy,many factors in micro-EDM,such as polarity,electrical parameters and supplying ways of working fluid were studied.Experimental results show that positive polarity machining is far superior to negative polarity machining;it is more optimal when open-circuit voltage,pulse width and pulse interval are 130 V,5μs and 15μs respectively on the self developed multi-axis micro-EDM machine tool;when flushing method is applied in micro-EDM,the machining efficiency is higher and relative wear of electrode is smaller.

Multiobjective Electric Machine Optimization for Highest Reliability Demands

This article is about illustrating a workflow for incorporating reliability measures to typical electric machine design optimization scenarios.Such measures facilitate comparing designs not only for rated conditions,but also allow to analyze their performance in the presence of unevitable tolerances.Consequently,by additionally considering reliability or robustness as objectives compared to conventional optimization scenarios,designs featuring low parameter sensitiveness can be obtained.The analysis of the design’s reliability as part of solving optimization problems involves a significant increase in required numerical evaluations.To minimize the associated prolongation of the runtime,an approach featuring a design of experiments based reduction of required computations and a consequent surrogate modeling technique is presented here.After successful training,the metamodel can be applied for fast evaluating lots of different parameter combinations.A test problem is defined and analyzed.Based on the observed findings,the necessity of incorporating robustness evaluations to machine design optimization becomes evident.In addition,the derived models allow for studying the impact of any tolerance-affected parameter on the machine performance in detail.This facilitates further beneficial studies,as for instance the analysis of selected changes of tolerance levels rather than a general minimization of the respective ranges which usually is associated with high production cost.

MICRO ELECTRICAL DISCHARGE MACHINING DEPOSITION IN AIR

A new deposition method is described using micro electrical discharge machining （EDM） to deposit tool electrode material on workpiece in air. The basic principles of micro electrical discharge deposition （EDD） are analyzed and the realized conditions are predicted. With an ordinary EDM shaping machine, brass as the electrode, high-speed steel as the workpiece, a lot of experiments are carried out on micro EDD systematically and thoroughly. The effects of major processing parameters, such as the discharge current, discharge duration, pulse interval and working medium, are obtained, As a result, a micro cylinder with 0.19 mm in diameter and 7.35 mm in height is deposited. By exchanging the polarities of the electrode and workpiece the micro cylinder can be removed selectively. So the reversible machining of deposition and removal is achieved, which breaks through the constraint of traditional EDM. Measurements show that the deposited material is compact and close to workpiece base, whose components depend on the tool electrode, material.

Recent Developments of Modulation and Control for High-Power Current-Source-Converters Fed Electric Machine Systems

The pulse-width-modulated(PWM)current-source converters(CSCs)fed electric machine systems can be considered as a type of high reliability energy conversion systems,since they work with the long-life DC-link inductor and offer high fault-tolerant capability for short-circuit faults.Besides,they provide motor friendly waveforms and four-quadrant operation ability.Therefore,they are suitable for high-power applications of fans,pumps,compressors and wind power generation.The purpose of this paper is to comprehensively review recent developments of key technologies on modulation and control of high-power(HP)PWM-CSC fed electric machines systems,including reduction of low-order current harmonics,suppression of inductor–capacitor(LC)resonance,mitigation of common-mode voltage(CMV)and control of modular PWM-CSC fed systems.In particular,recent work on the overlapping effects during commutation,LC resonance suppression under fault-tolerant operation and collaboration of modular PMW-CSCs are described.Both theoretical analysis and some results in simulations and experiments are presented.Finally,a brief discussion regarding the future trend of the HP CSC fed electric machines systems is presented.

Cogging Torque Sensitivity considering Imperfect Magnet Positioning for Permanent Magnet Machines of Different Slot and Pole Count

This work is about analyzing surface mounted permanent magnet machines regarding their sensitiveness related to erroneous magnet positioning.A finite element analysis based approach is presented and different topologies in terms of slot and pole count are compared.The study further includes the analysis of multiple magnet widths and stator teeth widths.By contrast to most of previous studies,the work is based on evaluating the cumulative distribution function of the cogging torque in case of non-idealities.A Monte Carlo importance sampling based strategy is focused.This approach facilitates studying arbitrary tolerance distributions.Results reveal that topologies with particularly promising rated cogging torque behaviour exhibit the most significant performance degradation in presence of tolerances.A linear relationship is identified for cogging torque performance as function of the accuracy in magnet positioning.Results emphasize the necessity of tolerance analyses for electric machine design to not overrate their performance in the presence of manufacturing uncertainties.

Scale Effects and a Method for Similarity Evaluation in Micro Electrical Discharge Machining

Electrical discharge machining（EDM） is a promising non-traditional micro machining technology that offers a vast array of applications in the manufacturing industry. However, scale effects occur when machining at the micro-scale, which can make it difficult to predict and optimize the machining performances of micro EDM. A new concept of ＂scale effects＂ in micro EDM is proposed, the scale effects can reveal the difference in machining performances between micro EDM and conventional macro EDM. Similarity theory is presented to evaluate the scale effects in micro EDM. Single factor experiments are conducted and the experimental results are analyzed by discussing the similarity difference and similarity precision. The results show that the output results of scale effects in micro EDM do not change linearly with discharge parameters. The values of similarity precision of machining time significantly increase when scaling-down the capacitance or open-circuit voltage. It is indicated that the lower the scale of the discharge parameter, the greater the deviation of non-geometrical similarity degree over geometrical similarity degree, which means that the micro EDM system with lower discharge energy experiences more scale effects. The largest similarity difference is 5.34 while the largest similarity precision can be as high as 114.03. It is suggested that the similarity precision is more effective in reflecting the scale effects and their fluctuation than similarity difference. Consequently, similarity theory is suitable for evaluating the scale effects in micro EDM. This proposed research offers engineering values for optimizing the machining parameters and improving the machining performances of micro EDM.

Numerical-Analytical Method for Magnetic Field Computation in Rotational Electric Machines

A numerical-analytical method is applied for the two-dimensional magnetic field computation in rotational electric machines in this paper. The analytical expressions for air gap magnetic field are derived. The pole pairs in the expressions are taken into account so that the solution region can be reduced within one periodic range. The numerical and analytical magnetic field equations are linked with equal vector magnetic potential boundary conditions. The magnetic field of a brushless permanent magnet machine is computed by the proposed method. The result is compared to that obtained by finite element method so as to validate the correction of the method.

Modelling effect of magnetic field on material removal in dry electrical discharge machining

One of the reasons for increased material removal rate in magnetic field assisted dry electrical discharge machining （EDM） is confinement of plasma due to Lorentz forces. This paper presents a mathematical model to evaluate the effect of external magnetic field on crater depth and diameter in single- and multiple-discharge EDM process. The model incorporates three main effects of the magnetic field, which include plasma confinement, mean free path reduction and pulsating magnetic field effects. Upon the application of an external magnetic field, Lorentz forces that are developed across the plasma column confine the plasma column. Also, the magnetic field reduces the mean free path of electrons due to an increase in the plasma pressure and cycloidal path taken by the electrons between the electrodes. As the mean free path of electrons reduces, more ionization occurs in plasma column and eventually an increase in the current density at the inter-electrode gap occurs. The model results for crater depth and its diameter in single discharge dry EDM process show an error of 9%-10% over the respective experimental values.

Robustness Criteria for Concurrent Evaluation of the Impact of Tolerances in Multiobjective Electric Machine Design Optimization

This article is about a comparison of different measures for determining the robustness or reliability of electric machine designs in the presence of inevitable tolerances.The selected criteria shall be suitable for concurrent evaluation in the course of solving state-of-the-art large scale multi-objective opti-mization problems.In the past,besides particularly customized criteria,mainly gradient based measures,worst case information,or standard deviation based quantities were considered.In this work,the quantile measure is introduced for electric machine design optimization and compared with the existing solutions.The evaluation of a design’s robustness is typically examined based on finite element simulations.As for most measures a signif-icant number of parameter combinations and thus computations are required,a surrogate model assisted approach is presented to minimize computational effort and runtime.A test problem is defined and analyzed to illustrate the differences of selected robustness measures.Results reveal the importance of considering robustness in the optimization process.Moreover,a careful choice of appropriate measures has to be taken.Selected designs are compared and conclusions and an outlook on future activities are presented.