Finite-element analysis of a brushless PM DC linear motor taking the saturation effects into account

This paper is concerned with the analysis of a permanent magnet DC linear actuator composed of a slotless armature and a permanent magnet slider. A two-dimensional finite-element field solution is employed in order to illustrate the effect of iron core saturation on the actuator performance. The available thrust is calculated at any slider position and for any winding current and is compared to the thrust based on a simple linear model. The influence of the stroke length on the thrust variation is also presented.