Analysis of a linear variable reluctance motor with magnetically coupled phases

This paper deals with the magnetic modeling of a type of linear variable reluctance motor. The motor under study is a three-phase motor that exhibits strong magnetic coupling between its phases. Two modeling techniques are used: the magnetic circuit analysis is emphasized due to its simplicity and computational efficiency; and the finite element analysis is used primarily to provide accurate benchmark data for comparison. Qualitative agreement between the two modeling techniques is demonstrated.