Adjustable air gap machine for aerospace applications

Going from more conventional aircrafts to eVTOL (electric Vertical Take Off and Landing), the electrification trends are forcing aircraft manufacturers to work on compact and safe electrical machine solutions. This paper utilizes a 2D approach for an adjustable air gap permanent magnet electrical machine to choose the best motor attributes. Firstly, the 2D model is calibrated using existing experimental measures, then, it is employed to find multiple solutions that accomplish the mechanical flux-weakening. It is demonstrated that the choice of the best combination of the motor tapering and axial displacement can be influenced by the mechanical system configuration and control accuracy.