Practical Implementation of the Bridge Configured Winding for Self-Bearing Machines

The bridge configured winding is a cost-saving connection scheme for electrical machines to exploit lateral forces on the rotors. The winding scheme retains the machine's three-phase terminals such that ordinary motor inverters can be employed for the normal torque-producing function while providing separate terminals for magnetic bearing action. This paper describes the practical implementation of such a winding connection in a conventional electric machine and demonstrates that controllable lateral forces can be produced.