Innovative Approaches for Improved Performance in Bearingless Slice Motors: Saturation Relieving and Rotor Angle Decoupled Suspension

In traditional bearingless slice permanent magnet (PM) motors, achieving a replaceable rotor structure typically involves using a stator PM configuration. However, the dc-biased flux component can lead to magnetic saturation, decreasing the suspension force density. This paper proposes a novel bearingless slice motor featuring saturation relieving, rotor angle decoupled suspension, and a disposable rotor design. By incorporating slot PMs, the proposed motor can effectively mitigate stator saturation, leading to a significant enhancement in suspension force density. To begin with, this paper presents the motor topology and operational principles. In addition, electromagnetic performance is evaluated through finite element analysis. Finally, a prototype is fabricated to validate the feasibility of proposed design.