Composite powder metal synchronous reluctance machine

A new methodology for producing a synchronous reluctance machine (SyRM) has been developed. The new methodology involves fabricating powder metal (P/M) disks 8 mm to 25 mm thick which are constructed of sintered together ferromagnetic and nonferromagnetic powder metal layers. The advantages for adopting the composite P/M SyR rotor over the conventional axially or radially laminated SyR rotors are mechanical integrity, safe high-speed operation, low-cost manufacture and higher torque/power density. To cite a couple of examples associated with these claims, comprehensive load point testing of an initial prototype has revealed that torque density was improved by 16% over a radially laminated prototype utilizing the same stator and housing. Also robustness has been greatly improved such that the composite sintered rotor is capable of mechanically operating at 30% greater than the maximum speed of a comparable size, high-speed induction rotor. In this paper these examples will be presented more fully along with the design finite element analysis (FEA magnetic), and testing (centrifugal stress testing and electric machine performance testing).