Research and Development of a Fault-tolerant Small-sized Electric Motor for an Aircraft Propeller

The purpose of this paper is the research and development of a fault-tolerant electric motor for an aircraft propeller. The analysis showed that fault-tolerant designs of electric motors are in demand for aircraft, which are capable of maintaining their operability in the event of one or more malfunctions. In this work, a study of a fault-tolerant design of a small-sized electric motor for an aircraft propeller was carried out. The study was carried out by comparing the designs of six-phase electric motors with an external rotor and different stator magnetic core materials: 2421 steel, 49K2FA steel and with the Halbach magnetic system. As a result of the study, it was revealed that the electric motor active part mass with a Halbach magnetic system turned out to be less than with an external rotor; and materials of the stator magnetic core - steel 2421, steel 49K2FA. Accordingly, a fault-tolerant small-sized electric motor with a Halbach magnetic system power of 360 kW and a rotational speed of 6000 rpm was proposed as a promising design. The obtained technical solution has a mass of the active part of 53.3 kg, which corresponds to the value of the specific power at the level of 6.75 kW/kg. Thermal calculations were also performed, confirming that the temperature values of the active elements of the electric motor did not exceed the permissible values for the materials used.