Current Insights into the Investigations on a New Motor Principle with Radially Laminated Stator Sheets, Concentrated Windings and Flux Barriers

In the wake of the Paris Climate Agreement and the world wide obligation to reduce CO
2
emissions, products and their manufacturing processes must be optimized in order to reduce resource consumption. This particularly concerns the topic of electric drives and machines. Regarding machines, one possibility to achieve this goal is the use of so-called flux barriers. This working concept offers further possibilities for structural optimization, such as radial lamination of the sheets, which then allows the use of grain-oriented electrical steel. Both mentioned principles increase the efficiency of the machine to a high degree and reduce manufacturing costs, as the iron losses are lessened and the material utilization is raised. This paper presents recent investigations of the use of grain-oriented electrical steel sheets for novel, radially laminated stators for electric motors with concentrated windings and flux barriers. The focus is on the analysis of the electromagnetic properties of the electrical sheets before and after forming, their coating and the operating characteristics of the planned demonstrator machine. Recent findings in the area of the technical implementation of the demonstrator machine and its electromagnetic design with the aid of FEM simulation are presented. Furthermore, challenges are evaluated with regard to eddy currents that arise due the innovative design. Finally, recommendations for further proceeding are derived and the next steps are explained.