a sinusoidally distributed air gap flux produces

a sinusoidal back emf, which in turn produces constant torque if sinusoidal

currents are applied to the motor (Miller, 1989). While constant
torque is usually desirable, sinusoidal currents and a sinusoidal
flux distribution are just one way to produce constant torque. It is
certainly the most convenient way for a motor driven directly from the
ac power line.

In motors without slots or poles, the

windings are formed, potted, and attached to the stator back iron. Since
the windings and potting material are nonmagnetic, the effective air
gap of slotless machines is quite large. Because of this, a slotless machine
requires longer, more massive magnets to establish a sufficient
PC. The only disadvantage of having slots is that they add cogging
torque that must be minimized to reduce noise and vibration.

Most
motors are constructed with three-phase windings because three
phases minimizes the number of power electronic devices required to
drive the motor.

All brushless PM
motors develop torque based on the Lorentz force equation (3.25), which
can be rewritten in terms of torque as
dT = RIdl x B

where dT is the differential torque developed at a radius R by a current

I flowing in a differential length of wire dl, exposed to a magnetic field
B, which emanates from a PM.

The purpose of the rotor and stator back iron is to provide a magnet
flux return path as illustrated about the center magnet in the figure.
Flux paths for all other magnets follow accordingly.

Mutual inductance is defined in terms of the flux linked by one coil

due to the current in another.

Armature reaction refers to the magnetic field produced by currents

in the stator slots and its interaction with the PM field

when windings appear in the slots in a motor, they do

not experience any great force trying to pull them out. On the contrary,
current flow in the conductors promotes their cohesion and generates
a force driving them away from the slot opening, toward the slot bottom