120 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON VEHICULAR TECHNOLOGY, VOL. 57, NO.

1, JANUARY 2008

Unbalanced Magnetic Pull in Train-Lighting

Brushless Alternators With Static Eccentricity
K. P. P. Pillai, Life Senior Member, IEEE, Achuthsankar S. Nair, Member, IEEE, and G. R. Bindu

Abstract—Frequent breakdowns due to broken shafts in three-

phase inductor-type brushless alternators that are used in railway
coaches for supplying loads like lights and fans and for charging
the coach battery have been reported by the Indian Railways.
These failures, besides other mechanical reasons, can be attributed
to unbalanced magnetic pull (UMP) due to rotor eccentricity.
Accurate calculation of the UMP has always proved difficult due
to the inability of machine models to cope with air-gap variations.
Hence, analytical closed-form expressions are developed in this pa-
per for the calculation of the UMP and for axial flux, considering Fig. 1. Cross-sectional view of the alternator.
various rotor positions. The rotor skew and conical motions of the
rotor are also taken into account. A 2-D finite-element method TABLE I
is also proposed for the analysis, for the sake of comparison SPECIFICATION OF THE ALTERNATOR
of results. Furthermore, this paper describes a simple method
for detecting even a slight rotor asymmetry on the basis of the
generated voltage harmonic pattern, which, on further analysis,
illustrates how rotor eccentricity can be identified in the alternator
for condition-monitoring techniques.
Index Terms—Electromagnetic analysis, finite-element methods
(FEMs), harmonic distortion, inductor alternators.

I. I NTRODUCTION the harmonic pattern of the induced voltage waveform [3],

which yields a suitable signature for condition monitoring.

B RUSHLESS alternators of inductor type, which are used

in railway coaches for supplying loads like lights and fans
and for charging the coach battery, present various operational
problems. The Indian Railways had reported many alternator
failures, mainly due to broken shafts and bearing damage.
These failures, besides mechanical reasons, can be attributed to
unbalanced magnetic pull (UMP) caused by rotor eccentricity
[1]. In the first section of this paper, closed-form expressions
for the UMP due to static rotor eccentricity and the resulting
axial flux of a train-lighting alternator are derived. Based on
this, a dedicated software on the MATLAB platform is also
developed. For validation of results, a modified time-stepping
finite-element method (FEM) is also proposed for the calcula-
tion of the UMP, so that most of the simplifying assumptions
regarding complex boundaries and boundary conditions can be
eliminated, and anisotropy or nonlinearity can be taken into
account [2]. The second section of this paper focuses on the
techniques for the detection of static eccentricity by monitoring
Manuscript received March 29, 2006; revised October 11, 2006 and
March 16, 2007. The review of this paper was coordinated by Dr. B. Fahimi.
K. P. P. Pillai, retired, was with the College of Engineering,
Thiruvananthapuram 695 016, India. He resides in Kerala 695010, India
(e-mail: dr_pvinod@rediffmail.com).
A. S. Nair is with the Centre for Bioinformatics, University of Kerala,
Thiruvananthapuram 695 581, India (e-mail: sankar.achuth@gmail.com).
G. R. Bindu is with the Department of Electrical Engineering, College of
Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram 695 016, India (e-mail: bgr@asianetindia.
com).
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/TVT.2008.901966
0018-9545/$25.00 © 2008 IEEE
These techniques are an advancement of earlier papers by the
authors [4]–[6].
The armature and the field windings of train-lighting brush-
less alternators are both accommodated in the stator. The rotor
is of cogged wheel type, with no winding. Fig. 1 shows the
cross-sectional view, and Table I gives the specification of a
three-phase 4.5-kW train-lighting alternator.
II. M ETHOD OF A NALYSIS
A. Calculation of UMP
1) Analytical Model and Closed-Form Expression: Numer-
ical techniques are computationally very expensive and often
cannot provide an insight into the origins and key factors in
the production of the UMP. Analytical methods, on the other
hand, rapidly give a general conception of the forces and their
origin. The analytical model presented in this paper is generally
applicable to all inductor alternators, but, in the interest of sim-
plicity, will be restricted to train-lighting brushless alternators.
The rotor is assumed to have static eccentricity. The following
assumptions are made.
1) Stator slotting effects are ignored.
2) The iron is infinitely permeable. The entire dc magneto-
motive force is applied across the air gap only.
3) The rotor slot flux is negligible. The entire flux passes
through the rotor teeth with uniform distribution.
4) Rotor skew is initially neglected.
PILLAI et al.: UMP IN TRAIN-LIGHTING BRUSHLESS ALTERNATORS WITH STATIC ECCENTRICITY 121

Further simplification of the above equations are done using

the following standard trigonometric identity:
  √  
dα −1 −1 a2 − b2 cos α
=√ tan .
a ± b sin α a2 − b2 ±b + a sin α
(5)
Using (5), expressions for F1 and F2 are obtained as
  
j+1 a tan−1 λj
Fj = K(−1) α+ , j = 1, 2 (6)
c
where
c cos α µ0 lrV02
λ 1 , λ2 = K= . (7)
±b + a sin α 4g∆
The UMP P due to static eccentricity can now be
calculated as
 a
 π
P = F2 − F1 = −K 2α + tan−1 λ2 + tan−1 λ1 .
Fig. 2. Static eccentricity in rotor. c 0
(8)

The rotor is considered to be displaced vertically downward by The symmetry of rotor teeth permits further simplification of
a distance ∆ from the stator axis, as shown in Fig. 2. (8) by using a standard trigonometric identity to combine the
Although the air-gap flux leaves the rotor teeth and enters the inverse tangent functions. This leads to the following closed-
stator surface, both normally, the length of the flux path can be form expression for the UMP:
approximated to the diagonal g
. The relation between g
and      π
4

 ∆ 

the original air gap g can be derived for the upper and lower  a
 1− g sin 2α 
−1  .
halves as P = −K 2α− tan   2   4  

 c

 2 ∆ + 1+ ∆ cos 2α 

 2 g g
g
∆ ∆ 0
(9)
= 1+ ±2 sin α. (1)
g g g
a) Special cases: Two extreme cases may be considered
to verify the authenticity of the closed-form expression. For
The vertical components of force F1 and F2 on the upper
convenience, a static eccentricity factor (SEF), as shown in the
and lower halves, respectively, of the machine are separately
following equation, is considered to specify the level of static
calculated by combining (1) with classical force equations as
eccentricity:
follows:
  ∆
SEF = (10)
 π,0
2  

 g
µ0 lrV0 sin α · dα
F1 , F2 =
2 (2)
2g 2   
 where ∆ is the displacement of the rotor center vertically down-
0,−π 1+ ∆
g ± 2∆ g sin α ward from the stator center, and g is the normal air-gap length,
as shown in Fig. 2. As the first case, let the rotor of the alternator
where l is the axial length, r is the rotor radius, V0 is the dc be perfectly aligned with the stator, with no eccentricity, so
excitation per air gap in ampere turns, and α is the angle along that there is no UMP. In this case, SEF = (∆/g) = 0, and (9)
the periphery of the rotor. However, the integrals in (2) are not reduces to
continuous ones. They have to be integrated over the rotor teeth   π
−1 sin 2α
only. Now, let P = −K 2α − tan = 0. (11)
cos 2α 0
 2  2
∆ ∆ ∆ In the second case, the other extreme may be considered,
a=1+ b=2 c=1− . (3)
g g g where there is rub contact between the stator and rotor. The
ratio SEF = (∆/g) = 1, and the UMP may be calculated as
On substituting the expression for a and b in (2), we obtain  π
2
F1 , F2 with appropriate limits of integration as P = −K 2α − tan−1 (0) . (12)
0 0
  
µ0 lrV02 α a dα Applying L’Hospital’s rule to (12), the value of the UMP is
F1 , F2 = ± ∓ . (4)
2g 2 b b a ± b sin α obtained as infinity indicating rub contact.
122 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON VEHICULAR TECHNOLOGY, VOL. 57, NO. 1, JANUARY 2008

shows the modeling of the conical motion of the rotor using

the multislice technique [9].
The first slice is considered to be shifted vertically downward
by 0.1 mm, the second slice by 0.2 mm, and the third slice by
0.3 mm, from the stator axis. The electromagnetic force acting
between stator and rotor is then calculated as a slice force,
and the net force is the sum of slice forces. The values of the
resultant UMP for two different values of dc excitation in an
unskewed rotor are listed in Table III.
An expression for the axial flux resulting from static ec-
centricity of the rotor is also developed. Axial flux ΦA is
the difference between the lower and upper half flux and is
given by
Fig. 3. First rotor position considered.
 0 
 π
TABLE II µ0 lrV0  dα dα .
UMP OBTAINED FROM THE CLOSED-FORM EXPRESSION ΦA = √ − √
g a − b sin α a + b sin α
−π 0
(13)
On further simplification, this reduces to the following form:

2µ0 lrV0
ΦA =
{F (D, ϕ) + F (D, ω)} (14)
g 1+ ∆ g

In this paper, the UMP is calculated for a three-phase 4.5-kW
train-lighting brushless alternator by considering a set of nine
rotor positions, by shifting the rotor in steps of 5◦ , until the
original stator–rotor relative position is reached at 45◦ . The first
such position of the rotor, along with discrete limiting values of
angle over rotor teeth, is shown in Fig. 3.
Thus, limiting values of angle over rotor teeth for each of
the nine positions of the rotor are noted down from elaborately
prepared cross-sectional sketches of the alternator, and the
UMP is calculated by using the closed-form expression in (9). A
correction is made on the values of the UMP so obtained, based
on equivalent air-gap length, by using the magnetization curve
of the machine, to account for saturation [7]. The dependence
of the UMP for different variations of SEF is assessed. In this
paper, a dedicated software on MATLAB platform based on
the expression is also developed for determining the UMP in
inductor-type train-lighting alternators, which saves much time
and computational effort.
An earlier experimental investigation [8] shows that skewing
the rotor of a rotating machine will influence the UMP. Hence,
as a next step, a skew of 72◦ electrical is introduced in the
rotor of the machine. The 2-D problem was approached with
classical layer theory, where the machine is divided into layers
or regions of interest. The magnetic field is solved for each
of these regions, and the UMP is calculated in each of these
regions by using the closed-form expression in (9), and then,
the resultant value is determined. The values of the UMP at
no load for 3◦ of rotor eccentricities for the alternator for both
unskewed and skewed rotors at a total dc excitation of 1600 A
are listed in Table II.
The closed-form expression can also be used to determine
the UMP under the conical motion of the eccentric rotor. The
machine is divided into three slices of equal length. Fig. 4
where
$
2 ∆ π α π α
g
 
D= ϕ= + ω= − . (15)
1+ g∆ 4 2 4 2
F (D, ϕ) and F (D, ω) are elliptic integrals of the first kind with
sin−1 D as the modular angle. Equation (14) is summed up
over the rotor teeth portion only, and from the table of elliptic
integrals, the values of axial flux can be directly obtained.
The axial flux is dependent on the position of the rotor and
will fluctuate with rotor position. However, the position of
maximum axial leakage flux alone is considered in this paper.
A plot of the variation of axial flux expressed as a ratio of
noneccentric air-gap flux with different values of SEF is shown
in Fig. 5.
2) FEM: The rotor eccentricity is assumed to be static
and constant in the axial direction. The distribution of the
radial force due to eccentricity is calculated using the classi-
cal Maxwell stress tensor method. Moving the rotor mesh in
discrete predetermined angular steps as the solution progresses
in 2-D finite-element (FE) analysis simulates movement at
constant speed. Starting from a particular position, the rotor is
moved by ∆θ◦ each time, until the original rotor–stator relative
position is reached [10], and the flux linkage distribution in the
air gap is obtained. Maxwell’s stress tensor dF is calculated
from the radial component of flux density Br as
Br2
dF =
2µ0
. (16)
The total force is then obtained by integrating Maxwell’s
stress tensor around the rotor. FE modeling of the alternator was
done for three different variations of SEF, each time shifting
the rotor center alone vertically in the negative y-direction,
PILLAI et al.: UMP IN TRAIN-LIGHTING BRUSHLESS ALTERNATORS WITH STATIC ECCENTRICITY 123

Fig. 4. Modeling of the conical motion of rotor using multislice technique.

TABLE III
UMP IN NEWTONS FOR THE CONICAL MOTION OF THE ROTOR

Fig. 6. FEM and field distribution.

Fig. 5. Variation of axial flux with SEF.

by a distance ∆. The rotor is rotated through discrete angular

steps of 5◦ in each case, until the original stator–rotor relative
position is reached at 45◦ . To investigate the dependence of
the UMP on excitation, the procedure is repeated for two dc
excitation values at no load. Thus, for each value of SEF,
20 models of the alternator are analyzed, and the UMP is
calculated. The field distribution in one such FE model of the
machine is shown in Fig. 6. For the calculation, a general-
purpose 2-D electromagnetic FE analysis software package is
used in conjunction with Microsoft Excel to perform automated
simulation.
A comparison of the values of the UMP obtained by FEM
and the developed closed-form solution for the machine with
an unskewed rotor is provided in Fig. 7. The validation results
demonstrate the effectiveness of the analytical method, which
can, hence, be accepted as a faster technique.
Fig. 7. Theoretical and FEM values of the UMP for two dc excitation
(in ampere turns).
Although rotor skew produces axial variation in the flux
density pattern and axial variation in saturation, the size of
the problem and computation time limit the use of 3-D FEM.
The multislice FE technique is employed to model skew in two
dimensions [11]. A comparison of the values of the UMP at no
load for 3◦ of rotor eccentricities for the alternator with skewed
rotor, at a total dc excitation of 1600 A, is shown in Fig. 8.
The UMP, due to the conical motion, can also be calculated by
FE analysis [12].
124 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON VEHICULAR TECHNOLOGY, VOL. 57, NO. 1, JANUARY 2008

Fig. 9. Variation of certain harmonic components of (VB ∼ VA ) with SEF.

Fig. 8. Theoretical and FEM values of the UMP for alternator with skewed
rotor.

B. Analysis of Induced Voltage for Condition Monitoring

Condition-monitoring techniques are used to evolve methods
to measure parameters that indicate deterioration and provide
sufficient warning of impending failure. In the case of static
eccentricity, the electromagnetically produced force is a steady
pull in one direction. This makes it difficult to detect this
UMP unless special experimental equipment is used, which is
inconvenient for alternators in service. This section suggests a
method to identify an early indicator of static eccentricity in the
rotor of the alternator, i.e., by monitoring the harmonic pattern Fig. 10. Variation of root-mean-square value of (VB ∼ VA ) with SEF.
of the induced voltage waveform. The induced phase voltage
VP (t) is calculated from flux linkage ϕ(t) by

dϕ dϕ dθ
VP (t) = − =− . (17)
dt dθ dt

The first term in (17) is treated using “backward” formulation

so that

dϕ ϕ(θ + ∆θ) − ϕ(θ)

= . (18)
dθ ∆θ

The second term, as shown in the following equation, is sep-

arately considered since this is a variable-frequency machine: Fig. 11. Harmonic components in the voltage induced in the lower coil VB .

dθ 360
= = 6N
dt 60/N
where N is the rotor speed in revolutions per minute, which
depends on the speed of the train. Arriving at the voltage wave-
form in this manner is extremely advantageous in the case of
train-lighting alternators, since they operate over a wide range
of speed. The tedious procedure of FEM needs to be done only
for any one speed of operation, and the waveform for any other
speed can be obtained by using a scaling factor for the speed.
This is then analyzed by discrete Fourier transform to obtain the
harmonic components [13], [14]. In the present investigation,
the no-load voltage VA and VB induced in two coils A and B,
respectively, situated in diametrically opposite stator slots along
the y-axis only were considered. No-load-voltage waveforms,
in the two coils A and B lying in the y-axis, at 1500 r/min, were
(19)
predetermined by FEM for three different variations of SEF.
This requires about 40 FE models of the alternator. The Fourier
analysis of (VB ∼ VA ) presents a marked pattern with changing
static eccentricity. The magnitude of the fundamental compo-
nent is found to increase initially but then starts to decrease
with increasing SEF. However, the rising magnitudes of the
dc component and the second harmonic indicate a progressing
static eccentricity, as in Fig. 9. The variation of the effective
value of the difference in voltages in the two coils with SEF
is shown in Fig. 10. The Fourier analysis of the voltage VB
induced in the bottom coil also shows a clear variation with
increasing SEF, as in Fig. 11.
Hence, this pattern of changing harmonics in (VB ∼ VA ),
along with the harmonic changes occurring in the induced
PILLAI et al.: UMP IN TRAIN-LIGHTING BRUSHLESS ALTERNATORS WITH STATIC ECCENTRICITY
voltage in the bottom coil in the stator ac slot, may be used
to monitor the progress of the defect in the rotor of the
brushless alternator. Thus, it provides clear evidence for the
potential of condition monitoring to identify increasing static
eccentricity of the rotor over a period of time by observing the
changes in magnitude of these voltage harmonics. The main
advantage is that both these techniques can be applied under
site conditions without stopping the machine. Moreover, it
does not require any complex sophisticated instruments for the
implementation of this concept. Hence, condition monitoring
through voltage analysis is one of the most viable techniques
since, for machines like train-lighting alternators, which oper-
ate under extreme environmental conditions, vibration analysis
using transducers is very difficult [15]. However, since this is
a new area with very little field experience, standards as to
when failure will occur and how much harmonic content would
guarantee an impending stator–rotor rub contact have to be
found out.
III. C ONCLUSION AND F UTURE W ORK
For machines like flexible mounted train-lighting alternators,
which operate under extreme environmental conditions and
constantly under the influence of vibrations, contributed by
the movement of the coach itself, the UMP is too significant
to be ignored. Moreover, in inductor alternators, the air gap
is too small for saturation to be neglected, as in classical
analysis. Hence, the techniques discussed in this paper are
extremely helpful in calculating the UMP and obtaining a
signature for condition monitoring to identify increasing static
eccentricity of the rotor over a period of time. This then
aids in avoiding rub contact between stator and rotor during
prolonged operations of these alternators, which is a major
problem, as reported by the Indian Railways and alternator
manufacturers [16]. A single software package for detection
and calculation of a UMP can be developed by combining
the proposed FEM-based condition-monitoring technique with
the analytical procedure developed in this paper. The depen-
dence of the UMP on rotor skew under both balanced and
unbalanced loaded conditions are also to be investigated in the
future.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The authors would like to thank M/s KEL, Kundara, India,
manufacturers of train-lighting alternators, and M/s EMRC,
Bangalore, India, for their help with this project.
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K. P. P. Pillai (M’65–SM’70–LSM’01) was born in
Kerala, India, on August 28, 1936. He received the
B.Sc. (Engg.) and M.Sc. (Engg.) degrees from the
University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, India, in
1957 and 1960, respectively, and the Ph.D. degree
from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur,
India, in 1965.
From 1971 to 1976, he was a Professor of elec-
trical engineering with the College of Engineering,
Thiruvananthapuram, where he later became the
Principal. From 1982 to 1988, he was the Director
of the LBS Engineering Research and Consultancy Centre, which is a state-
run enterprise. From 1995 to 1997, he was the Founder Director of the
School of Technology and Applied Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi University,
Kottayam, India. From 1997 to 1999, he was the Executive Secretary and the
Director of the Indian Society for Technical Education, New Delhi, India. He
is a Consultant to various electrical industries in India. His research interests
include electromagnetic field theory and condition monitoring of electric drives.
126 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON VEHICULAR TECHNOLOGY, VOL. 57, NO. 1, JANUARY 2008
Achuthsankar S. Nair (M’06) was born in Kerala,
India, on July 14, 1963. He received the M.Tech.
degree from the Indian Institute of Technology,
Mumbai, India, in 1987, the M.Phil. degree from the
University of Cambridge, Cambridge, U.K., in 1992,
and the Ph.D. degree from the University of Kerala,
Thiruvananthapuram, India, in 1996.
From 1999 to 2001, he was the Academic Head of
the De Montfort University Campus, Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia. He was an Assistant Professor of computer
science with the University College of Engineering,
Thiruvananthapuram. He was the Director of the Centre for the Development
of Imaging Technology, Thiruvananthapuram, which is a state-run enterprise.
He is currently the Hon. Director of the Centre for Bioinformatics, University
of Kerala. His research interests include neuro-fuzzy systems and digital image
processing.
G. R. Bindu was born in Kerala, India, on
February 2, 1967. She received the M.Tech. and
the Ph.D. degrees from the University of Kerala,
Thiruvananthapuram, India, in 1992 and 2005.
She was an Engineer with KERAFED and a mem-
ber of the faculty of various engineering colleges
in Kerala. She is currently a Senior Lecturer with
the Department of Electrical Engineering, College
of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram. Her research
interests include electromagnetic field theory and
control and condition monitoring of electric drives.