ME 570 Powertrain NVH of Electrified Vehicles Chapter 4 Noise and Vibration of Motors, Generators, and Converters

ME 570 Powertrain NVH of Electrified Vehicles
Chapter 4 Noise and Vibration of Motors,

Generators, and Converters
Presented By
John G. Cherng
Mechanical Engineering Department
University of Michigan Dearborn
Dearborn, MI 48128
THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-DEARBORN 1

Objectives
1. Understand the operation principles of motor,
generator and converter (inverter)
2. Determine how noise and vibration being
generated from electric motors
3. Perform analytical analysis of motors
4. Familiar with countermeasures of motor noise
and vibration.
5. Case studies

1. Introduction
• It is estimated about 65% of the electrical energy produced in developed
countries is consumed by electrical motors.
• Motors are used either for power conversion, i.e. converting electrical
energy to mechanical energy, or as servo motors operating in a closed loop
control with speed or position feedback, i.e. electrical actuator.
• Motor and generator are operated under the same principle, i.e. Maxwell
theory. Therefore, a reversing operation of a motor become a generator and
vice versa. This is applied in re-generative braking of many EV/HEV.
• The interaction between the stator magnetic field flux and the rotor current
produces a force on the rotor coil, called “Lorentz Force”, which generates
the rotating torque.
• The higher magnetic flux density in the air gap produces higher vibration
and noise.
• The increase power density of motors for EV/HEV and more environmental
requirements, the prediction of noise/vibration of motors at the early stage
of design has become a very critical issue.
• The prediction of noise is rather difficult due to the complexity of the
structure and only very small amount of energy is converted into noise and
vibration.
• Most of books on noise and vibration analysis in motors and generators are
in 80’s and 90’s. Newer technology such as FEA, BEM, and SEA are
implemented in current simulation technology.

Analysis of the Magnetic Force
• The energy stored in magnetic structure

 xF
Wm 
2
• The flux and mengeto-motive force F are related to
Nxi F
 
• The stored energy can be related to the reluctances
of the structure by 2
 x ( x)
Wm 
2
• Then, the magnetic force acting on the moving coil is
dWm  2 d ( x)
F   x
dx 2 dx

2. Types of Motors
Two basic types of motors and they are:
A.Direct Current (DC) Motors
A1: Classification by brushes
•Brushed DC motors – Internally commutated designed to be run from a DC
power source.
•Brushless DC motors – a synchronous motor with an electronically controlled
commutation system, instead of a mechanical commutation system based on
brushes.
A2: Classification by field winding
•Separately Excited Motor: The field windings and armature windings have
separated power source.
• Shunt Motor: The field winding is connected in parallel with the armature
circuit. A common source is used for both the field and the armature windings.
•Series Motor: Similar to the shunt motor, except the field winding is connected
in series with the armature winding.
•Compound Motor: This type of motor uses both shunt and series windings.

2. Types of Motors
B. Alternative Current (AC) Motors
• Synchronous motor – an AC motor
distinguished by a rotor spinning with coils
passing magnets at the same rate as the
alternating current and resulting magnetic
field which drives it.
• Asynchronous (Induction) motor – also called
a squirrel-cage motor, a type of
asynchronous AC motor where power is
supplied to the rotating device by means of
electromagnetic induction.

Permanent Magnet DC Brushless Motor
• It is a high efficiency, high

power density and large
speed range motor.
• The structure is flexible to
fit into the car .
• Widely used on several
HEV’s as Honda Civic
and Toyota Prius.

How to make a simple Motor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziWUmIUcR2k

AC Motors
• Asynchronous
• Synchronous Motor
(Induction) Motos

Force, Torque, and Angular Rotation of a Motor
• Attracting forces are acting between

the magnetic poles of the permanent
magnets of the stator and the
electromagnets of the rotor. The
resulting force can be split into two
components: One of them points
tangential to the arc of the rotor
movement (blue arrow) the second
points perpendicular to the first one
(magenta colored arrow). The forces
acting along the axis of the rotor coil
have the same value but point in
opposite directions. The sum of those
forces gives zero. The remaining
forces pointing tangentially to the rotor
try to rotate the armature
anticlockwise.

Torque and Rotating Angle
• Tangential force FT
FT  F x cos 
where isthe rotating angle
• Torque to the rotor

 R  2 x F x RR x cos 
Where RR isthe radius of the rotor
• Torque to the stator

 S  2 x F x RS x cos 
Where RS isthe radius of the stator

Torque and Torque Curve
Not Commutated Rotor Commutated Rotor

Torque and Current
Current through the

magnetic field vs. speed Torque vs. speed

Power and Power Curve
Power  2 x  x  x n Blue : Torque
where n isthe rotating rpm Red : Input power
Green : Output power
Constant torque Non Constant Torque

Electrical Motors Used in EV

Advanced Concept: In Wheel Motors

Simple Motor Calculations
Example 1. A DC motor as shown in the circuit, provides a current of 10

amperes from the line with a supply voltage of 100 Volt. If the total
mechanical loss (friction, windage, etc.) is 90 Watts, calculate the (a) Copper
losses in the field, (b) Armature current, (c) Copper losses in the armature,
(d) Total losses, (e) Motor input and (f) Efficiency.

Solution to the Example
1. The field current is; 5. The total loss is;
E 100 Lt  L f  La  Lm  100  81  90  271 watts

If  a   1.0 amperes
R f 100 6. Motor input is;
2. Copper losses in the field are:
Win  Ea xI L  100 x10  1000 watts
L f  I 2f x R f  12 x100  100 watts 7. Motor output is;
3. The armature current is; Wout  Win  Lt  1000  271  729 watts
8. The motor efficiency is;

I a  I L  I f  10  1  9 amperes
4. Copper losses in the armature are: Wout 729

Eff   x100  72.9%
Win 1000
La  I a2 xRa  92 x1  81 watts

3. Key Components of Motors
A. Rotor – It is the moving part

which turns the shaft to deliver
the mechanical power. It usually
has conductors, laid into it which
carry currents that interact with
the magnetic field of the stator to
generate the forces that turn the
shaft. However, some rotors
have permanent magnets and
the stator holds the conductors.
B. Stator – It is the stationary part,
usually has either winding or
permanent magnets.

C. Air Gap – The space between

the rotor and the stator is the air
gap. It is an important factor to
the power generation and wave
form quality. In general, it is as
small as possible as a large gap
has a strong negative effect on
the performance of the motor.
D. Windings – They are wires laid
in coils and usually wrapped
around a laminated soft iron
magnetic core so as to form the
magnetic poles when energized
with current.

E. Commutator – The motor’s

armature current is supplied
through the stationary brushes in
contact with the revolving
commutator, which causes
required current reversal and
applies powers to the machine in
an optimal manner as the rotor
rotates from pole to pole.
F. Endcap Assembly – Which
consists of brush holder, endcap,
brush, brush leaf and terminals. It
is used to transfer current from
source to commutator.
Endcap

4. NV Generated in Electrical Machines
A. Vibration and noise produced by electrical machines can be divided
into three categories:
• Electromagnetic vibration and noise associated with parasitic effects due to
higher space and time harmonics, eccentricity, phase unbalance, slot
openings, magnetic saturation, and magneto-strictive expansion of the core
laminations;
• Mechanical vibration and noise associated with the mechanical assembly, in
particular bearings;
• Aerodynamic vibration and noise associated with flow of ventilating air
through or over the motor.
B. The load induced sources of noise include:
• Noise due to coupling of the machine with a load, e.g., shaft misalignment,
belt transmission, elevator sheave with ropes, tooth gears, coupling,
reciprocating compressor;
• Noise due to mounting the machine on foundation or other structure.

NVH Concerns in Electrical Vehicles

Frequency Characteristics between ICE and EV

4.1 NV Generation and Transmission of Electric Motors
• NV sources generated by
various components are
transmitted through the
medium (structure and air), to
the recipient (human ear,
sensors, and whole vehicle).
• All NV source are sensed by
the human’s ear and body.
• NV causes both structure
damages, vehicle handling and
human discomfort.

4.2 Electromagnetic Noise and Vibration Sources

4.3 Factors Influence Electromagnetic N/V
1. The slots, distribution of windings in slots, input current waveform
distortion, air gap permeance fluctuations, rotor eccentricity, and phase
unbalance give rise to mechanical deformations and vibration.
Magnetomotive force (MMF) space harmonics, time harmonics, slot
harmonics, eccentricity harmonics, and saturation harmonics, produce
parasitic higher harmonic forces and torques. Especially, radial force
waves in AC machines, which act both on the stator and rotor, produce
deformation of the magnetic circuit.
2. The stator-frame (or stator-enclosure) structure is the primary radiator

(speaker) of the machine noise. If the frequency of the radial force is close
to or equal to any of the natural frequencies of the stator-frame system,
resonance occurs, leading to the stator system deformation, vibration, and
acoustic noise.

4.3 Factors Influence Electromagnetic N/V
3. Magnetostrictive Noise – It is resulting from the periodic elongation (or

contraction) of the core material. This noise of electrical machines in most
cases can be neglected due to low frequency 2f and higher order r=2p of
radial forces, where f is the fundamental frequency and p is the number of
pole pairs. However, radial forces due to the magnetostriction can reach
about 50% of radial forces produced by the air gap magnetic field. It could
be significant in motors/generators with high power transmission as in EV’s
and HEV’s.
4. Parasitic Oscillation Torque – In inverter-fed motors, parasitic oscillating

torques are produced due to higher time harmonics in the stator winding
currents. These parasitic torques are, in general, greater than oscillating
torques produced by space harmonics. Moreover, the voltage ripple of the
rectifier is transmitted through the intermediate circuit to the inverter and
produces another kind of oscillating torque.

Permeance of a Magnetic
• Magnetic permeance (P) is

defined as the reciprocal of • Where:
ΦB = Magnetic flux
magnetic reluctance (R) (in
NI = Current-turns, (current) ×
analogy with the reciprocity (number of turns of conductor to
between electric conductance make a coil).
and resistance): • In terms of permeability,
• Or • Where:
μ = Permeability of material
A = Cross-sectional area
• And the magnetic force will be = Length of conductor in circuit
• The SI unit of magnetic permeance is
"webers per ampere-turn", that is Wb
A-1.

Permeance Fluctuation between the Rotor and the Stator
of a Motor
• The slotting structure of the rotor and

the reluctance between the permanent
magnets on the stator cause the
fluctuating permeance distribution along
the air gap.
• The wave shape of the flux distribution
is related to the central angle of the
magnets. The flux density also
fluctuates between B1 and B2, where l1
for the air gap at the tooth and l2 for the
air gap at the slot.
• The electromagnetic radial force per

area can be defined in terms of angular
position of the rotor:
Harmonic Number (angle at 120o)

Magnetostrictive Noise
• Magnetostrictive offset is identified

with even harmonics of the steady-
state induced EMF resulting from the
periodic elongation (or contraction) of
the core material.
• Magnetostrictive noise is identified with
random fluctuations of the • http://upload.wikimedi
magnetostrictive offset caused by
frictional forces exceeding the a.org/wikipedia/comm
magnetostrictive stress when the core
material is near zero elongation. The ons/a/af/Magnetostrict
effect is responsible for the familiar
"electric hum" ( Listen (help·info))
ion_by_Zureks.gif
which can be heard near transformers
and high power electrical devices.
• http://www.youtube.co
m/watch?v=Gxoxw7k
GdLQ

Inverters
• It is used to produce constant frequency constant
voltage power from a variable speed alternator.
• It is generally a solid state switch to approximate the AC
wave form (i.e. sine wave).
• DC-battery driven motor-generator set sometime is used
but it has efficiency about 60% compare 90% for a solid-
state device.
• Synchronous inverter uses the grid wave to fire or switch
a thyrister bridge. Thyrister bridge acts as gates that
pass through current at proper voltage as necessary as
AC wave form as grid.

Basic Principle of an Inverter Circuit
• The basic electromechanical inverter

operates by alternating the switch to
generate positive and negative current
in the primary circuit and cause the
alternating square wave current being
generated in the secondary output
circuit of the transformer.
• Transistors and various other types of
semiconductor switches have been
incorporated into inverter circuit
designs, such as PWM and thyristors
(SCR- silicon controlled rectifiers)
provide large power handling capability
in a semiconductor device, and can
readily be controlled over a variable
firing range.

Noise Generation due to Inverter Switching
• The switching frequency ranges

from 6 kHz to 20 kHz.
• It can be significant to become
perceivable and annoying to the
customer.
• Method 1 is to increase its
frequency to be high enough that
customer will likely not be able to
detect.
• Method 2 is to incorporate the
inverter into the motor isolation
system to reduce its transmitted
vibration.
• Method 3 is to wrap the inverter in
absorptive/barrier layers to block
the air-borne noise transfer path.

Tesla Electric Car
• Rear wheel drive

• 12’11” (L) x6’1” (W)x3’8.1”(H)
• 288 hp at 5000 rpm
• Torque 273 ft-lb/0 rpm
• 225/45R17 tires
• Driving range > 240 miles

Motor Assembly of a HEV

4.4 Mechanical NV Sources of Electrical Motors
1. Bearings and their defects, such as

journal ovality and sliding contacts.
2. Bent shaft.
3. Rotor unbalance.
4. Shaft misalignment,
5. Coupling misalignment,
6. U-joint and gears.

4.4.1Generations and Preventions of Mechanical
Noise and Vibration Sources
• The rotor unbalance causes rotor dynamic vibration and eccentricity
which in turn result in noise emission from the stator, rotor, and rotor
support structures. Therefore, the rotor should be precisely balanced
as it can significantly reduce the vibration and noise.
• The noise due to rolling bearings depends on the accuracy of
bearing parts, mechanical resonance frequency of the outer ring,
running speed, lubrication conditions, tolerances, alignment, load,
temperature, and presence of foreign materials.
• The noise due to sleeve bearings is generally lower than that of
rolling bearings. The vibration and noise produced by sleeve bearing
depends on the roughness of sliding surfaces, lubrication, stability
and whirling of the oil film in the bearing, manufacture process,
quality and installation.

4.5 Aerodynamic Noises of Motors and Generators
• The primary aerodynamic noise source is the cooling fan. In addition

to the fan itself, any obstacle placed in the air stream produces
noises.
• In non-sealed motor, the noise of the cooling fan is emitted by the
vent holes.
• In a totally sealed motor, the noise of external fan predominates.
• The spectral distribution of fan noise includes both broad band noise
ranging from 100 to 10,000 Hz and tonal noises (siren noise) which
are generated at blade passage frequency (BPF) and its harmonics:
No. of Blade x rpm

BPF  Hz
60

4.6 NV Issues of Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV)
• Most of electrified vehicles in the market are Hybrid
Electric Vehicle due to its main advantages in cruising
range and reliability.
• Basically, it inherits the NV issues of conventional
internal combustion engine plus the new NV source of
electrical components.
• In order to improve the total efficiency of the vehicle, its
engine tends to have higher compression ratio and
friction loss accompanied by lowered maximum engine
speed. The engine is operated in high torque area even
it runs at low engine speed.
• Induced vibration during start and stop, power shifting ,
body vibration and torque fluctuation.

5. Acoustical Analysis of Motor Noise
• Determine the sound power radiated from a structure
source is in the field of vibro-acoustics.
• Numerous publications and research works have been
done in the field for simple structures, such as beam,
duct, plate, shell, spherical and cylindrical structures.
• The structure of a motor and the exciting forces are
rather complex in comparing with plates or cylinders. It
will require a very sophisticated process and analysis.
• Numerical methods, such as Finite Element Analysis
(FEA) and Boundary Element Analysis (BEA) with
commercial software are generally used for a detail
simulation of the motor stator in the low frequency range.
• Manual calculations are available for simplified models to
get a rapid estimation of the radiated sound power level.
5.1 Energy Mechanism of NV of Motors
• The input current interacts with the
magnetic field producing high-
frequency forces that act on the inner
stator core surface. These forces
excite the stator core and frame in the
corresponding frequency range and
generate mechanical vibration and
noise. As a result of vibration, the
surface of the stator yoke and frame
displaces with frequencies
corresponding to the frequencies of
forces. The surrounding medium (air)
is excited to vibrate, too, and
generates acoustic noise.
• The radiated acoustic power is very
small, approximately 10-6 to 10 -4 W
(at sound power level 60 to 80 dB) for
an electrical motor rated below 10 kW.
• Therefore, the radiated sound power
can be determined, if the surface
velocity of the stator is available.

5.2 Mechanical Analysis of the Stator
1. Stator System Vibration Analysis - Using

a circular cylindrical shell as a simplified
model of the stator for an analytical
approach.
2. Stator System Acoustic Analysis – Stator
is considered as a cylindrical radiator with
the sound power and sound pressure at a
given position.

5.3 Forced Vibration of the Stator
A. Lumped Parameter System – The spatial dependence

of the variable under consideration can be neglected.
The distributed mass or inertia is replaced by a finite
number of lumped masses or rigid bodies which are
connected by massless elastic spring and damping
elements.
B. Continuous Systems – Spatial distribution of the mass
and stiffness over the system needs to be considered.
The motion equations that govern the vibration
behavior might be different for different types of
vibration.

A. Lumped Parameter Modeling
Motor Structure Motor Model

B. Continuous System Modeling
• General form of motion equation:
• Where ξ is the vibration displacement, ρ is the material density, λ is the

stiffness related parameter, and L ( · ) is the differential operator.
• With a forced vibration system:
• For a harmonic excitation,
• Where η is the complex stiffness

• The general solution is:
• Where

Simplification of a Stator Vibration
• Due to the curvature of the cylindrical shell of a stator, the vibration
of three orthogonal directions, radial, axial, and tangential, are
coupled to each other. Any excitation in one direction would cause
vibration in all three directions. They may have to be solved
numerically, as FEA.
• The electromagnetic force has radial and tangential components. In
theory, both components may excite the vibration in radial direction.
But since the radial component is approximately an order of
magnitude larger than the tangential component in general, it might
be reasonable to neglect the contribution from the tangential
component in the electromagnetic force, which means that the
coupling in the vibration between the radial and tangential directions
could be neglected.
• The forced vibration response of a cylindrical shell under the
excitation of the electromagnetic force in the radial direction is given
in the previous equation.

Amplitude and Amplification Factor of Stator
• If only the circumferential modes of the stator are of interest, it can be shown that the
force component of the order r only excites the mode of the same order for the stator,
i.e. r = m. The amplitude of vibration displacements of mode m can be derived as:
• where M is the mass (kg) of the cylindrical shell, ωm is the angular natural frequency of
the mode m, ωr is the angular frequency of the force component of the order r, and ζm
and is the modal damping ratio.
• The amplitude of force, in which D1in is the inner diameter of the
stator core, Li is the effective length of the stator core, and is the magnitude of the
magnetic pressure of the order r,
• The magnification factor is defined as
• The magnification factor is maximum when and is controlled by the

damping ratio as expected.
Determine the Damping Ratio
• Analytical determinations of
the mechanical damping are
generally difficult.
Experimental approaches are
usually adopted. The empirical
expression for small and
medium electric machine
mechanical damping.
• For more accurate result, the
modal damping ratio can be
calculated from modal testing
or FRF measurements,

Resonant Vibration Condition
• The response can be in terms of hm:
• And the vibration velocity for mode, m, is

Simplified Calculation of Natural Frequency of the
Stator System
• Fundamental Equation:
• Where Km is the lumped stiffness (N/m) and Mm is the lumped mass (kg) of the stator
system at mode no m.
• The circumferential vibration mode m = 0, the natural frequency will be
• Where Ec is the Young’s elasticity modulus, and Dc is the mean diameter of the stator
core, ρc is the mass density of the stator core, Ki is the stacking factor (=0.96) and
Kmd is the mass addition for displacement and is defined as
• Where Mt is the mass of all stator teeth, Mw is the mass of stator windings,Mi is the
mass of insulation, and Mc is the mass of the stator core cylinder (yoke).
• For mode no > 1, different natural frequency equation is required.
Determine phase velocity of stator
1 Ec 1 200 x109
f0    3247 Hz
 Dc i ki kmd  2 x0.25 7700 x0.96 x1.04
• The stator system is a complex structure which consists of the laminated

stack with yoke and teeth, winding distributed in slots, encapsulation
(potting), and frame (enclosure or casing). The above equation can only be
used to estimate the natural frequency of the stator core alone.

Vibro-Acoustics Analysis
• The sound power radiated from an ideal structure can be calculated as:
  0 c0 S v 2
Where 0 is the airdensity, c0 is the speed of sound and S is the surface area
v 2 is mean squareof the surfacevelocity.
• For a real structure, the radiation efficiency is introduced to accommodate
the deficiencies, such as geometry complex, uniformity of the source, etc.
Actural Structure Radiated Power

Radiation Efficiency 
Ideal Structure Radiated Power
or
 actural  actural
  or  actural  0c0 S v 2
 ideal 0 c0 S v 2

Radiation Efficiency of a Stator
• Radiation efficiency of a stator • For circumferential mode only, the

depends on many factors, including
the vibration mode of the stator, i.e.
radiation efficiency can be
mode no m, estimated in the plot below:
• The overall radiation efficiency of the

stator is the summation of all the
modes.
• The total power is the sum of power at

each mode.
• Where k is the wave number and
a is the radius of the outer frame.

Calculation of Radiated Sound Power of a Stator
Example 3. A 7.5 kW PM brushless motor with its frame outer diameter

Df = 0.248 m and frame length L f = 0.242 m has been considered. An
electromagnetic force harmonics at fr = 2792.2 Hz is the concern, and
this harmonics excites the circumferential mode m = 2, n = 0 of the
stator, making the primary contribution to the total sound power
radiated from the motor. The amplitude of surface vibration
displacement at this frequency has been determined as 0.8 × 10−6
mm. Assume the air density ρo = 1.188 kg/m3, sound speed in the air co
= 344 m/s, both at 20oC and 1000 mbar.
Determine the radiated sound power in dB.
The angular frequency is ω = 2π f = 2π×2792.2 = 17, 543.91 radians. The

external surface

PWM Optimization of Electric
Motor/Inverter for Noise Control
W. Huang, Z. Wang and J. Cherng

University of Michigan – Dearborn
Z. Tang and P. Ding,
ANSYS, Inc.
International Journal Vehicle Performance, Vol. 2, No. 3, 2016
Background
• The pulse width modulation (PWM)
technology is widely used in inverter
fed motor control including electrified
vehicles.
• PWM will cause high frequency
harmonics due to its amplitude
switching.
• Harmonics of electromagnetically
induced forces will excite the motor
structure and cause mechanical
resonances and noise radiation.
Energy Flow of Electric Motor
Main circuit
Motor Model: TOYOTA Prius 2004
Machine Type Internal Permanent Magnet

Adjustable Speed Motor
Rated Output Power 75kW
Number of Poles 8
Stator Teeth 48
Rated Speed 3000rpm

Stator system vibration analysis
Use harmonic analysis for forced vibration to get surface

velocity 𝑥 𝑡 :
𝑀𝑥 𝑡 + 𝐶𝑥 𝑡 + 𝐾 𝑥 𝑡 = 𝐹
Stator System Acoustic Analysis
Stator considered as cylindrical radiation, sound power

radiated from structure is:
𝜋𝑟𝑎𝑑 = 𝑢2 𝜌0 𝑐0 𝐴𝛿𝑟𝑎𝑑
PWM frequency at 5000 Hz
5000PWM SPL
120
100
80
60
5000PWM SPL
40
20
0
PWM frequency at 5000 Hz
Motor sound pressure level at 4800Hz SPL at five different distances at 4800Hz
Peak SPL is 92dB

Resonance at 7200Hz
Stator mode Eigen frequencies
Stator mode shape at 7200.4 Hz

Noise reduction
• Motor Performance Vs. Switching Frequency
Energy loss
Smoothness of
Rotation
Acoustic noise
Frequency
SPL and Efficiency Tradeoff based on
ANSYS simulation result
100 94.70%
94.60%
90
94.50%
80 94.40%
SPL(dB)
70 94.30% SPL peak
94.20% Efficiency
60
94.10%
50 94.00%
5000 6000 8000 10000
PWM Switching Frequency(Hz)
Filter Performance
Peak SPL is 89dB after add filter, 3 dB drop

Conclusions
• A complete integrated CAE model of motor-

inverter-stator was established in ANSYS
workbench to simulate and predict the motor
magnetic noise.
• The motor magnetic noise is decreasing when
PWM switching frequency is increasing.
• A noise and efficiency tradeoff is necessary
before increasing the switching frequency to
reduce the noise.
• An optimum 8000 Hz switching frequency was
identified this case study
8. Case Studies
• Case 1: Simulation of the Airborne and

Structure-borne Noise of Electric
Powertrain: Validation of the Simulation
Methodology.(Ref. 3)
• Case 2: Noise and Vibration Development
for Adapting a Conventional Vehicle
Platform for an Electric Powertrain (Ref.4)

Case 1: Simulation and Validation
• Objective : Using a multi-physical

approach to simulate the dynamic
force and noise radiated by
electric motors.
• Three key steps:
1. Calculate the excitation force
due to electromagnetic forces
(Maxwell forces) by using an
electromagnetic finite element solver.
2. Calculate the dynamic
response of the stator by projecting
the excitation force to the structure
mesh of the stator.
3. Determine the radiated sound
power by a standard acoustic finite
element method.

Electromagnetic Simulation
• For each motor speed, the

electromagnetic simulation
provides two time-space excitation
matrices (one related to the radial
component, the second related to
the tangential component). The
influence of every relevant
parameter is contained in this
simulation: number of poles,
number of stator slots, number of
rotor slots, current shape,
eccentricity and saturation of the
magnetic core. These parameters
affect the excitation content in the
Calculation points of the Maxwell
time domain as well as its spatial pressure inside the air gap.
distribution.

Mechanical Excitation Forces
• Electromagnetic excitations are

applied to the interface nodes of
the stator (the nodes located close
to the air gap as illustrated by
figure 23). In the case of this
electric motor, excitation is
calculated in the frequency
domain and applied to 27000
nodes. For each motor speed, an
electromagnetic complex
excitation spectrum is written for
each interface node (for radial and
tangential excitation) which leads
to a large amount of excitation
data (250Mb per motor speed).

Dynamic Calculations
• The dynamic calculation is
based by the FEM model
to calculate the modal
frequency response. In a
first step, the modal basis
of the structure is
calculated. By knowing the
applied loads, it is used in
order to estimate the
structural response of the
stator.

Stator Modes and Run Up Order Plot
Stator Modes Run-Up Order Plot

Vibration Validation
10th Harmonics 50th Harmonics

Conclusions
• The key points to understanding the vibro-acoustic behavior of the

motor are both the knowledge of its modal basis and the analysis of
the electromagnetic excitation.
• Stator modes and rotating forces occurring at the air gap must be
expressed as (f, m) where f is the frequency and m is the spatial
order. Without even performing heavy calculations, this type of
analysis can target critical points: the motor speed and frequencies
for which the vibration levels and the noise levels will be the highest.
• The analytical result agreed reasonably with the FEM predictions.
The accuracy of the results is very dependent on the reliability of the
structural finite element model.

Case Study 2
• Objective: To provide the customer a refine noise and vibration

performance by investigating the basic noise and vibration issues of
a hybrid vehicle.
• Key Issues:
A. Powertrain Signature
B. Rigid Body Modes
C. Forced Response Issues
D. Acoustic Package
E. Customer Expectations
F. Target Cascading
G. Accessory Noise and Vibration

Powertrain Signatures
• The smaller mass of
motor unit compared with
ICE causes the shift in
rigid body mode from 5 to
20 Hz to 10 to 40 Hz.
• Input and output gearing
and inverter contribute
high frequency noises
and vibrations from 1 kHz
to 10 kHz of ICE to 4 kHz
to 14kHz of HEV .

Rigid Body Modes
• The mass reduction in EV can up
to one- third of an ICE vehicle,
which can increase the body
natural frequency by almost 20%.
• Electric powertrain can provide
significant higher output torque
particularly at low speed range of
20 – 60% higher than the ICE
vehicle.
• With this higher torque level, the
stiffness of powertrain mounts
needs to be increased which will
transmit more vibration and noise
as well as increase the body mode
frequencies.
• This frequency shifting may
couple with other suspension
modes.

Options for Body Mode Issue
• Using existing CAE model of the development vehicle to identify the
potential problems in low frequency coupling. Modify the suspension
components to keep mode separation.
• Options:
1. Change the resonant frequency of the suspension system.
2. Change the resonant frequency of the electrical powertrain.
3. Add additional dynamic damping.
• However, it could be extremely difficult to change the existing system

platform due to the small production volume of EV/HEV, therefore
a) Decrease the resonant frequency of the powertrain by increase the mass or
decrease the mount stiffness.
b) Increase the resonant frequency of the powertrain by decrease the mass or
increase the mount stiffness.

Force Response Issues
• Higher torque inputs from

electrical motor with lower in
mass creates a new series of
forced response issues in the
base vehicle.
• Understanding the physical
movement and behavior of the
motor and the impact to the
driveline and body due to
motor movement is critical.
• Installation of the motor mount
to the vehicle platform may
create a different forced
response due to the motor
pivot around its roll axis
causing changes to the system
driveline angles.
HALF SHAFT AXIAL VIBRATION DUE TO
FORCED RESPONSE
This change in driveshaft joint angle can have negative effect to axial
forces generated by the driveshaft. Vibrations caused from this dynamic
change in driveshaft angles can then be transferred back into the
motor, suspension, and eventually into the body of the vehicle. This
additional input can have a negative effect to customer perception as
the additional energy transferred into the vehicle can excite body panels
or create noise that not present on the base vehicle.

Acoustical Package
• Key features:
1. Lack of combustion and mechanical noises from the ICE powertrain can
provide some benefit for noise and vibration. Increased high frequency
noise from an electric motor, add different challenges.
2. It is important to re-evaluate the acoustic package for an electric powertrain
vehicle by first considering the customers expectation of what an electric
vehicle should sound like and how to design an acoustic package to be able
to deliver a tuned experience for the customer across a wide frequency
range.
3. In addition to the higher torque and lower mass, the motor, gear, accessory
components (water pump, compressor, etc.) and inverter noises generate
new type noise sources that are typically higher than what typical for an
ICE. (inverter switching noise, for example, can range anywhere
4. A new acoustical package with high frequency content is needed.

Customer Expectations
A jury study for two sound scenes:
Tack-off scene (from stop or low
speed to 35 mph) and Cruising scene
(55 – 75 mph). Each scene is divided
into four spectrum categories. The
findings are:
1.Customers were bothered by high
frequency noises above 1000 Hz.
2.Did prefer some low frequency
motor sound at take-off.
3.General trend preferred some motor
and electric sound feedback during
acceleration and deceleration.
4.Both low and higher frequency
ranges were considered bothersome
and should be eliminated

Target Cascading
• Based upon market studies in combination with similar jury studies it

is possible to develop targets, both vehicle and component-level, to
deliver the desired sound to the customer.
• Considering the expectation for an overall quiet experience of an
electric vehicle, targets for some phenomenon such as wind and
road noise may need to be modified compared to similar ICE
vehicles.
• Understanding the masking effects of wind and road noise on
electrical vehicle noise can be important, as wind and road noise
can significantly mask some EV specific noises.
• Focus on lower speeds where the powertrain noises can be more
apparent to the customer

Accessory Noise and Vibration
• Inverter noise – circuit switching or PWM cause high frequency noise from
6 kHz to 20 kHz. It is critical and annoy to the customer. Method A :
integrated with motor isolation unit and B: wrap the inverter with absorptive
layers
• Water pump noise – may have several water pumps for HEV for different
cooling purposes and they are electrically driven for EV. Mounting strategy
and location are critical.
• Cooling fan noise – Either using the vehicle cooling fan or dedicated
cooling fan for HEV components. It must be masked by other noise source
and noise level needs to be controlled at low speed and stop conditions.
• AC Compressor vibration – It is no longer powered by the ICE for EV. It
generate pulsate waves and can create both structure-borne and air-borne
noises. It can be either mounted directly to the motor or mounted
separately. It is important to optimize the mounting structure and location in
order to achieve a level similar to a conventional or hybrid vehicle..

Conclusions
• With the reduced weight of the motor unit and the higher torque output it is
possible to experience modal coupling and forced response issues. By
being proactive early in development it is possible to catch these issues and
address them in the proper manner.
• Successful management of the inherent acoustic differences between an
internal-combustion-engine (ICE) and an electric powertrain can be vital to
the success of the vehicle and achievement of customer satisfaction.
• Additional development actions related to the higher frequency excitations
present with an electric powertrain need to be considered.
• Mounting accessory components to the conventional body it can also
become a challenge. Managing appropriate bracket and component
resonances as well as insuring proper isolation is crucial to maintaining
conventional vehicle performance for the electric vehicle platform.

References
1. Jacek F. Gieras, Chong Wang, Joseph Cho Lai, "Noise of Polyphase

Electric Motors", Taylor&Francis Group, 2006.
2. James Larminie, John Lowry, “Electric Vehicle Technology Explained”,
Oxford Brooks University, Oxford, UK, Acenti Designs Ltd., UK.
3. Jean-Baptiste Dupont, Pascal Bouvet ,Jean-Luc Wojtowicki ,“Simulation
of the Airborne and Structure-BorneNoise of Electric Powertrain
Validation of theSimulation Methodology” Vibratec.
4. Todd Freeman and Brian Thom, Scott Smith "Noise and Vibration
Development for Adapting a Conventional Vehicle Platform for an
Electric Powertrain", 2013.

ME 570 Powertrain NVH of Electrified Vehicles Chapter 4 Noise and Vibration of Motors, Generators, and Converters

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ME 570 Powertrain NVH of Electrified Vehicles Chapter 4 Noise and Vibration of Motors, Generators, and Converters

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ME 570 Powertrain NVH of Electrified Vehicles

Chapter 4 Noise and Vibration of Motors,

THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-DEARBORN 1

THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-DEARBORN 2

THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-DEARBORN 3

• The energy stored in magnetic structure

THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-DEARBORN 4

THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-DEARBORN 5

THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-DEARBORN 6

• It is a high efficiency, high

THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-DEARBORN 7

THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-DEARBORN 8

THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-DEARBORN 9

• Attracting forces are acting between

THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-DEARBORN 10

• Torque to the rotor

• Torque to the stator

THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-DEARBORN 11

Not Commutated Rotor Commutated Rotor

THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-DEARBORN 12

Current through the

THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-DEARBORN 13

Constant torque Non Constant Torque

THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-DEARBORN 14

THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-DEARBORN 15

THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-DEARBORN 16

Example 1. A DC motor as shown in the circuit, provides a current of 10

THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-DEARBORN 17

1. The field current is; 5. The total loss is;

E 100 Lt  L f  La  Lm  100  81  90  271 watts

8. The motor efficiency is;

4. Copper losses in the armature are: Wout 729

THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-DEARBORN 18

A. Rotor – It is the moving part

THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-DEARBORN 19

C. Air Gap – The space between

THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-DEARBORN 20

E. Commutator – The motor’s

THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-DEARBORN 21

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THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-DEARBORN 23

THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-DEARBORN 24

THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-DEARBORN 25

THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-DEARBORN 26

2. The stator-frame (or stator-enclosure) structure is the primary radiator

THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-DEARBORN 27

3. Magnetostrictive Noise – It is resulting from the periodic elongation (or

4. Parasitic Oscillation Torque – In inverter-fed motors, parasitic oscillating

THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-DEARBORN 28

• Magnetic permeance (P) is

THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-DEARBORN 29

• The slotting structure of the rotor and

• The electromagnetic radial force per

Harmonic Number (angle at 120o)

THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-DEARBORN 30

• Magnetostrictive offset is identified

THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-DEARBORN 31

THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-DEARBORN 32

• The basic electromechanical inverter

THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-DEARBORN 33

• The switching frequency ranges

THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-DEARBORN 34

• Rear wheel drive