EEE 'I'RANSACTIONS ON MAGIWICS, VOL.28, N0.

2, MARCH 1992 1371

Analytical Prediction of the CO gin Tor ue in Radial-field

Permanent Magnet brus%less%otors
Z.Q. Zhu and D. Howe
Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering
University of Sheffield, PO Box 600
Mappin Street, Sheffield S 1 3JD, England

Abstract---A method for predictingthe coggingtorque in radial- analytical calculation of the airgap field distribution and the net
field permanent magnet brushlessmotors, based on the analytical lateral force acting on the teeth, is proposed to predict the
calculationof the airgap field distributionand the net lateral force cogging torque.
acting on the stator teeth, is developed and validated. The tech-
nique is applicable to both internal and external rotor motor However in order to simplify the field calculation the follow-
topologies,modelled in a cylindricalcoordinate system. It can also ing assumptions are made:
caterwith variantsto the basic motor topologies,such as those with
shifted magnets (ie. spaced unsymmetrically) or unevenly dis- a) the permeability Of the iron is infinite, ie !&e = = ;
trlbuted stator slots etc, and as such can enable design features b) the slots are simplified to a rectangular shape;
aimed at reducing the level of cogging torque to be evaluated. c) the magnetic field distribution is determined from the
product of the magnetic field produced by Ehe magnets and
I. INTRODUCTION the relative permeance;
d) the magnetic field developed by the magnets is obtained
Cogging arises from the interaction of the mmf harmonics from a 2-d solution by assuming a smooth stator surface[3],
and the airgap permeance harmonics. Hence it exists in almost ie slotting is neglected, as shown in Fig.1;
all types of motor in which the airgap permeance is not con- e) the airgap permeance is calculated according to an assumed
stant. In a permanent magnet machine cogging manifests itself field pattem in which the flux crosses the magnet and airgap
by the tendency of the rotor to align in a number of stable in a straight line wherever a magnet faces a tooth and in a
positions even when unexcited. Under dynamic conditions the circular path, centred about the comer of a tooth, wherever
resultant pulsating torque, of zero net value, can be transmitted a magnet faces a slot opening, as shown in Fig.2.
via the rotor to the coupled load, causing undesirable speed
pulsations, and through the stator frame, inducing vibrations, The net lateral force acting on the stator teeth, and hence the
possible resonance, and acoustic noise. Because of the sensitiv- cogging torque at any rotor position, is calculated by assuming
ity to speed pulsations of many applications for which perma- that the flux density distribution on each side of a tooth is equal
nent magnet motors now provide the drive, and because the to the flux density distribution at adjacent slot openings calcu-
emergence of high-energy permanent magnets tends to aggra- lated at the stator bore radius,ie. for the assumed circular flux
vate the problem, cogging effects remain a major concem. paths at a slot opening, centred at the comer of an adjacent tooth,
Hence a reliable means of estimatingthe likely level of cogging
and its dependance on the motor design parameters is required.
However existing analytical methods are successful only in
certain circumstances, and are likely to fail in others, eg. when
the magnets have a 18OOelec.pole-arc.
II. METHODOLOGY OF ANALYTICAL PREDICTION -Br
(a) Magnetisation
In existing analytical approaches based on the energy method
the greatest difficulty is in accounting for the tangential com-
ponent of flux density in both the magnets and the airgap region,
which arises due to flux leakage directly between magnets and
fringing at the stator slot-openings [l][23. This component is as
important as the radial component of flux density since although
its contribution to the totalenergy may be small its contribution
to the rate of change of energy with rotor position, particularly (b) Internal rotor motor
in localised regions such as the magnet edges and tooth tips,
may be at least as large as that due to the radial component.
However it is clearly impossible for an analytical method to
account for the effects of alI the geometrical complexities
associated with the airgap region.

Due to the difficulties cited in the analytical calculation of (c) External rotor motor

energy, in this uauer an alternative approach, based on the Fig.1. Motor topology and magnetisation
Manuscript received July 7,1991
0018-9464/92$03.000 1992 EEE
~

1372

slot-opening regions. According to assumption (e) the per-

meance h and the relative permeance X can be calculated
approximately from:

Fig. 2. Idealised flux distribution used for calculating the permeance

for (k-1)2t-bo/2 4 x S (k-1)2t+bo/2
and assuming that the flux density B’ebl on the sides of a tooth
is the same as the flux density Brbl at the slot opening on the where k = 1, 2, ..... Qs;(n/zp)x=p 8; zp is the pole pitch;
stator bore, as shown in Fig 3. The net cogging torque developed zt is the slot pitch; g is the airgap length; hm is the height of
by an intemal rotor/extemal rotor motor, at any rotor position, the magnets.
is then calculated from:
IV. MAGNETIC FIELD PRODUCED BY MAGNETS

The magnetic field due to the magnets is obtained from a

two-mensional solution, modelled in a cylindrical coordinate
system, by assuming a smooth stator surface[3]. It is deduced
from the magnetisation shown in Fig.1, ie.

m sin napff
2
where rt = Ri + rs or Ri - rs for an intemayextemal rotor
M= C 2 M n cosnp8 and M n = B r a, napn (4)
n=1,3,5,...
topology respectively; bo is the slot opening; Qsis the number 2
of slots; la is the active length; and rs is shown in Fig.3, whilst
the flux density distribution on the stator bore is calculated where Br is the remanence; and a, is the ratio of pole-arc to
according to assumption (c), ie. pole-pitch of the magnets.

On the stator bore, ie. r = Ri ,the general expression for the

radial component of flux density in internal and extemal rotor
The calculation of the magnetic field produced by the mag- motors is obtained from Poissons equation[3] as:
nets, B-gnet, and the relative permeance, X,for motors having
either an internal or extemal rotor topology is described in
subsequent sections.
III. RELATIVE PERMEANCE

In the calculation of the cogging torque the airgap flux

( np - 1 ) R?p+ 2 R Z ” R!p:pl- ( np + 1 ) R? 1
density, and hence the permeance, is required only in the

in which when np=l Bmagnet= *Pr

cos 0

----P-
,h magnet

(a>
Y 14
-
where Ri and Rn are shown in Fig.1, whilst RO= Ri g or Ri +g
for intemal/extemal rotor topologies respectively.
V. UNEVEN DISTRIBUTION OF MAGNETS AM)SLOTS

A . Magnet Shifting

(b)
When one pair of magnet poles is rotated relative to an
Fig. 3. Lateral force and torque calculation adjacent pair, whilst the permeance will remain unchanged
 ~

1373
[4] the magnetic field distribution will be modified since the are displaced by dxs from the position which they could occupy
magnetisationis no longer a symmetricalpattern (cosnpe terms with uniform slotting, then if
only) but a combination of symmetrical components (cosnp0
terms) and anti-symmetrical components (simp9 terms). This
QS1 = Q? =Qsf2
(8)
can be seen in FigA, where the magnetisation distribution after
shifting is decomposed into a symmetrical pattern, which is the the resultant cogging torque is given simply by
same as before, and an anti-symmetricalpattern.
T c = Tc1 +Tc2 (9)
If the distance by which one pole-pair is shifted relative to
another pole-pair is dxm,the resultant magnetisation is: If all the slot-openings are identical then

TC(x) = TC1(x) + Tc' (X+ d x s ) (10)

where ( n/zP) x = p 0, whilst Mn is still given by eqn (4),
however, the harmonic order n is now given by n=1,2,3,...
Therefore, by replacing 2Mncos np0 in equations (5) and (6)
with
the magnetic field produced by the magnets when they are
shifted is obtained. Hence the cogging torque can be evaluated
by equation (1) again.
B. Uneven Distribution of Slots
The use of unevenly distributed stator slots offers another
altemative method for reducing the cogging torque. Again by
utilising the idea of superposition the resultant cogging torque
can be calculated by the technique developed. For example, if
the slot distribution is as shown in Fig.5 where alternate slots
VI. COMPARISONS
Validations of the cogging torque waveform and its variation
with the slot opening have been made against finite element
predictions and measurements for two prototype motors. One
has 12 poles, 36 stator slots and an intemal rotor with surface
mounted full pole-arc bondedNdFeB magnets, whilst the other
is an external rotor motor which has 8 poles, 6 stator slots, and
a bonded ferrite permanent magnet with a pole-arc to pole-pitch
ratio of 0.8.
Figs.6 and 7 show the comparison of the predicted magnetic
field distribution on the stator iron bore for both internal rotor
and external rotor motors. The predicted results are obtained
from both analytical and finite element calculations in which
the stators have been modelled by equivalent slotless topo-
logies. Furthermore, in the finite element analysis the stator and
rotor iron has been modelled by a natural Neuman boundary
condition. Hence the effect of saturation has been neglected.
The figures show that there is good agreement between the
analytical and finite element predicted field distribution pro-
duced by the magnets for both motors.

A. Internal Rotor Motor

....,. ...... ; . ; .i I iij j : j

.. .. : I
: :
i
;
I
I
*dxl
. . .
:. ;. ..
A comparison between the analytically predicted cogging
torque variation with rotor position and corresponding results
from finite element calculations for the radial-field motor is
0.25, I
- a

-FE . '
prediction
anal tical
---preJction '

Fig.4. Re1 ti0 shi of ma etisation distribution between 0.10.

sh$tJanJ'nomPmagnet arrangements .3

Qs 4v1

-O.

i4-a.'o'
%2o. -0.10.

-0.30 -0.15.

-aw. -0.20.

-ad I 1 -0.25 I

nfi 2 =/e 0 =/e n

angle (deg.mech.) angle (deg.mech.)
Fig.6 Feld distributionon stator bore Fig.7 Field distribution on stator bore
Fig.5. Uneven slot distribution tor internal rotor motor, for extemal rotor votor,
neglectlng slotting neglectlng slottlng
1374
61 I I I 1 I
1 be necessary. For example, the permeance given by equation
(3) could be modified to:
4 -
h

8a,
2 - CLO for Xok
Xok
X
- htt
5
5
Xok
X 5
+ hit
Xok
h= g+-+- (11)
0 -
9
.8
M
-2
- --+ measured 10 27s for Yak + htr 5 x I G k - hrr

3 -analytical predictior
" -4
-
where m =( k - 1 ) T t + -bo
2
; and x'Ok=
2
bo
( k - 1 ) Ti - -;
I , I I httis the height of a tooth tip. Fig 9 includes predicted results
-5; -4 -2 0 2 4 6
angle (deg.mech.) when the modifications are made according to equation (11).
Fig.8 Comparison of cogging torque waveforms for intemal rotor motor Clearly when the slot openings are large the tooth tip effect will
be very significant and the suggested modification will be
shown in Fig 8, together with the measured result. The finite necessary in order to achieve more accurate peak values.
element results are basedon Mesh 3 in [5] which has three layers
VII. CONCLUSIONS
in the airgap and a refined mesh discretisation around the
tooth-tips and the magnets, and calculated by the energy
An analytical method forpredictingthe cogging torquebased
method, and hence are considered to be of highreliability,given
on the calculation of the airgap field distribution and the result-
that the discretisation was refined to minimise local errors[5].
ing lateral forces which act on the stator teeth has been de-
However in order to obtain the peak value of the cogging torque
veloped and validated. The technique offers acceptable
additional points on the cogging torque waveform have been
accuracy when predicting the peak value of the cogging torque
calculated.
and its variation with design parameters. The technique can
B . External Rotor Motor cater for both intemal and external rotor motors, modelled in a
cylindrical coordinate system, and with topologies in which the
Predictions for the externalrotorradial-fieldmotorare shown magnets are spaced unsymmetrically or the stator has unevenly
in Fig 9, together with both measured and finite element pre- distributed slots etc. It is also applicable to brushed permanent
dicted results. As can be seen, the fundamental (ie 24th har- magnet motors.
monic) component of the cogging torque is a minimum for a
particular slot-opening, which by the analysis technique pro- Based on the developed analytical model, the effects of
posed is when a = 1 - bo/zt = 0.647, which is in excellent varying the leading design parameters on the cogging torque
agreement with both the measured and finite element results. can be investigated. Hence an optimal combination of design
However for this condition the 48th harmonic attains a negative parameters can be identified to enable low cogging torque
maximum, so that the amplitude of the cogging torque is not motors to be designed.
actually zero but a small value. In Fig 9 the predicted peak value REFERENCES
of cogging torque deviated more from the measured results
and the finite element predictions as the slot-opening was 111 M.Goto and KKobayashi, "An analysis of the cogging
increased. This may be caused by the finite height of the tooth torque of a DC motor and a new technique of reducing the
tips which in the analytical model are assumed to be longer than cogging torque",Elec.Eng.in Japan,Vol.5, 1983,
half the slot-opening. However as the slot-opening is increased pp. 113-120.
this assumption may no longer be valid, and modifications may [2] J.D.L. Ree and N.Boules, "Torque production in
permanent magnet synchronous motors", IEEE Industry
I?
E
2
- measured
- FE prediction
Application Soc. Conf. record, Vol87,1987, pp15-20.
[3] Z.Q.Zhu and D.Howe, "Analytical prediction of the airgap
field distribution in permanent magnet motors accounting
+ + + analytical prediction for the effect of slotting", ISEF'91 Proc., Southampton,UK,
A A A modified analytical Sept. 1991, pp181-184.
[4] T. Li and G. Slemon, "Reduction of cogging torque in
permanent magnet motors", IEEE Trans. Magn.,Vol. 24,
1988,pp.2901-2903.
[5] D.Howe, Z.Q.Zhu, "The influence of finite element
M
M
discretisation on the prediction of cogging torque in
permanent magnet excited motors", C O M P W G Proc.,
0.35 0.40 0.45 0.50 0.55 0.60 0.65 0.70 Sorrento, Italy, July, 1991, pp747-750.
a= 1 - bo/Tl
Fig.9 Comparison of vanatio of peak value of coggingtorque
with sfot openmg