Design Consideration to Reduce Cogging Torque in Axial Flux Permanent-Magnet Machines

In designing new topologies for permanent-magnet machines based on rare earth magnets, it is necessary to diminish the undesired cogging torque. This paper presents a 3-D finite-element analysis to evaluate the effect of magnet shape and stator displacement on cogging torque reduction, for axial flux machines. It analyzes the final electromagnetic torque for the proposed configurations. Finally, it presents the resultant cogging torque waveform for a 5.0 kW prototype, based on our optimization techniques.