Computer-aided design of electrical machines for variable speed applications

Product life cycle has decreased and demands for new products have emerged due to competition, modern industrial needs, and rapidly changing technology. This has necessitated changes in design, development, and manufacturing processes to improve quality and efficiency and to reduce cost. Computer-aided design (CAD) helps to meet this challenge in the design evaluation and final product design stages. The authors present the development of interactive software for the optimal design of a motor intended for variable speed applications. The use of finite element analysis methods is proposed as an indispensable part of the CAD system for electrical machine design. An illustration of the method is given for the design of a switched reluctance motor excited with rectangular blocks of current