Finite-element study on a two-phase switched-reluctance motor with split rotor poles

The magnetic saturation characteristic of the switched-reluctance (SR) motor has a very strong influence on its current, torque and power. The best power per weight ratio of SR motor can be achieved by employing equal cross-section area in every part of its magnetic core. However, in some designs a non-uniform or larger stator-core cross-sectional area is required to achieve acceptable rigidity and acoustic noise levels, and as a consequence these motors do not achieve optimum power density. The saturation characteristic and air-gap flux distribution of SR motor may be modified by adding parallel slits to motor poles. This paper investigates the effect of rotor-pole slits on the performance of a small two-phase 4/6 pole SR motor using finite element and time-stepping simulation. It is found that the performance of the SR motor can be enhanced by adding suitably sized parallel slits to the rotor poles.