Axial flux plastic multi-disc brushless PM motors: performance assessment

A dedicated brushless PM motor prototype for a stratospheric aircraft propeller drive has been manufactured and experimentally tested. The motor has a non-conventional axial flux multi-disc structure; the magnetic circuit is almost ironless and the mechanical structure makes wide use of composite plastic materials. The experimental tests demonstrate the motor functionality and performances, basically confirming the expected motor characteristics. The prototype performances are assessed considering as reference the conventional radial flux motors.