Rotor losses in axial-flux permanent-magnet machines with non-overlapped windings

A characterization of the rotor losses in single-sided axial-flux permanent-magnet (AFPM) machines fitted with non-overlapped windings (NOW) is presented in this paper, through experimental validation of finite element analysis (FEA) estimates. A literature review detailing the previous work done in the area of rotor loss estimation is given and the approaches taken by the authors to model the AFPM geometry, especially for 2D FEA, are detailed. Finally, the difficult issue of validating the FEA results with experimental data is addressed specifically with a prototype 24-slot/20-pole single-sided AFPM fitted with a single-layer (SL) set of NOW.