Reduction of Cogging Torque in Double-Rotor Axial-Flux Permanent-Magnet Disk Motors: A Review of Cost-Effective Magnet-Skewing Techniques With Experimental Verification

Minimizing cogging torque in designing axial-flux permanent-magnet (AFPM) motors is one of the main issues which must be considered during the design process. This paper presents several cost-effective magnet-skewing techniques to minimize cogging torque components in double-rotor AFPM motors. Rotor-side cogging torque minimization methods are examined in detail with major focus on magnet-skewing approach, and several cost-effective alternative skewing techniques are proposed. A detailed comparison of magnet-skewing approaches is provided. A prototype AFPM motor with different rotor structures is built based on the analyses. Analyses are then validated with experimental results, and the influence of cogging torque component on torque quality of AFPM motors is explored. The results confirm that the proposed magnet-skewing approaches can significantly reduce the cogging component as opposed to reference AFPM motor with unskewed magnets and help to improve the torque quality of the disk motors.