Design and analysis of axial flux permanent magnet BLDC motor for automotive applications

The selection and design of motor for electric and hybrid vehicle is very important as the motor in this application should posses high power density, higher efficiency, fit in to limited space, and supreme heat removal capacity. One of the better selection for this kind may be an axial flux brushless DC motor. In this paper, an axial flux brush less DC motor is chosen for the study. A preliminary design is arrived based on the magnetic circuit and power balance equations. Then the Finite Element Analysis of the preliminary design is carried out. It is found from the FEA that the preliminary design can be refined. The major refinement is on shape of the magnet, and minor on shape of the slot and slot width. The different magnets shapes are studied and optimal shape is proposed which reduces the cogging torque. The performance of the motor (refined design) found from FEA is compared with the specified values and found that designed motor meets the requirements.