Control of integrated radial and axial magnetic bearings

The goal of this research is to develop a magnetically suspended momentum wheel capable of actively reducing imbalance vibrations. Typically, this would require two radial magnetic bearings with separately energized x and y-axes and one axial bearing. In this system, however, the radial and axial functions were combined into a single design for a more compact and elegant package. One downside of the integrated bearings is increased coupling between the radial and axial degrees of freedom. Closed-form solutions are developed for the bias and control forces acting independently. Implications on feedback control design are discussed