Design and parametric analysis of axial flux PM motors with minimized cogging torque

This paper deals with analysis and experiment of an axial flux permanent magnet (AFPM) brushless direct current (BLDC) motor with minimized cogging torque. Recently, many optimal designs for the AFPM motor have been done by finite-element (FE) analysis, but such analysis generally is time-consuming. In this study, the equation of magnetic flux lines existing between PMs and cores is assumed mathematically and the minimum cogging torque is calculated theoretically and geometrically without FE analysis. The form of equation is assumed to be a second-order polynomial in this paper. The skew angle that makes the cogging torque minimized is calculated theoretically, and the value of minimum cogging torque is confirmed by FE analyses and experiments. In the theoretical analysis, the maximum cogging torque of a proposed AFPM motor has the smallest value approximately at a skew angle of 4° and that value is about the same as those of FE analyses and experiments. Compared with the nonskewed motor, the cogging torque of the skewed motor can be decreased to over 90%, which has a value of 5% of the rated torque. Two types of stator cores, with the skew angle of 0° (nonskewed) and 4° (skewed optimally), are analyzed, manufactured, and tested experimentally in this paper.