Multi-Step FEA-Based Design and Performance Analysis for a Single-Phase PM Brushless DC Motor

In the article, an approach to design a novel single-phase permanent magnet (PM) brushless DC (BLDC) motor, based on multi-step FEA numerical prototyping, is presented. The designing procedure is carried out by using a series of 2D finite element simulations, until the design for a best performing PM BLDC motor is obtained. The proposed novel motor topology is developed using a generic motor, and through several steps, asymmetrical stator poles are devised, where one pair is particularly shaped. Permanent magnets are also simultaneously shaped. The aim of this research study is to improve performance characteristics of the motor by more efficient utilisation of active materials during the manufacture of rotor poles and stator cores. The magnetic field distribution in the motor cross-section, along with several other relevant electromagnetic and electromechanical characteristics, are computed, presented in figures and charts and analysed. The cogging torque and static torque waveforms, as well as the distribution of flux density and the air-gap flux, flux linkage and the induced back-emf, are in the focus of the presented research study. The results show that the novel design topology reveals featured operating characteristics, providing a smooth overall performance of the PM BLDC motor.