Design and Construction of a Multipole Electric Motor Using an Axial Flux Configuration

Abstract

In the transportation industry, the use of renewable energies has been implemented in conjunction with the development of higher-power electric motors and, consequently, the development of intelligent control systems for torque and speed control. Currently, the coupling between both systems is being developed through mechanical systems, affecting the efficient transmission of energy and the useful life of the components. On the other hand, new configurations of electric motors are being developed, such as axial flux motors (AFM), because these can be coupled directly without a mechanical coupling, given their characteristics of high torque at low speeds. In the present work, an innovative design of a multipole axial flux motor (MAFM) is introduced. General criteria for the design and construction are presented considering the geometry in axial flux and permanent magnets. The performance of the system is evaluated through finite element magnetic simulations (FEMM) and compared with experimental measurements of the developed prototype; confirming the effectiveness of the design, obtaining torques of up to 1.784 Nm without extra mechanical couplings and maximum speed regulation errors of 8.43%. The motor was controlled by a digital pole switching system whit six control mode, applied to a permanent magnet MFA for speed and torque control at constant speed. This control can be extended to conventional radial flux electric motor configurations and intelligent traction applications, based on torque demand.