Acoustic noise mitigation of switched reluctance machines with windows in both stator and rotor poles

Abstract

Switched Reluctance Machines (SRMs) have been studied by many researchers as an alternative to other types of electrical machines for use in electric and hybrid vehicle applications. SRMs are fault tolerant and have wide speed operating range. However, they suffer from several disadvantages including high vibration, acoustic noise and torque ripple. In this paper, placement of rectangular windows in both the rotor and stator poles is proposed to reduce the vibration and acoustic noise of SRMs. The position and the dimensions of the windows are optimized through Electromagnetic Finite Element Analysis (FEA). Multi-physics FEA is also performed to predict the vibration and acoustic noise of the optimized design. The results of this study confirm that placing windows in both the stator and the rotor of the SRMs can significantly reduce the acoustic noise compared to conventional SRMs.