Optimization of Standard PMDC Motors Used in Automotive Applications for Higher Power Density

Aim of this work is the development of a competitive alternate design topology (in terms of power density) of a small permanent magnet dc (PMDC) motor found in automotive applications. Initially, a real industrial motor is measured, designed and simulated, while its measurements and the relevant manufacturer data are considered as a benchmark. In turn, through custom developed software, a redesigned configuration is proposed regarding the structural (stator, rotor, magnets) geometry and magnet material. The resulting geometry was obtained through a constrained optimization algorithm having as goal the minimization of the overall volume and it was further verified by commercial finite element method (FEM) analysis software. Also, the new model is compared with the benchmark motor. Last but not least, FEM analysis was used for thermal behavior evaluation. The overall results reveal that the energy density and the performance of the proposed topology were substantially increased, while the cost was remained low.