General Principle of Symmetrical Flux Linkages in Stator-Permanent Magnet Machines

The even order harmonics of the flux linkage naturally exist in every armature coil of stator-permanent magnet (PM) machines, while it is usually a basic requirement to have the symmetrical phase flux linkage free from even order harmonics. Thus, the specific harmonics must be eliminated after the coil connection. In this article, the general mechanism of the even order harmonics elimination in various stator-PM machines is investigated, and it is found that either the opposite PM polarities or the opposite coil polarities of the two adjacent phase coils can guarantee the elimination effect, and hence, the symmetrical phase flux linkages. This principle can be applied to both bipolar flux and unipolar flux machines. The analysis is validated by finite-element method and the test results of the prototype machine.