Axial-Flux-Machine Modeling With the Combination of FEM-2-D and Analytical Tools

This paper deals with the development of analysis tools for axial-flux permanent-magnet machines. Normally, the study of this kind of machine involves three-dimensional (3-D) finite element method (FEM) (FEM-3-D) due to the 3-D nature of the magnetic problem. As it is widely known, the FEM-3-D software could take too much time, and both definition and solving processes of the problem may be very arduous. In this paper, a novel analysis procedure for axial-flux synchronous machines is proposed. This method consists in the combination of 2-D FEM simulations with analytical models based on the Fourier-series theory. The obtained results prove that the proposed method could be a very interesting option in terms of time and accuracy.