Role of advanced materials in electrical machines

There has been a revived and growing role for electrical machines and drives across a wide range of applications. Such applications include, hybrid/electrical traction applications, aerospace applications, and renewable energy. All these applications present different set of requirements and challenges. The common trend is that there is a need for higher-performance electrical machines in terms of higher power/torque density, and higher efficiency while keeping cost under control. There has been a lot of work done around coming up with novel machine topologies, optimizing more conventional topologies as well as improved thermal management schemes. Like many other areas of engineering/research, advanced materials can play a key role in opening up the design space for electrical machines leading to a step improvement in their performance. This paper will present an overview of some of the key advanced materials that are either recently developed or are currently under development and their potential impact on electrical machines.