Electric Power Components and Systems

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An Analytical Approach to Eccentricity in Axial Flux

Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generators for
Wind Turbines

Fabrizio Marignetti, Abolfazl Vahedi & Seyyed Mehdi Mirimani

To cite this article: Fabrizio Marignetti, Abolfazl Vahedi & Seyyed Mehdi Mirimani (2015) An
Analytical Approach to Eccentricity in Axial Flux Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generators
for Wind Turbines, Electric Power Components and Systems, 43:8-10, 1039-1050, DOI:
10.1080/15325008.2015.1024356

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/15325008.2015.1024356

Published online: 11 May 2015.

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Electric Power Components and Systems, 43(8–10):1039–1050, 2015
Copyright C Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

ISSN: 1532-5008 print / 1532-5016 online

DOI: 10.1080/15325008.2015.1024356

An Analytical Approach to Eccentricity in Axial Flux

Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generators
for Wind Turbines
Fabrizio Marignetti,1 Abolfazl Vahedi,2 and Seyyed Mehdi Mirimani2,3
1
Department of Electrical and Information Engineering, University of Cassino and Southern Latium, Cassino Frosinone, Italy
2
Center of Excellence for Power Systems Automation and Operation, Department of Electrical Engineering of Iran University
of Science & Technology, Tehran, Iran
3
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Babol (Noshirvani) University of Technology, Babol, Mazandaran, Iran

CONTENTS
Abstract—Eccentric air-gaps occur very likely in wind generators as
1. Introduction the turbines are subject to continued mechanical stresses. This arti-
2. Quasi 3D Modeling cle analyzes the effects of rotor eccentricity on axial flux permanent
magnet machines’ performances, such as air-gap flux density, cog-
3. Flux Density Calculation ging torque, and unbalanced force. In modeling axial flux machines,
4. Cogging Torque Calculation three–dimensional finite-element method models are required for ac-
5. Axial Force Calculation curate calculations. However, three-dimensional finite-element anal-
ysis is usually time consuming. In order to have a quick evaluation of
6. Modeling Eccentricity in AFPM
the axial flux machine performance suitable for online identification,
7. Conclusion an analytical approach that utilizes quasi three-dimensional compu-
References tation is developed. The proposed method allows taking into account
variation of tooth skewing and different magnet shapes. The results
have been validated using two-dimensional and three-dimensional fi-
nite element computations. It is shown that by using the proposed
analytical approach, it is possible to assess the performance of the
axial flux permanent magnet generators under eccentricity with rea-
sonable accuracy.

Keywords: analytical models, axial flux permanent magnet machine,
eccentricity, wind turbines, finite-element method
Received 27 December 2014; accepted 4 February 2015
Address correspondence to Prof. Fabrizio Marignetti, Department of
Electrical and Information Engineering, University of Cassino and Southern
Latium, via G. Di Biasio 43, Cassino, (FR) 03043, Italy. E-mail:
marignetti@unicas.it
Color versions of one or more of the figures in the article can be found online
at www.tandfonline.com/uemp.
1. INTRODUCTION
Axial flux permanent magnet (AFPM) machines are increas-
ingly used as wind generators due to their high efficiency and
favorable aspect ratio. Recently, Kahourzade [1] and Giulii
Capponi [2] carried out thorough reviews of AFPM machines,
including AFPM generators. The capacity to work at low
speeds allows AFPM generators to be directly coupled to low-
speed wind turbines [3], especially if concentrated windings
are used [4]. Brisset and colleagues [5] highlighted the ad-
vantages of using multiphase windings. Park et al. analyzed
the operation of wind turbines attached to AFPM generators
[6]. Jagau and others evaluated the possibility to make AFPM
generators from surplus materials and spare parts [7]. Coreless
layouts have been proposed [8].
In recent years, quite a few AFPM generators for wind
turbines have been patented. An integrated aerogenerator with

1039
1040 Electric Power Components and Systems, Vol. 43 (2015), Nos. 8–10
AFPM alternator is disclosed in Patent EP 1340910 A1 [9].
Patent US 8026626 B1 [10] describes an axial flux alternator
for a wind turbine with adjacent disks rotating in opposite
directions, while patent US 20130049512 A1 [11] discloses
an AFPM generator in a configuration that reduces cogging
torque. AFPM generators are used both in horizontal axis wind
turbines and in vertical axis wind turbines [12]. In large wind
turbines, it is generally hard to hoist the AFPM generator.
Segmented generators can be built [13]. AFPM generators
can even be stacked to produce more compact and powerful
generators [14].
One of the most frequent faults of direct drive wind turbines
is the bearing fault, which leads to expensive maintenance ac-
tions [15]. The main causes of bearing wear are the homopolar
current and cyclic fatigue of the bearings.
Horizontal axis wind turbines are subject to cyclic stresses
produced by two main causes: the first is that the wind speed
is higher at higher heights; therefore, the backward force on
the blade is higher when the blade is at its highest point. The
second cause of cyclic stress is the forward net force aris-
ing when the blade is at its lowest point. In fact, the tower
at the back of the blade determines an increase in back air
pressure.
These two forces generate a cyclic torque orthogonal to
the shaft of the turbine. The cyclic torque finally discharges
onto the shaft. The same problem arises in vertical axis wind
turbines whose axis is subject to flexure due to peak load.
In both cases, even though a gimbal was used, it would be
inevitable that some portion of the stress was transmitted to
the shaft of the machine, increasing its eccentricity.
Owing to the shorter overall axial length of AFPMs, the
ratio of machine diameter to length is high, increasing the
probability of eccentricity.
An eccentric air-gap creates an unbalanced magnetic force
between the stator and rotor of electrical machines. This force
tends to increase further the air-gap eccentricity and may
severely degrade the machine performance, producing acous-
tic noise, vibration, and bearing wear, leading to fatigue, to
deterioration of machine performance, and finally to its life-
time reduction.
In static eccentricity (SE), which is the main focus of this
study, the minimum air-gap position is fixed in space [16–18].
In fact, although the cyclic shaft torque varies in time, its di-
rection is orthogonal to wind speed and parallel to the ground.
SE is introduced during normal operation due to the previous
causes although a certain amount is inevitable, owing either to
the bearing tolerances or to the incorrect placing of the stator or
rotor during assembly. If the rotor-shaft assembly is adequately
rigid, the level of SE does not change in time. If the eccentric-
ity is large, the resulting unbalanced magnetic force (UMF)
could cause the stator and rotor to scrape, thereby leading to
both being damaged.
The aim of this article is to analyze rotor eccentricity in
AFPM generators for wind turbines. An analytical method is
proposed, based on the quasi three-dimensional (3D) approxi-
mation.
The axial flux permanent magnet machine is assumed as
it is composed of several linear machines. The slotting effect
has been considered using different permeance functions, one
for each linear machine. The total performance of the axial
flux machine is obtained by adding the performances of the
linear machines. The analysis suggests an online method for
the online detection of SE in AFPM wind generators.
The article is structured as follows: Sections 2 and 3 show
the quasi 3D modeling and the analysis of the air-gap flux
density of an AFPM. Based on this method, Sections 4 and 5
compute the cogging torque and the axial force, respectively.
Finally, Section 6 shows how to analyze an AFPM in eccentric
condition by using the proposed method.
2. QUASI 3D MODELING
Modeling the effect of SE on AFPMs requires the analysis
of the machine in eccentric conditions. In this article a quasi
3D method is used to achieve the purpose. According to this
method, the 3D structure of the machine is subdivided into a
few domains as shown in Figure 1. Each one of these domains
is treated as a linear motor. It should be noted that each linear
machine differs from the others owing to the skewing of the
teeth and magnets. The output of the analytical calculations in
this step is the flux density of the nodes in Figure 2. The flux
density distribution in the air-gap is achieved in any point of
the stator surface by juxtaposition of the linear machines. As
can be seen, each surface element is enclosed by four nodes. It
has been assumed that the flux density of each surface element
is the average value of the surrounding nodes:
Bi j = (Bi, j + Bi+1, j + Bi, j+1 + Bi+1, j+1 )/4, (1)
where i and j are the numbers of angle and radius elements,
respectively. It is also assumed that the flux density passes the
surface of each element along the z-axis. The radial length of
each element is calculated as follows:
Rout − Rin
dr = , (2)
a
where a is the number of elements along the radius and Rout
and Rin are outer and inner radiuses of the stator, respectively.
Marignetti et al: An Analytical Approach to Eccentricity in Axial Flux Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generators for Wind Turbines 1041

where Nt is the stator slot number. The element area is:

 
r j + r j+1
dAj = .dr.dα. (7)
2
It should be noted that the element area depends just on the
radius while it does not depend on the angle as the angular
span of each element is fixed at any radius. The next step is to
derive the air-gap flux density in each element.

3. FLUX DENSITY CALCULATION

The air-gap flux density for the linear permanent magnet ma-
FIGURE 1. Representation of quasi 3D modeling. chines has been derived in [19], neglecting the slotting effect
in order to ease the analytical solution of the Laplace equation.

The angular span of each element is: 3.1. Magnetic Field of Magnets
2π The AFPM machines in the quasi 3D model are, in principle,
dα = , (3)
b like the one shown in Figure 3. The slotting effect has been
considered here by introducing the permeance function for
where b is the number of elements along the circumference.
each sector. The distribution of the z-axis component for each
In all calculations the minimum values of a and b have been
linear machine obtained from the 2D Poisson’s equation can
assumed to be equal to 20 and 1000, respectively. Each element
be written in Fourier’s series as [19]:
radius can be achieved by the following equation:
B M (x)
r j = Rin + j.dr, (4) ∞
 sin γ nπ
8Br
− nπδ
=− nπ

2
 2nπ h  e τp
where j is an integer between 0 and a. The angular position of
n=1,3,5,...  2nπδ  μ M −e τ p +1 e τ p M +1
− 2nπδ
−
the element can be written as: e τp + 1 +  2nπ h
M

μ0 e τ p −1
αi = i.dα, (5) nπ x
×cos , (8)
τp
where i is an integer between 0 and b. The slot pitch at the
radius rj can be written as:
where
2πr j
τt j = , (6) μ0 and μ M are free space and magnets recoil permeability,
Nt
respectively;
δ is the air-gap length;
h M is the magnet height;
τ p is the pole pitch;
Br is the permanent magnetic flux density;

FIGURE 2. Representation of quasi 3D modeling. FIGURE 3. Equivalent linear machine.

1042 Electric Power Components and Systems, Vol. 43 (2015), Nos. 8–10

FIGURE 5. Air-gap flux density at the mean radius of a sample

AFPM.

with the Carter factor kc . Assuming a smooth rotor, the effec-

tive air-gap can be calculated as:
FIGURE 4. Air-gap flux density at the mean radius of a sample δe = kc δ  , (10)
AFPM.
where δ is the total air-gap length considering the magnet
length and the air-gap length δ:
γ is the ratio of the magnet width over the pole pitch, which  
can be written as follows:  hM
δ = δ+ . (11)
wM μM
γ = . (9)
τp In fact, in permanent magnet machines, the magnet length
is considered as a part of air-gap in permeance point of view.
Equation (8) was computed for a four-poles AFPM in [20]. In Eq. (11), μ M is the recoil permeability. The effective air-gap
The flux density distribution at the mean radius is shown in length will be obtained as follows:
Figure 4. To verify the accuracy of the results of the analytical 
δe = k c δ − h M . (12)
approach, FEM results are shown at the same radius. It can be
seen that the results are in very good agreement. It should be The Carter factor can be obtained in accordance to the slot
noted that Eq. (8) has been calculated up to the harmonic 15th. geometry and air-gap length as [19]:
A further increment in the harmonic number does not increase

the accuracy of the results while it increases the simulation
time.
3.2. Slotting Effect
Air-gap flux density in the presence of slots is subject to heavy
changes in shape and amplitude according to the slots’ shape
and opening. The effect of slotting on the field produced by
the magnets can be considered by evaluating the permeance
function of slots. The reduction of the first harmonic of the per-
manent magnet (PM) flux density is usually taken into account
by means of the Carter factor.
3.2.1. Carter Factor
The flux density always decreases when the slot opening in-
creases and, therefore, it is not easy to define the average flux.
In 1901, Carter offered a solution to this problem, determining
the effective air gap in the presence of slots [21]. According
to Carter’s principle, the air-gap appears to be longer than its
physical value. The length of the physical air-gap δ increases
ws 4δ
  π ws 
kc = 1 − + + ln 1 + , (13)
τs π τs 4δ 
where τs is slot pitch and ws is the slot width. Carter factor
is always larger than 1, so the effective air-gap will be larger
than the real air-gap. In this case the value of air-gap flux
density will have a uniform reduction, which will be obtained
by replacing the effective air-gap:
B Me (x) = (B M (x))δ=δe . (14)
Figure 5 shows the air-gap flux density produced by mag-
nets for a 28-pole AFPM introduced in [20] before and after
applying the Carter factor. The influence of slots in the average
permeance of the air-gap is taken into account by replacing the
real air-gap by a longer equivalent air-gap δe . The result ob-
tained by applying the above equations is not quite accurate,
although it is usually sufficient in practice.
In fact, the most accurate result is obtained by incorporat-
ing the permeance function within the achieved air-gap flux
density.
Marignetti et al: An Analytical Approach to Eccentricity in Axial Flux Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generators for Wind Turbines 1043

FIGURE 7. Permeance functions of a sample AFPM with

mean value 1.
FIGURE 6. Permeance functions at the mean radius of a sam-
ple AFPM for one open slot.
Moreover, in [23] a third permeance function has been in-
3.2.2. Permeance Function troduced:
⎧   
In order to achieve a better description of the air gap flux ⎨ μ0
/ μ0
, −0.5ws <x<0.5ws
k3 (x) =
h h
g+ μM + 2π4 x g+ μM (21)
density distribution, the drop in the magnet’s flux is introduced ⎩ M M
1, elsewhere.
first. Then the permeance function (k (x)) is multiplied with
the effective magnet flux density. By applying the permeance
All of the aforementioned functions are shown in Figure 6
function on the air-gap flux density produced by magnets, the
for open slots. As it can be seen, all of the functions give close
slotting effect is introduced:
approximations. So it makes no difference to select any of
BT (x) = k (x) .B Me (x) . (15) the functions. However, it seems that the permeance function
k1 represents a better approximation. It should be noted that
Many papers have investigated the permeance function of the mean values of all functions are lower than 1. Thus, by
slots in electrical machines [21, 22]. In [21] relations are pro- multiplication of the permeance function and effective air-gap
vided for the permeance function, which depends on the air- flux density in Eq. (14), the total value of magnetic flux will
gap length and the slot dimensions: drop further. To solve this problem, the permeance function
 
can be shifted up to have 1 as its mean value. Figure 7 shows
π
1−β−βcos 0.8w x , −0.4ws <x<0.4ws
k1 (x) = s , (16) the shifted permeance function for all the slots of the sample
1, elsewhere AFPM. As it was mentioned before, in order to simulate the
where β can be obtained as follows: AFPM by quasi 3D modeling, the machine needs to be ana-
lyzed in different sectors. Thus, the permeance function and
1 + u 2 − 2u the magnet fluxes must be calculated separately in each sector
β= , (17)
2(1 + u 2 ) as the rotor magnets and the stator teeth are skewed. Also, it
and u is: should be mentioned that the Carter factor in each sector is
  w 2 different owing to the same reason. The carter factor is shown
ws s in Figure 8.
u= + 1+ . (18)
2δ 2δ As it can be seen, the Carter factor decreases when the diam-
In this formulation, the flux density drop happens in 80% eter increases as the ratio of slot width to slot pitch decreases in
of the slot width. Another formulation has been provided
in [22] in which the flux drop happens in the whole slot
area:
 
1−2βsin2n wπs (x+ w2s ) , −0.5ws <x<0.5ws
k2 (x) = , (19)
1, elsewher e

where n is:
τs − ws
n= . (20)
ws
FIGURE 8. Carter factor of the sample AFPM.
1044 Electric Power Components and Systems, Vol. 43 (2015), Nos. 8–10

FIGURE 10. Two-dimensional flux density distribution in the

airgap surface.

calculated by the rate of change of the total air-gap co-energy

including the region of PMs [24]:
∂w 1 ∂  
Tc = = ∫ ∫ ∫ BT2 i j dv , (22)
∂θ 2μ0 ∂θ v

where v is the air-gap volume including the region of PMs.

With a stationary stator, the magnetic flux density produced
by the rotor PMs depends on the rotor position with respect to
the fixed coordinate system of the stator. In order to simulate
the rotation of the rotor in each step the magnet flux density
shown in Figure 5 has been shifted according to the rotation
FIGURE 9. Magnetic flux density in three sectors for healthy
speed and then multiplied by the fixed permeance function
machine.
of the slots, which is the representative of the stator. In each
step Eq. (22) has been calculated for all the air-gap elements
outer diameters. Thus, the effective air-gap decreases, which
shown in Figure 2. The calculated cogging torque is shown in
leads to a lower value of Carter factor.
Figure 11. In order to validate the result, 3D FEM calculation
is also depicted, which shows a very good agreement with
3.3. Air-gap Flux Density with Slotting Effect
analytical simulations.
The final step is to multiply the permeance function k (x)
and the effective magnetic flux density of magnets B Me (x) in
each sector [Eq. (15)]. Figure 9 shows the calculated magnetic 5. AXIAL FORCE CALCULATION
flux density in three different radii of the machine. The 3D-
In single-sided AFPMs, the axial force between rotor and stator
FEM results are also provided for the mean radius to validate
is very high. Thus, it requires more complex bearing arrange-
the analytical approach. Moreover, the magnetic flux density
ments and thicker rotor back-iron since the magnetic force
for the whole air-gap region is plotted in Figure 10. These
may twist the machine structure very easily.
values are being used in quasi 3D modeling represented in
Figure 2.

4. COGGING TORQUE CALCULATION

Cogging torque is the rotor http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma
gnetmagnets and the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statorstator
slots of a permanent magnet machine. It is position dependent
with periodicity depending on the number of poles and the
number of stator teeth. If the magnetic saturation and armature
reaction are insignificant, the cogging torque is independent
on the stator current. The cogging torque of a machine is FIGURE 11. Cogging torque of the sample AFPM.
Marignetti et al: An Analytical Approach to Eccentricity in Axial Flux Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generators for Wind Turbines 1045

FIGURE 14. The air-gap length in eccentric condition with

40% Static Eccentricity Factor.

of the flux density, which is toward the Z direction on teeth

surfaces. The permeability in the slot is much smaller than
the one in the iron. With the assumption of μr → ∞, which
can be justified for lightly loaded machines, the tangential
component will become zero and the normal force component
can be calculated by:
FIGURE 12. Axial force calculation.
1 2
fz = B , (24)
Mathematical formulations for Faraday’s theory of forces 2μ0 z
transmission through a magnetic field were derived by Carter The force component on the teeth must be integrated as the
and Helmholtz based on the energy kept in the magnetic mate- axial force is made by this area. According to Figure 2, the
rial. Their derivations have the same conception, but differ in force calculated in all the teeth areas in a quasi 3D model
the material assumptions [25]. In both cases, the resultant force must be integrated. The axial force for each face element
is directed from the area with greater permeability to the one can be obtained by:
with lower permeability. Carter’s material assumptions give 1 2
both surface and volumetric forces. In this study, Helmholtz’s fi j = B . (25)
2μ0 i j
material assumptions are used since the resulting analysis is
Thus, the total axial force is given by:
more consistent with the presented technique of machine anal-
f
ysis and the calculation of the magnetic field inside the iron fz = . (26)
core of the machine is more complex than the one at the ma- ij

terial boundaries. Then, the total normal force component f n The teeth surface used for the computation of the force
is [25]: contains only the parts where the permeance function is equal
  to 1 (see Figure 2). The authors used the k1 (x) permeance
1 1 1  2 
fz = − Bz + Bt2 , (23) function, therefore 80% of slot width is not used in force
2 μ0 μr μ0
calculations. It means that in the slot inner the Z component
where Bt is the tangential component of the flux density at
the material surface and Bz is the perpendicular component

FIGURE 15. Carter factor in eccentric condition with 40%

FIGURE 13. Representation of eccentricity in AFPM. Static Ecentricity Factor.
1046 Electric Power Components and Systems, Vol. 43 (2015), Nos. 8–10

FIGURE 16. Air-gap flux density at the mean radius of a

sample AFPM in eccentric conditions. The minimum airgap is
located at π radiants.

of the forces is neglected as they are perpendicular to the iron

surfaces (see Figure 12).
The axial force calculated by this method for a quasi
3D model is 2144 N. The 3D FEM calculations for ax- FIGURE 18. Magnetic flux density in different sectors for an
ial force give 2151 N, which shows a very good agreement eccentric machine. The Static Eccentricity Factor is 40%.
with the analytical method. It should be noted that the calcu-
lated value is dependent on the number of the sectors in the
where
quasi 3D model. In other words, reducing the number of sec-
tors will greatly reduce calculation accuracy. Therefore, the
g0 is the original air-gap length;
number of sectors must be large enough to achieve precise
SEF is the static eccentricity factor;
results.
ϕ is the angle;
γ0 is the position of minimum air-gap.
6. MODELING ECCENTRICITY IN AFPM
According to Figure 13 it can be understood that:
The first step in modeling the eccentricity is to evaluate the

air-gap length in eccentric condition. g (R, ϕ) = gm (ϕ) + g (R, ϕ), (28)

6.1. Air-gap Length in Eccentric Condition

The eccentricity formulations for AFPMs have been provided where g and g  are the air-gap length and air-gap deviation
in [26, 27]. The air-gap length at mean radius Rm can be written at radius of R.
as follows [28]: 
g (R, ϕ) = (R − Rm )sinβcos(ϕ − γ0 ), (29)
gm (ϕ) = g0 (1 − SEF cos (ϕ − γ0 )) , (27)

FIGURE 17. Permeance functions of a sample AFPM in ec- FIGURE 19. Cogging torque of the sample AFPM in healthy
centric condition. The minimum airgap is located atπ radiants. and eccentric condition.
Marignetti et al: An Analytical Approach to Eccentricity in Axial Flux Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generators for Wind Turbines
where β is the rotor deviation angle. Equations (27), (28), and
(29) give:
g (R, ϕ) = g0 (1 + SEF cos(ϕ − γ0 ))
+(R − Rm )sinβcos(ϕ − γ0 ). (30)
According to the eccentricity definition in [26] the deviation
angle could be replaced by the SEF:
g (R, ϕ) = g0 (1 + SEF. cos(ϕ − γ0 ))
S E F.g0
+(R − Rm ) cos(ϕ − γ0 ). (31)
Rm
Finally, the air-gap length in all positions can be written as:
 
R
g(R, ϕ) = g0 1 + SEF. cos(ϕ − γ0 ) . (32)
Rm
The air-gap length for the eccentric condition with SEF =
40% has been illustrated in Figure 14 for its whole area. As the
Carter factor depends on the air-gap length, it will be affected
by the eccentricity as shown in Figure 15. This value will be
used to calculate the magnet fluxes in eccentric condition.
The effective air-gap δe has been computed using the cal-
culated Carter factor. Hence, in the case of eccentric air-gap,
the value of air-gap flux density of the magnets will have a
non-uniform reduction, which will be obtained by Eq. (14).
The air-gap flux density in eccentic conditions is shown in
Figure 16. The permeance function in eccentric condition is
shown in Figure 17. As it can be seen, the permeance has been
directly affected by the eccentricity as it is dependent to the
air-gap length.
FIGURE 20. Schematic representation of uneven forces: (a) healthy condition and (b) eccentric condition.
1047
6.2. Air-gap Flux Density in Eccentric Condition
The air-gap flux density in eccentric condition can be calcu-
lated by multiplying the permeance function and the magnets
flux density as explained in Eq. (15). The values in Figure 18
are used in the calculations of the cogging torque and of the ax-
ial force in eccentric condition. As it can be seen in Figure 18,
the air-gap flux density is severely affected by eccentricity. In
the area where the air-gap has been reduced (see Figure 14),
the flux density increases while in the other parts it decreases.
This change in the flux density unbalances the axial forces be-
tween the rotor and the stator. This is even valid for two-sided
AFPM generators.
6.3. Cogging Torque in Eccentric Condition
In eccentric condition the cogging torque has been calculated
using the method described in Section 4. As it can be seen in
Figure 19, the cogging torque is not affected by eccentricity.
This has also been shown for symmetric radial flux machines
under eccentricity in [29]. Therefore, it can be concluded that
in the symmetric AFPMs the eccentricity does not have any
effect on the cogging torque as well.
6.4. Axial Force in Eccentric Condition
As mentioned before, the axial force in single-sided AFPMs in
eccentricity conditions is high. In a healthy condition, owing
to the uniform air-gap length, the force is uniform as well and
the bearings must withstand a balanced force along Z axis (see
Figure 20). Of course by rotating the rotor, some fluctuations
will appear in the axial force amplitude but the force is uni-
formly spread around the machine. As it is discussed in [26]
the period of force fluctuation is equal to the angle between
1048 Electric Power Components and Systems, Vol. 43 (2015), Nos. 8–10
FIGURE 21. Axial force of the sample AFPM in eccentric
condition.
two adjacent magnets with the same polarity. The force mean
value has been calculated using the quasi 3D calculations de-
scribed in Section 5 for different eccentric conditions. As it can
be seen in Figure 21, by increasing the eccentricity the total
axial force increases. It is also shown that the force increase
is not very high (lower than 2.5%). In an eccentric condition,
because of asymmetric air-gap the force will lose its equilib-
rium. It can be concluded that although the forces F 1 and F 2
(symbol of forces on the left and on the right side of machine)
lose their balance, the value of F 1 + F 2 will almost remain
fixed. In fact, if an asymmetry in the air-gap exists then the
attraction force due to the magnet will be greater in the region
where the air-gap restricts; therefore, a torque component is
generated, as shown in Figure 20. The bearing reacts to this
torque by means of the vertical forces F 3 and F 4 .
6.5. Uneven Magnetic Torque in Eccentric Condition
The unbalanced magnetic force between rotor and stator causes
a fixed undesirable torque, which is shown in Figure 20. In fact,
the torque is produced along Y axis in Figure 20. Thus, it is
perpendicular to the machine rotating axis. Hence, the torque is
not affecting the motor main torque. But it will make an extra
load on the machine bearing and will reduce their lifetime.
As discussed in [26], the torque has a ripple that produces
vibration owing to its fluctuations. The value of the uneven
FIGURE 22. Uneven torque of the sample AFPM in eccentric
condition.
magnetic torque (UMT) versus the eccentricity value has been
calculated using the proposed quasi 3D analytical approach
and is shown in Figure 22. Moreover, the 3D-FEM results are
also provided to show the validity of the analytical results.
The results are in agreement. The slight deviation is caused
by the assumption of the nonlinear ferromagnetic material in
3D-FEM calculations. As it can be seen the maximum value of
the UMF is around 25 N.m, which is very high for the sample
machine with a nominal torque of 16 N.m.
7. CONCLUSION
One of the most frequent and expensive faults in wind genera-
tors is the bearing fault. The article has addressed an analytical
method for the computation of eccentricity and its effects. The
method uses quasi 3D computation in order to study the effects
of eccentricity in AFPMs rapidly. The method is based on the
introduction of a simplified air-gap permeance function in the
harmonic model of axial flux permanent magnet generators. It
allows computing the flux density distribution at any distance
from the shaft, taking into account both slotting and magnets
skewing. The advantage of the approach is basically the shorter
computation time compared to 3D FEM models. The compar-
ison to the results achieved by finite element analysis show
that the axial force, the cogging torque, and the torque due to
unbalance are in agreement.
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BIOGRAPHIES
Fabrizio Marignetti received the Laurea degree with hon-
ors and the Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from the
University “Federico II,” Naples, Italy, in 1993 and 1998, re-
spectively. In 1998, he joined the University of Cassino and
Southern Latium, Cassino, Italy, where he is currently an As-
sociate Professor of power electronic converters, electrical ma-
chines, and drives. He serves as an Editor of the Electric Power
Components and Systems Journal and is a member of the ed-
itorial board of the Journal of Electrical Engineering. Prof.
Marignetti serves as an Associate Editor of the IEEE Transac-
tions on Industrial Electronics and of the IEEE Transactions
on Industry Applications. His research areas are in the design,
analysis, and digital control of electrical machines, renewable
energies, and power converters.
Abolfazl Vahedi was born in Tehran, Iran, in 1966. He re-
ceived the B.S. degree in electrical engineering from Ferdowsi
University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran, in 1989 and the M.Sc.
and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from the Institut
1050 Electric Power Components and Systems, Vol. 43 (2015), Nos. 8–10
National Polytechnique de Lorraine, Nancy, France, in 1992
and 1996, respectively. He is currently a Professor with Iran
University of Science and Technology, Tehran, where he is
also a Member of the Center of Excellence for Power Systems
Automation and Operation, Department of Electrical Engi-
neering. He has directed several projects in the area of con-
ventional and special electric machines and drives. His current
research interests include the design, implementation, and op-
timization of electric machines including traction motors and
drives.
Seyyed Mehdi Mirimani was born in Babol, Iran. He received
the B.Sc. degree from the University of Mazandaran, Babol, in
2007 and the M.Sc. and Ph.D. degree on the subject of electrical
machines from Iran University of Science and Technology,
Tehran, Iran, in 2010 and 2014. In 2014, he joined the Babol
(Noshirvani) University of Technology, Babol, Iran, where he
is currently an Assistant Professor of electrical machines, and
drives. His research interests include the design, modeling,
control, and finite-element analysis of electrical machines and
other electromagnetic devices.