Cogging torque prediction for mass-produced axial flux PMSM stators

Stator manufacturing processes for axial flux permanent magnet synchronous motors (AFPMSM) are susceptible to variation leading to cogging torque. To date, there are no methods which synthesize cogging torque based on stator manufacturing errors. This paper presents a superposition method based on stator geometry to predict critical cogging harmonics for AFPMSM stators. Geometry is obtained using image processing techniques on a scanned image of the stator. The proposed method has been validated by comparison with experimental cogging torque data. A correlation of 0.82 linear regression was found using the method proposed in this paper. Process capability was tested by measuring slot widths and checking deviation.