Electromagnetic assessment of force distribution for common control strategies in permanent magnet synchronous motors

Over the past several decades, the control of electric machines has typically been viewed using a “black box” approach which typically involves the manipulation of voltage and current to generate desired characteristics. However, for the purpose of designing and controlling the permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) efficiently, a thorough understanding of the magnetic field parameters can play a significant role. In this paper, finite element analysis (FEA) is used to perform a detailed analysis of radial and tangential components of force in a PMSM under vector control as well as direct torque control (DTC) strategy. Understanding distribution and dynamic process of normal and tangential force is particularly useful for design engineers since it can strategically optimize specific attributes of the machine. These results can also be used to explain the operation of the machine under these control strategies and develop and be used to develop more efficient machine geometries.