Study of Cogging Torque in Axial Flux Permanent Magnet Machines Using an Analytical Model

Cogging torque is a source of vibration and noise in PM machines. Its reduction is always sought by electrical machine designers. While its study, in radial-flux PM machines, can often be done using 2-D finite element analysis (FEA), 3-D FEA is always required when it comes to its study in axial-flux PM machines (AFPM). AFPM machines have an inherent 3-D electromagnetic structure. There is a rich literature concerning the study of cogging torque in AFPM machines. Indeed, most of the authors use 3-D FEA for its study. However, 3-D FEA is time consuming and always requires expertise to be done correctly. The goal of this paper is to show that alternative techniques, to study cogging torque in AFPM machines, do exist. It is shown that the analytical approach, used in this paper, can be as efficient as the 3-D FEA while saving a huge amount of time and necessitating less initial expertise.