Comparison of the Unbalanced Magnetic Pull Mitigation by the Parallel Paths in the Stator and Rotor Windings

An eccentric rotor creates an electromagnetic force between the rotor and stator of an electrical machine. This force tends to further increase the rotor eccentricity and may severely degrade the performance of the machine, causing acoustic noise, vibration, excessive wear of bearing, rotor and stator rubbing, and so forth. Parallel connections are known to be a simple yet effective remedy for the problems associated with rotor eccentricity. We have investigated two common types of electrical machines running with eccentric rotors. We examined operation over a wide whirling frequency range. We numerically evaluated and compared the effects of parallel connections in the stator and rotor windings on the eccentricity force. We found that the parallel stator windings can be more effective in mitigating the unbalanced magnetic pull than the rotor cage (or damper winding), which normally has many more parallel circuits.