| Project Detail |
In traditional stator and rotor cores subtractive manufacturing for electric machines, approximately 30% to 40% of the silicon steel material is discarded and cannot be reused for other parts. Manufacturing the steel sheets also involves acute material waste, with more than 60% of material wasted overall. The process of punching hundreds of laminations, stacking, and welding yields a lower manufacturing efficiency and is energy intensive. In contrast, soft magnetic composite materials (SMC) enable innovative and compact 3D flux capable electric machines designed with increased cooling and lower core loss at high frequency. State-of-the-art commercial SMC materials have limited application in electric machines, however, due to their low mechanical strength.
Project Innovation + Advantages:
The Ohio State University team will transform the design and manufacturing processes of electric machines for electrified vehicles (EVs) through innovative magnetic and insulation materials. First, the team will develop a novel composite magnetic powder material with high electrical resistivity, a strong magnetic field, and low resistance to magnetization changes and use it to build the electric machine cores, enabling a new class of power-dense and high-performance electric machines. Second, the machine stator material will be coated with ceramic electrophoretic deposition insulation, with 10X higher thermal conductivity than state of the art. With these new materials and manufacturing methods, the team aims to significantly improve torque density by 40% to 70%, and reduce the manufacturing costs of electric machines for EVs.
Potential Impact:
If successful, this project’s outcomes can revolutionize the design concept and manufacturing of the electric machine industry. |
