Multi-physics Design Platform for a High Power Density Multi-phase IPM Traction Motor: Analysis and Simulation

Design of a high-speed high-power density interior permanent magnet (IPM) motor can be challenging since it is constrained by various multi-physics couplings. Therefore, feasible solution that meets different multi-domain specifications is hardly attained through individual domain calculations only. This paper presents a parameterized two-way multi-physics couplings platform for an IPM motor with hairpin windings. It incorporates electromagnetic (EM) analysis, stress and fatigue analyses, thermal analysis with computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and noise-vibration-harshness (NVH) analysis. The temperature gradient is implemented for all couplings by using temperature/yield strength-dependent material properties. A case study for a 300 kW IPM motor with a maximum speed of 17,000 rpm is developed and its performance is optimized to meet different design requirements.