Effect of Ferromagnetic Materials on Vibration of In-wheel Brushless Direct Current Motor for Light Electric Vehicle

Abstract

Light electric vehicles (LEV) have become an integral part of our daily lives. In-wheel Brushless Direct Current Motor (BLDCM) is mostly preferred in the propulsion systems of LEVs. Ferromagnetic materials used in electric motors affect motor output performance as much as geometric design parameters. The main objective of this study is to investigate the effects of vibration on the driving performance of LEVs and its disruptive effects on BLDCM. Vibration effect reduces the operating life of electric motors and leads to their malfunction. In this study, the vibration effects of different stator and rotor ferromagnetic materials in-wheel BLDCM of LEVs were analyzed. It has been revealed that permanent magnets and mild steel ferromagnetic materials are factors affecting the operating performance of BLDCM. Total deformation harmonic response analyses were performed under ANSYS Workbench software to reveal the vibration effects on the specified in-wheel BLDCM. The lowest vibration effect is achieved when SmCo₅(R18) magnet is used in the rotor and M22-26G mild steel ferromagnetic material is used in the stator, where the maximum vibration of 0.086023 μm in rotor and 18.386 μm in stator are achieved. It was concluded that the most compatible materials result in the lowest vibration values in BLDCM.