Levitation forces in bearingless permanent magnet motors

Bearingless motors combine brushless AC-motors with active magnetic bearings by the integration of two separate winding systems (torque and radial levitation force windings with different pole pairs) in one housing. This paper gives an insight into the influences of the motor design on the levitation force and torque generation. It is shown that especially for machines with small air gaps it can be very important to choose the right design parameters. Increasing the permanent magnet height in order to increase the motor torque can result in a remarkable reduction of radial forces. The interrelationships are discussed on the basis of Maxwell and Lorentz forces acting upon the stator surface. The investigations are presented for a bearingless low cost motor, suited for pump, fan or blower applications. The presented motor needs only four coils for operation.