Design Considerations for Permanent Magnet Machine
Drives for Direct-Drive Electric Vehicles
1
K. Lakshmi Varaha Iyer, Student Member, IEEE, 2Shruthi Mukundan, Student Member, IEEE,
3
Himavarsha Dhulipati, Student Member, IEEE, 4Kaushik Mukherjee, Senior Member, IEEE,
5
Bruce Minaker and 6Narayan C. Kar, Senior Member, IEEE
1
iyerl@uwindsor.ca, 2mukunda@uwindsor.ca, 3dhulipah@uwindsor.ca, 4kmukherjee@ee.iiests.ac.in,
5
bminaker@uwindsor.ca and 6nkar@uwindsor.ca
1, 2, 3, 5, 6
University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada - N9B 3P4, 4Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur, India
Abstract Understanding the need for improvement in effi-
ciency of an electric vehicle drivetrain system, this paper exclu-
sively discusses various design aspects of a permanent magnet
machine drive for direct-drive electric vehicles (EV). Firstly, the
motivation to employ a direct-drive configuration in EV is dis-
cussed. Thereafter, initial electric machine rating design consid-
erations for a typical Supermini or B-segment EV employing a
direct-drive configuration is discussed. Furthermore, employing
an existing stator, investigations are performed through analyti-
cal equations and designed machines to understand different
permanent magnet machine design aspects with regards to selec-
tion of: number of poles, type of permanent magnet rotor, stator
winding configuration and number of phases. The study per-
formed here will assist in providing decision points on various
structural design indices of the machine before venturing into the
FEA based permanent magnet machine design and assessment
for the direct-drive EV application.
Index Terms Direct-drive, dq axis, electrified vehicle, finite el-
ement analysis, interior, permanent magnet, surface, synchro-
nous machine.
I. INTRODUCTION
imited driving range in conjunction with overall cost of
L the electric vehicle (EV) are major incentives to advance
the existing EV drivetrain system technology [1]. Power
electronics and electric machines, have their practical operat-
ing efficiencies near 90% and research is being conducted to
optimize them in terms of weight, cost, materials, topologies,
space, electrical, thermal and mechanical performances so that
advancements can be made towards their theoretical targets
and above. However, the power delivered by the motor is
transferred to the wheels through a mechanical transmission
system in the EV [2] which is found to contribute to power
loss that constitutes to almost 2-20% of the rated output power
of the electric motor [3]. This leads to the concept of a direct-
drive system where removing the transmission from an exist-
ing EV powertrain is expected to improve motor-to-wheel ef-
ficiency. The use of such a mechanical arrangement with per-
manent magnet synchronous motors has a number of ad-
vantages including lower component count, high torque densi-
ty of PM machines, less maintenance, reduced mechanical
losses and noises in such a system [4]-[6]. However, the major
design challenges involved in such a gearless system is the
tradeoff between the size and power capacity of the machine
as the torque required by the wheel shaft is completely provid-
ed by the motor which may result in an increase in motor size.
The motor is required to deliver high torque at the start and
maintain high efficiency in a large operating range within lim-
ited space, weight and cost constraints. Torque ripple, cogging
l-)))
torque and copper loss are some of the major performance
characteristics of the machine which pose as challenges in a
direct-drive machine [7]-[9]. Core loss in such machines is a
very small component compared to copper loss, due to low
frequency operation even at maximum speed.
According to the authors knowledge, there exists no com-
mercial EV incorporating the direct-drive configuration using
a single motor. Hence, this paper aims at investigating various
design considerations for a permanent magnet (PM) machine
drive based direct-drive EV.
Section II presents the design considerations for fixing the
initial ratings of the direct drive machine which has been illus-
trated by taking up a case study of a typical Supermini ICE
that has been converted to a direct-drive EV. Section III of the
paper discusses various design aspects of the machine to be
considered such as number of poles, winding configuration,
magnet position in the rotor structure and the number of phas-
es while designing a PM motor to alleviate challenges in a di-
rect-drive motor. It also presents a numerical procedure to
compare and analyze parametric and structural aspects of vari-
ous configurations of PM motors which assists the designer in
arriving at certain decision points before designing the ma-
chine through finite element analysis.
II. DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS FOR FIXING THE INITIAL RAT-
INGS OF THE DIRECT DRIVE MACHINE
In a typical Supermini or B-Segment internal combustion
engine based vehicle, power output from engine is transmitted
to the wheels through the clutch or torque converter, variable
gearbox, fixed gearbox, differential and drive shaft. In a com-
mercially available EV, the variable gear box is eliminated and
power is transferred from the motor to the wheels through a
clutch or torque converter, fixed gearbox, differential and
drive shaft. The proposed direct-drive EV eliminates either of
the gears resulting in a direct transfer of motor power to the
wheels through a clutch box and differential.
As a preliminary step towards designing direct-drive per-
manent magnet motors for EVs, it is of paramount importance
to develop a design methodology to fix the initial ratings of
the electric motor that is to be designed for a typical B-
segment electric vehicle, currently an ICE based vehicle. The
objective is to fix the continuous and peak torque, rated and
maximum speed and rated voltage of the machine to be used
in the EV. In the existing ICE, knowing: 1) the maximum
torque capability of the engine Tp, 2) variable gear ratio at the
first gear and fixed gear ratio denoted as ig and io respectively,
and, 3) efficiency of the transmission system, , the maximum
torque on the wheels, Tw can be calculated using (1) [2].

 Tw i g io KT p (1)
Tw can be considered as the peak torque required on the
wheels which has to be produced solely by the motor in a di-
rect-drive configuration. The continuous torque can be consid-
ered half of the peak torque. Using (2) and (3) maximum
speed on the wheels, Nw, which will eventually be the maxi-
mum speed of the motor, can be obtained by knowing the gear
ratio of the highest gear in the variable gear box and fixed gear
ratio, the maximum speed of the engine Np, and the specific
tire size in the vehicle and its radius, rd. The wheel speed, v
can be represented in km/h using (3) [2].
Np
Nw (2)
i g io
3.6SN w rd
v (3)
30
The ratings of the motor determined above can be fine-
tuned if the dynamic performance characteristics such as tire-
slip, acceleration, traction force, etc., of the direct-drive EV
can be predicted using a vehicle model and torque-speed enve-
lope of the motor [10]. Corresponding to the DC bus voltage
and inverter modulation scheme, the maximum voltage that
can be obtained from the inverter can be fixed as the rated
voltage of the machine.
Case study: Ratings of a direct-drive motor to be inserted in
an EV, converted out of an existing ICE based Supermini ve-
hicle is calculated here. The technical specifications of a typi-
cal Supermini vehicle are considered to set the initial ratings
of the motor. It has an engine capable of delivering a rated
power of 120 Hp with a maximum torque capability of 152
Nm at 6350 rpm. Assuming an efficiency of 100% on the
transmission, the highest torque on the wheels can be deter-
mined as 2388 Nm for a fixed gear ratio and variable gear
(first gear) ratio of 4.07 and 3.86, respectively, using the equa-
tions represented in the previous section. Similarly, maximum
speed on the wheels was calculated to be 2064 rpm using
highest variable gear ratio of 0.75 and fixed gear ratio of 4.07.
Using a tire size of 195/50 R16, the maximum wheel speed is
expected to be about 234km/hr. However, after vehicle dy-
namics studies, taking conservative ratings, a continuous
torque of 875 Nm and maximum speed of 150-180km/hr were
found to be sufficient for a typical Supermini direct-drive EV.
III. DESIGN CONSIDERATION FOR CHOOSING INITIAL STRUC-
TURAL DESIGN ASPECTS OF THE DIRECT-DRIVE MACHINE
This section presents an analysis on various structural de-
sign aspects of the PM machine such as the number of poles,
rotor configuration and the number of phases through analyti-
cal closed form machine design equations and FEA based in-
vestigations on the designed machines. The design equations
Moreover, distributed winding was also found to be sufficient
to provide the required output characteristics of the machine in
the constant power and constant torque regions.
A. Number of Poles and winding configuration
Generally higher number of poles (P) greater than or equal
to 8 is used in commercially available high speed permanent
magnet machines. Deriving knowledge from conventional in-
dustrial motors which mostly have 4 poles and run at speeds
corresponding to line frequencies, an effort was made to ana-
lyze the number of poles keeping the low speed requirement of
the direct-drive motors similar to the industrial motors.
The slot/pole combination consideration has a significant
effect on the inherent cogging torque, sinusoidal emf distribu-
tion and torque ripple involved in the machine [13]. For in-
stance, the choice of an even number slot/pole combination
causes high cogging torque due to the alignment of pole edges
with every slot [13]. The pole-pair number influences the ro-
tor size and volume as the back iron in the rotor yoke is signif-
icantly reduced as the magnet poles increase [13]. Further-
more, as the number of poles increases, the number of stator
conductors per pole decreases thus creating a significant dis-
tortion of the sinusoidal emf waveform and this increases the
torque ripple [14].
qJ
sin (4)
J
180 P
, kd 2
Ss J
q sin
2
In accordance with (4), the distribution factor (kd) and
hence the winding factor (kw) is lower for a lower number of
poles for a machine delivering the rated torque. q is the num-
ber of slots per pole per phase and is the angle contributed
by each slot per pole. In order to obtain a fixed rated speed of
the machine, the frequency corresponding to the stator line
currents increases with an increase in the pole number. Subse-
quently, at higher speeds, the core losses associated with the
machine also increases thereby reducing the efficient perfor-
mance of the designed motor. It was found that the 4 pole ma-
chine operates at a reduced frequency when compared to an 8
pole machine of same ratings.
From (5), it is evident that for a lower number of poles, the
magnet size needs to be increased to obtain the required flux
per pole, . The d- and q-axis inductance is a critical parame-
ter when designing a permanent magnet machine. From the
expression to calculate the magnetizing inductance in (6), it is
seen that La is inversely proportional to the square of pole-pair
number. When compared to an 8 pole machine, a 4 pole ma-
chine will have higher inductance for the same machine struc-
ture and configuration. Similarly, for the same magnet vol-
ume, as the number of poles increases, the corresponding d-
and q-axis inductances reduce.
pI (5)
Bav
SDL
mP o k wT ph  DL
2
employed have been previously validated in literature and by
La (6)
the authors with FEA based results and they are found to yield SPp2 k c g o
satisfactory results when used for initial design of the machine
[11]-[14]. Keeping in mind that the equivalent inertia of the where, m is the number of phases, o is the permeability con-
drivetrain will be lower than a traditional vehicle, to have the stant, Tph is the number of turns/phase, kc is the Carters coef-
torque ripple within limit and obtain a near sine EMF, a dou- ficient and go is the air gap length.
ble layer distributed winding is chosen for this application. Further, in order to design the permanent magnet machine


in the flux weakening region, the permanent magnet flux link-
age (Pm_fl) is to be calculated using the design and structural
parameters of the machine as given by (7) where kvg is the ra-
tio between the fundamental and average air gap flux density,
Bgo and i is the mechanical pole embrace. According to (7),
an 8 pole machine is expected to have a lower value of flux
linkage than that of a 4 pole machine For reasonable flux
weakening operation, the characteristic current is expected to
be below the rated current of the machine. Hence, when the (a)
constant power region is considered, an interplay between
Pm_fl and La results in a more favourable operation for an 8
pole machine than for a 4 pole machine of the same structure
and ratings.
k wT ph k vg D i Bg DL (7)
Pm _ fl o

Pp
The overall performance of a 4 pole machine can be im-
proved if an alternate winding configuration is chosen with
less end winding resistance as well as near sine-emf in order to
take care of the losses and torque ripple. The fractional slot
concentrated winding configuration has shorter end windings
and results in enhanced flux weakening capability but is af-
fected by heavy rotor losses due to the presence of sub-
harmonic components of the stator mmf [13], [14].
B. Type of Rotor - Interior permanent magnet (IPM) vs. sur-
face permanent magnet (SPM) machines
Generally, interior permanent magnet (IPM) motors are
found to yield superior performance in terms of flux weaken-
ing operation and rugged rotor construction in PM motors.
Moreover, interior permanent magnet synchronous machines
(IPMSMs) which have 8 poles or more are widely used in
commercially available EVs for traction. Such motors have a
distributed winding configuration in the stator.
The motivation to investigate surface permanent magnet
(SPM) motors for direct-drive applications emerges from the
fact that the SPM motor in a direct-drive vehicle will have a
maximum speed much less than that of a SPM machine built
for hybrid vehicles or conventional electric vehicles with fixed
gear box. The fact that the maximum speed of the motor is
limited for this application, favors the: 1) construction of the
surface permanent magnet synchronous machine (SPMSM)
rotor whose mechanical integrity is feared to be poor in very
high speed operation, 2) constant power region operation or
flux weakening capability of the SPM machine with distribut-
ed winding which is conventionally found to be very poor
when compared to a IPM motor [15]. Furthermore, the near-
sine emf that can be obtained in a SPMSM when compared to
the IPM machine due the magnets position in both the ma-
chines is yet another reason for interest in investigating SPM
machines for direct-drive application in an effort to mitigate
some of the challenges in realizing direct-drive motors [16].
The authors would like to emphasize the fact that in an IPM
or SPM motor that is designed for conventional electrified ve-
hicles, in order to obtain an extended flux weakening region,
keeping the stator dimensions fixed, the d-axis inductance in
the machine needs to be designed large enough and the per-
manent flux linkage has to be limited to favour flux-
weakening performance [15]. This can limit the magnet di-
mensions causing lower efficiency of the machine due to in-
creased current flow requirement in the stator side to deliver
(b)
(c)
Fig. 1. Relationships between output power, Lq-Ld, Ld and m in per-unit
quantities for both three-phase IPM and SPM motors considering voltage cur-
rent and speed = 1 pu. (a) P0 vs. m for SPMSM. (b) P0 vs. Lq-Ld with varying
m for IPMSM. (c) Ld vs.Zmax with varying m for both SPMSM and IPMSM.
the rated power under a fixed frame size. Otherwise, generally
high permanent magnet flux linkage or low direct axis reac-
tance result in limited power capability at high speed. Howev-
er, these designs do provide the highest power capability at
low speeds and hence it appears that a trade-off exists between
power capability over a wide speed range and torque capabil-
ity at low speeds [17].
In a direct-drive motor due to the limited constant power
speed ratio (CPSR) requirement, higher permanent magnet
flux linkage and lower direct axis reactance compared to the
conventional PM motor designs can be accommodated and yet
fulfil the machine design targets for the direct-drive applica-
tion. This can in fact improve the efficiency of the machine
which is seen favorable for a direct-drive motor [15].
In an effort to assist the designer to consider an IPM ma-
chine or SPM machine with distributed windings in the stator
for direct-drive applications, a generalized comparative analy-
sis of both the machine types in terms of per-unit quantities of
various variables and parameters in the machine was conduct-
ed. The objective of the machine design and analysis was to
satisfy a particular maximum speed (Zmax_pu) in the machine in
the flux weakening region, particular rated power output
(P0_pu) at rated speed (Zr_pu) under voltage and current con-
straints as in the case of MTPA and flux weakening control
schemes in PM synchronous motors [18]. This analysis con-
siders that the rated voltage, current, and speed of both the
machines are the same and hence the base values of current,


speed and power, torque and voltage are the same [19], [20].
Considering the d-axis inductance (Ld_pu) equal to the q-
axis inductance (Lq_pu) for SPM motors, the relation between
P0_pu and open-circuit permanent flux linkage (m_pu) is pre-
sented in Fig. 1(a) and considering Ld_pu not equal to Lq_pu for
IPM motor, the relation between P0_pu and Lq_pu - Ld_pu in terms
of pu quantities for varying m_pu is presented in Fig. 1(b). Fig.
1(c) presents the variation of Zmax_pu with Ld_pu for varying
m_pu values for both three-phase SPM and IPM machines [18].
Now employing the Figs. 1(a) and (c) one can design the
parameters of an SPM motor for a desired rated power. Fig.
1(a) will decide the m_pu that is required to obtain a specific
desired power in the SPM motor. Thereafter, Fig. 1(c) can be
used to fix the inductance value (Ld =Lq) corresponding to de-
sired maximum speed requirement in the flux weakening re-
gion and for a previously fixed value of m_pu. Zmax_pu is the
speed at which the power becomes zero in the flux weakening
region [18].
Similarly Figs. 1(b) and (c) can be employed to design the
parameters of an IPM motor for a desired rated power. Based
on the desired power, a m_pu can be fixed for a particular Lq_pu
- Ld_pu value. It was found that, as one goes higher in the order
of Lq_pu - Ld_pu and lower in the order of m_pu value, the current
angle () keeps increasing. After fixing a m_pu value, Ld_pu can
be determined depending on the required Zmax_pu.
Such a process of obtaining the pu values of the parameters
and variables of both IPM and SPM motors to deliver the
same output characteristics will enable the designer to under-
stand the structural design of both the motors and hence com-
pare the magnet dimensions and turns per-phase required in
the machine using the numerical procedure explained below.
This will indirectly provide decision points regarding the
winding resistance, back-emf and efficiency in the stator and
amount of magnet usage which ultimately determines the
magnet cost.
The numerical analysis presented below considers that both
SPMSM and IPMSM will be built using the same stator whose
number of slots, poles, dimensions of the stator and the distri-
bution factor are fixed. Fig. 2 gives the cross-sections of both
the SPM and IPM machines considered in this paper.
Considering: 1) the ratio between the amplitude of the fun-
damental wave and the average value under one pole-pitch (W)
of the air-gap flux density for SPMSM and IPMSM as /2 and
4/, and, 2) the average flux density (Bav) for IPMSM and
SPMSM as 0.7 T and 0.8 T respectively [21]; the ratio of turns
per-phase (Tph) in both the machines can be calculated using
(8). Hereafter, in equations (8) (11), subscripts s and i re-
late to SPMSM and IPMSM respectively. Moreover, the pu
values for various parameters fixed previously in this paper
have to be used in (1)-(4) wherever applicable [11].
Om _ s 1.4Tph _ s
(a) (b)
Fig. 2. Cross-section of both SPMSM and IPMSM considered in this paper.
(s) IPMSM. (b) SPMSM.
(a) (b)
Fig. 3. Re-wound PMSM stator. (a) Distributed winding. (b) Overall stator
with tight end-windings.
calculated incorporating a leakage inductance value 13-26% of
Ld_pu [11].
0.5u103 K c K sq _ i M s Tph_ s
2
Lmq _ s K sq _ s M i T (9)
ph_ i
Lmq _ i Pr
0.75u103 P K  g
r c m_ s
Lmd _ s 0.5u103 P r K c  0.5 g m _ i K sd _ i M sTph2 _ s (10)
Lmd _ i 0.75u103 P r K c  g m _ s K sd _ s M iTph2 _ i
where, Ksd is the d-axis saturation coefficient usually between
1.1-1.3 [11]. Ksd is found to be on the lower order for SPMSM
when compared to that of IPMSM. Ksq is the q-axis saturation
coefficient usually between 1.1-1.3 for SPMSM and it is hard
to predict for IPMSM [11]. However, the authors have found
it to be between 1.3 and 1.7. Kc is the Carters coefficient
which can be estimated from [14]. Ms and Mi are the number
of phases in the respective machines. r is the relative perme-
ability of the permanent magnet used in the rotors.
Considering: 1) the permanent magnet leakage coefficient
as 0.9 for IPMSM, and 1 for SPMSM, and, 2) nominal value
for the mechanical pole embrace () i.e., pole arc/pole pitch as
0.85 for IPMSM and 2/3 for SPMSM respectively [11]; the ra-
tio of width of the magnet (hm) in both the machine types can
be calculated using (10) applying the value of gm previously
calculated for both the machine types. D is the stator inner di-
ameter in meters.
gm _ i
6.12hm _ i  2.67hm _ s D
(8)
Om _ i Tph _ i hm _ i (11)
hm _ sP r K c P
Considering: 1) a practical minimum air-gap of 0.75 mm
gm _ s
and 0.5 mm for SPMSM and IPMSM respectively for direct-
drive application, and, 2) a magnet with the same characteris-
tics to be used in the rotor of both the machine types, the
magnet thickness (gm) for SPMSM and IPMSM can be found
using (9) and (10), knowing the ratio of turns per-phase of
both the machines as found in (8). Lmq and Lmd can be
3.96u103 gm _ s  4.34u103 gm _ i 
Case study: In order to compare both the rotor types as stated
above, the stator frame size, number of slots and the winding
type was kept identical in both the machines. An existing sta-
tor in the laboratory, as shown in Fig. 3, was utilized to design



(a)
(b)
Fig. 4. Performance characteristics of SPM and IPM machines under the
same stator frame. (a) IPMSM. (b) SPMSM.
the stator for both the machines and the stator winding design
was also implemented to validate the practicality of the design.
A 60 % slot fill factor was obtained with double layer distrib-
uted winding. Designing a downscaled direct-drive motor with
ratings of 4.25kW, 575 rpm, 275 V, 11A with a CPSR over
2.5 was set as the design goal. A rated speed of 575 rpm will
correspond to nearly 65 km/hr for a direct-drive vehicle with a
tire size of 16 inches. Moreover, a CPSR of 2.5 will provide a
maximum speed of 150km/hr in a direct-drive vehicle.
Fig. 4 presents torque, power and efficiency characteristics
of the IPM motor designed in both constant power and con-
stant torque regions obtained from FEA. Considering 20 deg C
operation, with a magnet dimension of 25.4 mm width and
2.54 mm thickness, it can be seen in From Fig. 4(a), that the
IPM motor was able to deliver the rated power and rated
torque at the rated speed. It was also found that considering
120 deg C operating temperatures, the magnet thickness would
need to be increased to nearly 4mm in order to obtain the same
performance as in Fig. 4(a). However, the comparative per-
formance analysis performed in this paper henceforth, will on-
ly take 20 deg C operations of the machines.
SPM motors were designed with the same magnet dimen-
sions and stator as that of the IPM motor with 1mm and
0.75mm air-gaps. It was found that the permanent magnet flux
linkage, d-axis inductance and applied voltage play an im-
portant role in deciding the rated speed point. Moreover, with
these magnet dimensions and air-gap as minimum as 0.75 mm,
the desired CPSR of 2.5 was not achievable. A limit on the
magnet thickness was placed at 2 mm as practically at higher
operating temperatures the magnets may become vulnerable to
demagnetization. Moreover, thinner magnets with a thickness
as low as 1.5mm are also prone to mechanical damage and
manufacturing difficulties.
It was harder to match the desired CPSR characteristics in
the SPM machine, hence, the number of turns in the stator had
to be increased from 224 to 256 in order to increase the d-axis

inductance and obtain a CPSR of 2.6. Changing the permanent
flux linkage was not effective in providing the desired CPSR
and rated conditions in the SPM motor. Fig. 4(b) presents the
torque, power and efficiency characteristics of the modified
SPM motor with different magnet dimensions when compared
to that of the IPM motor. Finally, considering 200C operation,
the magnet thickness in IPM and SPM rotors were 2.54 mm
and 2 mm respectively. The near sine-wave EMF in the SPM
would be favorable for this application, however, fractional-
slot concentrated windings have to be used for optimal flux
weakening which deviates significantly from conventional si-
nusoidal distributions [22]. Otherwise, increasing the Ld in
SPM motor for achieving higher CPSR will lead to increased
Tph or thinner magnets for the same distributed winding stator
which result in lower efficiency when compared to its IPM
counterpart. The magnet dimensions may increase and prove
feasible in an SPM motor when the power rating of the motor
increases.
C. Number of Phases 3 phase vs. 6 phase
Multi-phase machines are expected to solve some of the
challenges of direct-drive motors by yielding improved fault
tolerance, reduced torque-ripple, temperature rise and harmon-
ics, increased regen power capture efficiency and overall mo-
toring efficiency [23]. Moreover, it is also expected that a mul-
ti-leg inverter would reduce the ripple current, increase the
longevity of the DC link capacitor and improve fault tolerance
capability of the motor drive. This ensures capacitors with
longer life time and lower capacitance value instead of bulky
electrolytic capacitors in the DC link. The possibility of split-
ting the motor power across a higher number of phases and
thus reducing the per-phase (per switch) converter rating is
another benefit that is expected.
Moreover, from the torque equation in a six-phase IPM
machine [24], the ratio of reluctance torque component to the
magnet induced torque component in a six-phase machine is
twice that in a 3-phase machine. Hence this may lead to :1)
lesser magnet volume for the same torque delivering capabil-
ity; 2) Better flux-weakening capability and optimal current
angle for the same d-axis inductance, when compared to a
three-phase IPM machine. Further details of multi-phase syn-
chronous machines are discussed in [23].
This sub-section analyses various design aspects of three
and six-phase IPM and SPM motors employing a process
similar to the one in the previous sub-section. Firstly, a gener-
alized analysis of both the SPM and IPM machines, with
three-and six-phases in terms of per-unit quantities of various
variables and parameters in the machine was conducted. The
three-phase and six-phase machines considered here have the
same base values for voltage, current, rated speed, impedance,
m and inductance. However, the base values of input power,
torque, and actual value of power output of a six-phase ma-
chine is twice that of the three-phase machine. Hence a power
output of 0.8 pu in a three-phase machine corresponds to 0.4
pu in a six-phase machine.
Fig. 2(a) is valid for a six-phase SPM motor as the figure
represents output power and m in terms of pu quantities. Fol-
lowing the procedure explained for a three-phase IPM and
SPM machines in section IIIB, various parameters such as
P0_pu, m_pu, Lq_pu - Ld_pu, Ld_pu and Zmax_pu can be obtained us
 (a)
(b)
Fig. 5. Relationships between output power, Lq-Ld, Ld and m in per-unit quan-
tities for both six-phase IPM and SPM motors. (a) Ld vs.Zmax with varying m
for both SPMSM and IPMSM. (b) P0 vs. Lq-Ld with varying m for IPMSM.
(a) (b)
Fig.6. Designed 3-phase and 6-phase Interior permanent magnet machines
with 48 slots and distributed double layer winding. (a) 3-phase IPM machine.
(b) 6-phase configuration used. (c) 6-phase machine.
ing Figs. 5(a) and (b) for six-phase IPM and SPM machines.
After obtaining the pu value of various parameters and varia-
bles as mentioned above, the structural design analysis can be
performed using equations (8) (11). However, Ms and Mi
need to be carefully considered as 3 or 6 since they represent
the number of phases in the machine.
Case study: Considering design targets for both six-phase and
three-phase IPM motors as 4.25 kW, 575rpm, 70 Nm, 275V
(Vrms/L-L), 11A (Irms/phase), P0_pu is 0.4 pu for six-phase machine
and 0.8 pu for the three-phase machine at Zr_pu=1 correspond-
ing to 575 rpm. Zmax_pu of 9 is also set as the target. A three-
phase IPMSM is also designed through FEA packages taking
help of the relations in Fig. 1(b) and (c). Various per-unit
quantities of the designed three-phase machine are Ld_pu = 0.5,
Lq_pu= 1.1, m_pu= 0.6 in order to meet a Zmax_pu of 9 and this
resulted in a = 300.
However, since the base values for inductance, impedance
and m are the same, the capability of the six-phase machine
with the same rotor but half the turns per-phase in the stator
will lead to half the m_pu as that of the three-phase machine
which is found to be 0.3 pu. Keeping the same rotor as in the
three-phase machine, Ld_pu and Lq_pu will be the same in the

(a)
(b)
Fig.7. Designed 3-phase and 6-phase Interior permanent magnet machines
with 48 slots and distributed double layer winding. (a) 3-phase IPM machine
characteristics at Gamma angle = 0 and speed = 530rpm. (b) 6-phase IPM ma-
chine characteristics at Gamma angle = 0 and speed = 530rpm.
six-phase machine. At this condition the six-phase machine
can deliver 0.8 pu of output power corresponding to 8.4kW at
a current angle of 400 satisfying a Zmax_pu of 9.
In another case, a six-phase IPMSM was also designed us-
ing the same stator, 8 poles and double layer winding configu-
ration with the same rotor as in three phase machine. The
cross-section of the six-phase machine designed and the six-
phase configuration used are given in Figs. 6(a), (b). From
Figs. 7(a) and 7(b), it can be seen that the six-phase machine
delivers the same torque as the three-phase machine with al-
most half the voltage as the three-phase machine. With this
design of the six-phase machine, it was found that a constant
power speed region near 7 could be obtained when compared
to 3 in the three phase IPM motor.
IV. CONCLUSION
Various design aspects for a PM based direct-drive motor
were discussed such as fixing the ratings of the machine, se-
lecting the number of poles, winding configuration, type of
PM rotor and number of phases. A numerical procedure to
conduct a preliminary comparative analysis incorporating the
structural and parametric design of various machine configura-
tions was also provided. The authors have taken a neutral ap-
proach and put an effort to assist the machine designer to ar-
rive at major decision points before designing a PM machine
for the direct-drive application.
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