IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON MAGNETICS, VOL. 24, NO.

6, NOVEMBER 1988
290 1

REDUCTION OF COGGING TORQUE IN PERMANENT MAGNET MOTORS

Touzhu Li and Gordon Slemon

University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada, M5S 1A4

ABSTRACT
In a permanent magnet motor, cogging torque arises from the interaction of Wagner [I] demonstrated that numerical analysis of the field using a two
the rotor magnets with the steel teeth on the stator. This cogging torque can be dimensional finite element approach could produce an approximate prediction of
reduced by skewing the stator teeth but only at the expense of added complexity cogging torque. Other approaches to the analysis of the air gap field such as
in stator construction and some loss of output torque. This paper proposes alter- Boules [2, 31 and De La Ree, Boules [41 have approximated the field by use of an
nate design measures which can be taken to reduce the cogging torque to gen- effective tooth width combined with a neglect of flux in the slot. The accuracy of
erally acceptable levels. By appropriate choice of the angular width of the magnet such methods has not been found adequate for detailed prediction of torque and
relative to the tooth plus slot dimension, the cogging torque has been reduced to thus for good design for cogging torque reduction.
about 1% of rated torque. A further reduction to about 0.3% resulted from a rota- The approach used in this paper involved the use of a two-dimensional
tional shift of one pair of poles with respect to the other pair in a four pole motor. finite element package (PC Magnet by Infolytica Corporation).
The paper includes analysis of cogging torques with both surface mounted and
Motors with Surface Mounted Magnets
inset magnet rotors, as well as experimental confirmation.
Two types of permanent magnet motors have been considered in this study.
Both intended for use in variable speed drives in which the motor is supplied from
INTRODUCTION
a variable frequency inverter. The first is a surface mounted magnet motor as
The cross section of a typical permanent magnet motor with surface shown in cross section in Figure 1.
mounted magnets is shown in Figure 1. Cogging torque is produced by the cir-
cumferential component of attractive forces between the magnet and the stator The field problem was made two dimensionalby neglecting any end effects.
teeth. This assumption might affect the magnitude of the torque in a short rotor but is
not expected to have significant influence on its variation with angle of rotation.
Cogging torque produces both vibration and noise both of which may be Further, the field problem was made rectangular by ignoring the effect of rotor
amplified in variable speed drives when the torque frequency coincides with a curvature. The developed linear structure equivalent to a single pole of Figure. 1
mechanical resonant frequency of the stator or rotor. Cogging torque is also detri- is shown in Figure 2.
mental to the performance of position control systems such as robots and to the
performance of speed control systems particularly at low speed.
The cogging torque can be reduced substantially by skewing either the sta-
tor teeth or the rotor magnets Practically this does not completely eliminate the
torque variation because of end effects. There are several disadvantages to skew-
ing. It increases the complexity of motor construction. It increases leakage
inductance and stray losses. It also reduces the torque output, particularly in
motors with a small number of teeth per pole.
The objective of this papcr is to demonstrate that cogging torque can be
reduced to a generally acceptable level without skewing by appropriate selection
of motor dimensions.
The problem of predicting cogging torque in permanent magnet motors has
generally been addressed by determining the rate of change with angular position
0 of the coenergy W' in the magnetic field of the air space between motor and sta-
tor iron:
T= dW' (1)
~-
d0
where Figure 2: Developed linear model of onc p o l ~pitch of thc motor in Figur? 1.

The effect of magnetic saturation in the stator teeth is usually ignored.

I
x

Figure 3: Cogging torque from surface mounted magnet motor.

-calculated Cor analysis of completc polc pitch
Figure 1: Cross section of a 4-pole motor with surface mounted magncts. om calculatcd'from analysis oC trailing edge only
xxx expcrimental data

0018-9464/88/1100-2901$01.0001988 IEEE

r --
I
2902

The neodymium-iron-boron magnets can be accurately modelled by two
parameters, the residual flux density and the relative permeability (approximately
1.05). The motor is designed to operate only on the linear part of the demagneti-
zation curve. The same linear model may be used with samarium cobalt and with
ferrite magnets.
The accuracy of the finite element approach was first validated by analyzing
the variation in energy stored in a complete pole pitch (IS shown h Figure 2 as the
rotor moved one slot pitch @ = s + f ) with respect to the stator. Only the field
produced by the magnet was considered. The predicted cogging torque is com-
pared with experimental results on a 4-pole. 5 kW m m r in Figure 3. This motor
had been designed without concern for cogging torque. 'Ille accuracy of predic-
tion is seen to be good.
0 9
s
9
Since the torque components produced by the two ends of the magnet have
been shown to be independent of each other, it follows that the fundamental
sinusoidal component of cogging torque can be effectively eliminated by
appropriate. choice of the magnet width w. The resulting cogging torque, shown
in Figure 5, has a peak value of about 1% of rated torque. This was achieved with
a magnet width of w = (n + 0.14) X where n is an integer. Minimum cogging
torque is therefore achieved with a magnet width which is somewhat greater than
an integral number of slot pitches.
In contrast, the least favourable design producing the maximum cogging
torque may be assessed by noting that the peak to peak value of the torque at one
end of the magnet, as shown in Figure 4, is about 6 N-m. Thus, a magnet width of
w = (n + 0.64)X could produce a cogging torque of about 25% of rated value.
0
W
* T
I S/X = 4.U. 0,.5, 0.6

f=?2
u-
0

0
I-

O
0

0
9

E$/
0

W I

7 IO 5.00 10.00 8 0

u3j
m
Torque produced at the vailing edge of the magnet in Figure 2. 0.00 2.50 5.00 7.50 10.00 e
Figure 4:
(SA= 0.5)
As the rotor turns, the field around statoI teeth which are remote from the Figure 6: Torque from one end of the magnet for various values of slot width.
ends of the magnet in Figure 2 is expected to remain nearly constant The varia-
tion in field energy occurs largely due to the field near the teeth at the two ends of Effect of TootWSlot Ratio
the magnet Attention was therefore directed to a small section of the field enclos- The cogging torque results of Figure 5 apply for a motor with equal W t h
ing only one or two teeth on each side of the trailing edge of the magnet This and slot width Le. SA= 0.5 A widening of the slot dimension ratio SAto 0.6 pro-
producqd the varying but unidirectional torque shown in Figure 4. By mirror duces a more nearly sinusoidal torque variation at one magnet end and as shown
symmetry, a similar but oppositely directed torque will be produced at the leading in Figure 6 , albeit with a somewhat increased magnitude. The result of choosing
edge of the magnet The sum of these two torques, displaced appropriately, is an.optimum magnet width to eliminate the fundamental component is shown in
shown in Figure 3 and compared with the result obtained from the analysis of the Figure 7. The peak value of the residue is about 1.7% of rated torque i.e. greater
complete pole pitch. The demonstrated adequacy of this approach allowed a con- than with SA= 0.5
siderable reduction in computation time for the finite element program. A reduction of the slot dimension ratio SA to 0.4 would be expected to
Effect of Pole Width reduce the variation in the reluctance seen by the magnet. The torque produced
?he cogging torque in Figure 3 was obtained for a motor in which the ratio by one magnet end is seen in Figure 6 to be considerably reduced in peak to peak
of the pole width to the slot pitch was wlh= 5.05. It is noticed that the cogging value i.e. to 4.4 N-m. The variation is however less sinusoidal. When the funda-
torque is'dominated by a fundamental component having a repetition period of 10 mental component is eliminated by choice of magnet width, the residue is seen in
mechanical degrees. The stator of the motor contained 36 slots. The rated torque Figure 7 to have a peak value of about 2.1% of rated value.
of the motor is about 24 N-m. = I
0 -i z. l_ S / X = O.Ll, 0.5, 7.6
I

OT I l l

Figure 5: Cogging torque with fundamental component eliminated (SA= 0.5). Figure 3: Cogging torque with fundamental climinated for various
values of slh.
 2903

Conclusions
Cogging torque in permanent magnet motors may be substantially reduced
by appropriate choice of the magnet width relative to the slot pitch.
0 For a motor with surface mounted magnets, a cogging torque of typically
1% of rated value may be achieved with the optimum width as compared with
IT
I O
--- 25% for the worst choice.
The cogging torque may be further reduced, typically to 0.3%. by rotating
one pair of poles relative to the other pair.
Similar cogging torque reduction can be achieved in a motor with inset
magnets. The peak value of the residual torque is however somewhat higher.

References

J. Arthur Wagner, "Numerical Analysis of Cogging torque in A Brushless

DC Motor", IEEE Industry Applications Society Conference Rccord, Vol.
75 CHO 999-31A, pp. 669-674, 1975.
N. Boules, "Prediction of NwLoad Flux Density Distribution in Permanent
Magnet Machines" IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications, Vol. IA-
21. No. 3. pp. 633-643, MayDune 1985.
N. Boules, "Filed Analysis of PM Machines with Buried Magnet Rotor"
International Conference on Electric Machines, Proceedings, Munich, West
Germany, p. 1063, September 1986.
Jaime De La R e , N. Boules, "Torque Production in Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Motors" - IEEE Industry Application Society - Conference
Record, pp. 15-20, October 1987.
T. Sebastian, G.R. Slemon, "Operating Limits of Inverter Driven Permanent
Magnet Motor Drives" - IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications, Vol.
IA-23, No. 2. pp. 327-333, MarlApr. 1987
I

S I X = O.U, 0.5, 0.6

w
3
0
a
0

the other pair is rotated backward by U6.Alternatively, empirical shifting may be

done graphically to minimize the peak of the residual torque.

Ir a n

-
Magnet
. Shaft

A i r Gap
Figure 10: Cogging torque with inset magnet width adjusted to eliminate the
fundamental component.
0.4 0 . 5 0 . 6

0
w
Figure 9: Cross section of a 4-pole motor with inset permanent magnets.
Motor with Inset Magnets
Srn
The second type of permanent magnet motor considered in this study is that C
in which the rotor magnets are inset into the rotor iron as shown in Figure 9. This
structure has been shown to produce somewhat greater rated torque than the sur-
face mounted type [5]. 0
3

The analysis of this structure was performed using the same assumptions as 0

described previously. The effect of choosing a pole width w to eliminate the fun-
damental component of cogging torque is shown in Figure 10 for a range of ri
Lo
values of SA.It is noted that, for the inset magnets, the minimum peak torque
occurs with slh = 0.4. For this ratio, the peak value of the cogging torque is seen 0I

to be about 2.7% of rated torque, a value considerably greater than for the
equivalent surface mounted magnet.
0
T
Agaiti, the magnet pairs may be rotated with respect to each other either to
eliminate the second harmonic as to minimize the peak magnitude of the residual.
The result of the latter is shown in Figure 11.
41
Figure 11: Cogging torque with pairs of inset magnet poles shifted to minimize
peak torque.