Research on Combinations of Stator Poles and Rotor Teeth for Conventional Flux-Switching Brushless Machines with Composite Phase Numbers

In this paper, a method for determining the optimal stator-rotor combinations of conventional flux-switching permanent magnet (FSPM) machines with composite phase numbers covering symmetrical and asymmetrical topologies is proposed by changing the equivalent number of coils per pole per phase (ENCPP) or the number of coil-pairs having complementarity (K) of the optimal stator-rotor combinations of the corresponding machines with prime phases. Taking composite phase machines such as four-phase, six-phase, nine-phase, and twelve-phase machines as examples, a detailed analysis is conducted on how the optimal stator-rotor combinations of four-phase machines are derived from the optimal stator-rotor combinations of the corresponding prime phase machines (i.e., two-phase machines) and how the optimal stator-rotor combinations of six-phase, nine-phase, and twelve-phase machines are derived from the optimal stator-rotor combinations of the corresponding prime phase machines (i.e., three-phase machines). Then, the winding factor of the conventional FSPM machines with composite phase numbers is calculated. Finally, taking a 24-slot/22-tooth (24/22) conventional FSPM topology as an example, the topology is connected into a standard six-phase machine (symmetrical topology) and a dual three-phase machine (asymmetrical topology), and a comparative study between them is conducted in terms of the phase back electromotive force (EMF) waveform, electromagnetic torque, torque ripple, and inductances. The results indicate that both machines have sufficiently large and symmetrical back-EMFs, as well as sufficiently large electromagnetic torque, which validates the correctness of the proposed method for determining the optimal stator-rotor combinations.