Analysis and optimisation of a new Septal coil in-wheel switched reluctance motor

To enhance the average torque and torque density of in-wheel switched reluctance motors (IWSRM) for electric vehicles, a novel four-phase 16/18 IWSRM with the segmented coil is proposed. The basic structure and electromagnetic characteristics of the new IWSRM are analysed. Based on finite element analysis, the magnetic flux linkage, magnetic co-energy, inductance, and torque characteristics are studied and compared with the typical four-phase 16/18 IWSRM and 16/20 IWSRM with traditional winding structure. The results show the new IWSRM has higher average torque under medium/low current conditions. A multi-objective optimisation function based on average torque and torque density is established. The stator pole arc and rotor pole arc are selected for optimising the new IWSRM. The results without and with optimisation indicate the average torque and torque density of the motor can respectively be improved by 21.6% and 16.7% under a current of 100 A.