Magneto-Structural Combined Dimensional and Topology Optimization of Interior Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machine Rotors

A magneto-structural combined dimensional and topology optimization approach for interior permanent magnet synchronous machine (IPMSM) rotor design is proposed using the Solid Isotropic Material Penalization (SIMP) density-based topology optimization method. This method optimizes the location and dimensions of the permanent magnets (PMs) embedded in the rotor, while simultaneously optimizing the lamination flux barriers using topology optimization.To allow for the location and dimensions of the PMs to change while retaining the same number of mesh elements and connectivity, the mesh must be deformed. Mesh deformation is accomplished using a Laplace smoothing technique. To increase the range of PM displacement and size changes, the non-PM areas of the rotor design domain are divided into sub-regions along whose boundaries the mesh nodes are redistributed also using a Laplace smoothing algorithm. Three examples of IPMSM rotor optimizations are presented to demonstrate the proposed approach.