Active Axial-Magnetomotive Force Parallel-Airgap Serial Flux Magnetic Bearings

Abstract

<para xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> The maximum force capability of conventional active magnetic bearings is limited since the magnetic flux density in the iron is limited due to saturation. We introduce in this paper a new concept of active magnetic bearings that exploits high bearing force from a number of parallel ironless stator and permanent-magnet rotor discs. We optimized the design of the bearing by solving tens of thousands of finite-element models in nested loops. We commissioned an experimental rig comprising a set of interleaved bearing discs and a 3 degrees-of-freedom mechanical platform to verify its force production capability. </para>