Reduced Part Count Motor Fabrication

93 Reduced Part Count Motor Fabrication--Unique Mobility, Inc., 425 Corporate Circle, Golden, CO 80401-5635; (303) 278-2002 Mr. Jon F. Lutz, Principal Investigator Mr. Donald A. French, Business Official DOE Grant No. DE-FG03-97ER82505 Amount: $74,900 The Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV) program is seeking cost reduction and power density improvement ideas for electric drive motors, a main component of hybrid electric vehicles. The goals for a reference 100 kW motor are $4 per kW and 2 kW per kilogram, respectively. One of the drive motor contenders, using brushless permanent magnets, shows high energy conversion efficiencies and lower weight than other competitors. This project is to improve the motor cost by utilizing a method of constructing motor stators with pressed powdered iron segments in place of standard laminations. The design would result in fewer motor components, reduced scrap, production consistency and improved performance. The Phase I project will first identify the desired mechanical and electromagnetic properties of the segments and work with manufacturers of pressed components to achieve these properties. A PNGV drive motor will then be designed and a scale version of the motor will be built two ways: Using pressed powdered iron and then using ¿industry-standard¿ laminations for comparison. The Phase II effort will encompass the design, build and test a PNGV motor. Tooling would be built to manufacture the motor using the patented segment technique. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: This motor would be capable of suitably propelling a mid-sized automobile and will be designed for minimum cost, high efficiency, compactness, and light weight. It is expected that the powdered iron segment concept, combined with leading edge powder technology will reduce cost and improve the performance of high speed motors used for vehicle traction applications as well as within other applications such as high power generators.