The application of generative design to electrical motor topologies

Traditional electrical motors rely on torque produced through the Lorentz force by magnetising the stator and the rotor (either with permanent magnets or windings) and then rotating one of the two fields, causing the rotor to spin. Modern motor development often tries to utilise reluctance torque along-side the traditional electromagnetic torque. Reluctance torque is caused by Maxwell's force which acts to minimise the reluctance in a magnet's flux path and is utilised through differences in reluctances between a motor's direct and quadrature axes. Reluctance torque motors, however, require more complex iron-work design, which is in turn often more difficult to manufacture. Combining both types of torque, such as in an IPMSM (Inset Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor) can result in the most torque dense motors possible. This fusion is often achieved by designing the rotor's topology to include inset permanent magnets whilst maintaining the reluctance differences between the direct and quadrature axes. This further complicates the design problem beyond that of a pure reluctance motor and as such methods where the design space can be mapped would increase the ability to produce motors that utilise both types of torque.