3-D FEM Investigation of Eddy Current Losses in Rotor Lamination Steel Sheets

In this paper, a test setup that emulates field conditions equivalent to the ones of the rotor of a Salient Pole Synchronous Machine (SPSM) is presented. A 3-D Finite Element Method (FEM) model of the test setup is used to examine the induced eddy currents and to estimate losses using direct eddy current calculation method. The high mesh resolution of the model enables an accurate calculation and detailed illustration of the induced eddy currents as well as the estimation of related losses via direct computation within the volume of the test samples. A comparison of the estimated eddy current losses is made for different lamination thicknesses and materials of the test object. In the paper it is shown that the approximation that the eddy current losses are directly proportional to the square of the lamination thickness is not valid in the considered cases.