A switched-reluctance motor for aerospace application: Design, analysis and results

This paper presents a five-phase switched reluctance motor designed to satisfy the requirements of flap actuators in medium size aircrafts, a real example of the more electric aircraft trend. In normal conditions the machine operates with two phases conducting simultaneously but it is designed to satisfy the load specifications also with one or two phases open as consequence of fault remedial strategies. A finite-element study, aiming to predict both the healthy and faulty-mode performance, is presented. The mean torque vs. current capability and the torque ripple are investigated and optimum commutation angles are evaluated in static conditions. Experimental tests on the motor prototype are included, which confirm its capability to satisfy the planned degraded modes of operation and validate the design.