IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON MAGNETICS, VOL. 44, NO.

12, DECEMBER 2008

4591

A Coreless Axial-Flux Permanent-Magnet Generator

for Automotive Applications
Saeid Javadi1;2 and Mojtaba Mirsalim1;2;3
Electrical Engineering Department, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran 15916, Iran
Center of Excellence in Power Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran 15916, Iran
Electrical Engineering Department, St. Marys University, San Antonio, TX 78228 USA
We present a modified structure of an axial flux permanent magnet generator for an automotive application. The generator has a
coreless double-stator structure; one is stationary, and the other can be moved to achieve the desired performance. This provides a
simple mechanical way to weaken flux in order to extend the speed range of the generator for a constant output power. The excitation
is from permanent magnets mounted on the rotors, and the windings are concentrated with simple circular form to achieve a sinusoidal
waveform with very low harmonic contents. We have designed and analyzed the generator by both the three-dimensional finite-element
method and the analytic approach. The calculated values coincide very well with the experimental results.
Index TermsAutomotive, axial flux, coreless, flux weakening, permanent magnet generator.

I. INTRODUCTION

HERE has been a continuous increase in electrical power

demand in automobiles as a result of the electrification of
existing loads and the introduction of new vehicle functions.
One consequence of this increase in demand is that improvements in automotive generators are becoming necessary. Also,
the progress in the new high magnetic field rare-earth permanent
magnets (PMs) such as Neodymium-Iron-Boron (Nd-Fe-B), the
most powerful permanent magnets available today, has shown
great opportunities for novel topologies of electric machines
[1], [2]. As an example, a prototype Nd-Fe-B manufactured by
Hitachi Metals, Ltd., Tokyo, Japan has a residual flux density
of 1.351.43 (T), coercivity of 10181123 (kA/m), and a maximum BH-product of 342390
[1]. Using rare earth
PM materials, it is possible to get high power density in a small
volume. Rare earth Nd-Fe-B magnet helps designers to produce
high performance machines with minimum loss and materials.
Coreless machines with conventional structures can as well be
realized using rare earth PM materials.
As of today, Lundell-type generators with diode rectifiers
are almost universally used in automotive applications [3],
[4]. Since classical Lundell-type alternators are reaching their
power limits, new devices are actively investigated in order
to replace the existing ones, and satisfy the increasing energy
demand. However, achieving compact, low-cost, light-weight,
and high-efficiency devices is one of the most challenging
requests for designers. Axial-flux machines are among the most
suitable candidates for several automotive applications due to
their high compactness and lightness, together with their high
efficiency [5].
Coreless configurations eliminate any ferromagnetic material, and thus eliminating the associated eddy current and

Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/TMAG.2008.2004333

Color versions of one or more of the figures in this paper are available online
at http://ieeexplore.ieee.org.

hysteresis losses. Because of the absence of core losses, a

coreless stator axial-flux permanent-magnet (AFPM) machine
can operate at higher efficiency than conventional machines [6],
[8][11]. Adoption of ironless windings results in a significant
reduction in the stator weight, so that a small size actuator can
be employed for shifting of one of the windings. Moreover, by
implementing an iron-less stator core, no cogging torque would
be produced.
The development of a coreless three-phase generator considered in this paper is focused on the design, and analysis of a
modified structure of an AFPM generator. The machine type selection is based on several key advantages, including high power
density, being brushless, and low manufacturing cost relative to
the conventional Lundell generator and other proposed PM machines [7]. The dc load voltage of the designed generator under
loadings at different speeds is assumed to be 12-V, and the wire
size used is comparable to its Lundell countertype. The design
and performance analysis is done by a 3-D finite element, and
space harmonic analytical methods. It will be shown that due to
the simple structure, controllable output voltage, low amount of
harmonics, and higher efficiency, this generator can be a suitable choice for automobiles and an alternative to the conventional Lundell generator.
II. MODELING AND DESIGN
The schematic structure of the proposed AFPM generator
shown in Fig. 1 consists of two stator and three rotor parts.
The two ironless stator windings are placed in the air gap between the rotor discs with 1 mm mechanical clearance from the
rotor on each side. The rotor discs consist of circular flat-shaped
high energy Nd-Fe-B magnets glued on surfaces, mild steel
back plates (yokes), and rotor supporting parts. Fig. 2 shows the
schematic rotor poles with an opposite arrangement (N-S type)
and the associated flux paths for the proposed generator.
Concentrated armature coils of each stator are glued onto
nonmagnetic, nonconducting material such as bony fiber that is
resistive against temperature and pressure. As previously mentioned, one stator is stationary while the other can be turned.

0018-9464/$25.00 2008 IEEE

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IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON MAGNETICS, VOL. 44, NO. 12, DECEMBER 2008

the bony fiber plates (the last part of Fig. 8) to make it turn by
a pivot.
The three-phase output voltage of the generator is then rectified by diodes to obtain the required 12-V dc output voltage. The
open circuit dc voltage of the generator is obtained as follows:

(2)
where ,
, and
are output frequency, the number of
coil turns in series per phase, and the magnetic flux per pole,
respectively. Of course, the voltage drop of the diodes and total
resistances should also be taken into account.
The output volt-ampere ratings VA, of the machine can be
obtained by [10]:

(3)
where , , , and
are the output power coefficient, the mean diameter of stator, the axial length, and the synchronous speed of the generator, respectively. The output coefficient is related to magnetic and electric loading of the machine.
The electric loading is similar to the Lundell generator [3], [4].
By using circular shape magnets and coils, maximum voltage
and minimum resistance and inductance can be achieved. The
required is calculated by [13]
number of concentrated coils

Fig. 1. Proposed machine structure.

(4)
From (2)(4), and the volume limitation the designer is faced
with, the authors chose eight poles and six concentrated coils
for the proposed three-phase generator.
The schematic of the linearized analytic model and the modified assembly of rectangular PMs to circular shape are shown
in Figs. 3 and 4, respectively. The analytic formula for normal
component of magnetic flux density in the middle of air gap is
as follows [13]:

Fig. 2. Flux paths.

By connecting the two stator windings in series, the resultant

voltage can be obtained as in the following [6]:

(1)
where is the mechanical phase shift between the two windings and is the number of pole pairs. If the phase shift is equal
to zero, then maximum voltage is induced which is suitable for
low-speed ranges. At higher speeds, the phase shift between the
two stator windings is increased to obtain the desired voltage at
the output terminals of the generator. In other words, an approximately fixed output voltage can be generated for a wide speed
range. Using this configuration a mechanical field weakening is
implemented that is cost effective without power electronic devices. To do so, it was necessary to form gear teeth on one of

(5)
where
,
, ,
, and
are pole pitch at different
radii, the width of PM in circumferential direction, the PM
thickness, the residual flux density, and the relative permeability
of PM, respectively.
To calculate the induced voltage, the variation of flux in the
coils is assumed sinusoidal

(6)

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Fig. 3. Schematic for the analytic model.

Fig. 7. Prototype generator (in EMTR Laboratory).

gap (distance between the two rotor back irons) flux is mostly
in axial direction, but here, we make this assumption to simplify
the calculation of inductance.
The resistance and inductance of each coil is obtained as follows [13]:

Fig. 4. Modified assembly of rectangular PMs to circular shape.

(8)
Fig. 5. Coil geometry.

and
are wire cross-sectional area and mean radius
where
of the coil, respectively.
Because of a weak mutual effect between the coils, the values
of stator inductance and resistance are obtained as follows:

(9)
,
, and
are the resistance, inductance
where
values per phase, and the total number of turns of the coils in
series per phase, respectively.
Fig. 6 shows the circuit and its equivalent model for automotive applications. The equivalent circuit parameters and the
generator efficiency are obtained as in the following [13]:

Fig. 6. DC load and the equivalent circuits.

(7)
are the inner and outer radii of the armature
where and
coils, respectively.
Fig. 5 shows the coil geometry of the stator. To calculate the
resistance we assumed that the
turns per coil is located in
mean radius of a coil. And, for leakage inductance calculation, it
is assumed that the resultant magnetic flux density produced by
a coil in the air gap is in axial direction [13]. Due to the large air

(10)

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IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON MAGNETICS, VOL. 44, NO. 12, DECEMBER 2008

TABLE I
DESIGN DATA OF THE PROPOSED MACHINE

Fig. 8. Detailed structure of the machine.

where
,
,
, , and are equivalent dc resistance, equivalent resistance due to diode commutating inductance, open circuit dc voltage, output dc voltage, and efficiency,
respectively [13].
III. PROTOTYPE GENERATOR AND SIMULATION
A prototype generator was constructed for verification. It was
tested for various loads at different speeds to evaluate its performance. The generator and detailed structure of the machine is
shown in Figs. 7 and 8. Two parallel coils per phase on each
side are connected in series with each other according to (1). It
should be noted that one of the stators can be turned by a small
actuator to get the desired voltage and performance. The design
data are summarized in Table I.

Fig. 9. Meshed model of half of the generator.

The meshed model of half of the generator is shown in Fig. 9.

It is sufficient to analyze half of the machine structure due to
symmetry. For 3-D FEM calculation with motion, the model is
divided in two moving and stationary parts. In this model, the
winding has been placed in the meshed volume and turned while
the rotor is stationary. This is done arbitrarily to simplify the
process of simulation.
Fig. 10 shows the relative position of the two windings with
respect to each other. One stator is stationary and another is
movable to get the desired dc output voltage. The required phase
shift in electrical degrees for the proposed generator to get 12
dc at no load from zero to 12 000 rpm is depicted in Fig. 11. It
is clear that to get 12 V in loading condition, the curve is shifted

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Fig. 12. Magnetic flux density distribution in back iron.

Fig. 10. Models of windings in zero and nonzero mechanical phase shift.
Fig. 13. Magnetic flux density distribution in PMs.

Fig. 11. Phase shift angle versus speed for the proposed generator.

to the right side because of the voltage drop on generator and

rectifier circuit elements.
Figs. 12 and 13 show magnetic flux density values in back
iron and the PMs. The variations are not smoothly distributed
in some parts of the figures due to the coarse mesh density and
numerical errors. It is observed that the flux density in back iron
is below 1.8 T which is lower than the field saturation value of
the magnetic iron.
The comparison between the experimental and theoretical
no-load output voltage at 1000 r/min for a zero phase-shift between the windings is shown in Fig. 14. The results are approx-

imately the same. The harmonic analysis for the experimental

no-load output voltage of Fig. 14 is shown in Fig. 15. The total
harmonic voltage (THD%) is under 7.8%, which is suitable.
The magnetic flux density versus circumferential distance by
the 3-D FEM, and analytical methods are shown in Figs. 16, and
17, respectively. It is deduced from the figures that the results
compare very well. The maximum value of flux density is 0.63 T
for a 10-mm air gap between permanent magnets, suitable for
air core electric machines.
The efficiency and the dc output voltage at 1000 r/min are, respectively, shown in Figs. 18 and 19. The maximum discrepancy
is less than 8%. The main source of losses in the machine is from
stator copper losses. As it was expected, the graphs are linear,
because armature reaction is insignificant in ironless stators.
Assuming an average speed of 2000 r/min for automotive
generators, a dc voltage of 12 V at rated load is desired. Usually the starting speed of the automotive generator is 2000 (rpm)
and the desired dc voltage under loading is 12 V. The winding
is of air winding type, which means we can have higher current
values for the same condition as in a conventional Lundell generator. Fig. 20 shows the experimental no-load voltage at 2000
r/min which is approximately sinusoidal. The theoretical output
voltage and efficiency at this speed for different dc load currents
are, respectively, depicted in Figs. 21 and 22. One can deduce

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Fig. 14. Comparison of the experimental, 3-D FEM, and analytical no-load
voltages at 1000 r/min. (a) Experimental; (b) 3-D FEM; and (c) analytical
method.

IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON MAGNETICS, VOL. 44, NO. 12, DECEMBER 2008

Fig. 16. Magnetic flux density variations versus circumferential distance using
3-D FEM.

IV. CONCLUSION

Fig. 15. Harmonic spectrum of the voltage at 1000 r/min.

from the plots that up to a load of 25-A, the output voltage is

higher than 12-V and the efficiency for a load current of 10-A
(normal current) is higher than 80%. The phase-shifting between the two stators is required to maintain the output voltage
at a 12-V value.

The main objective of this paper was to introduce, analyze,

and verify a modified structure of axial flux generators for automotive applications. The main advantages achieved were simple
and robust structure of the proposed machine, and lower material and manufacturing cost with better performance. The generator is a brushless PM machine which is an advantage especially at high-speeds. Because of its simple structure, controllable output voltage, and very low harmonic components, the
proposed generator can be a suitable choice and an alternative
to the conventional Lundell generator. Due to coreless stator, the
armature reaction is very small, which is advantageous in short
circuit conditions especially at high speeds. It also has lower
losses and temperature rise, and higher efficiency.

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4597

Fig. 18. Comparison between theoretical and experimental efficiencies versus

dc load current at 1000 r/min.

Fig. 19. Comparison between theoretical and experimental dc output voltage

versus dc load current at 1000 r/min.

Fig. 20. Experimental no-load output voltage at 2000 r/min.

Fig. 17. Magnetic flux density variations versus circumferential distance using
analytical method.

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[10] F. Crescimbini, A. D. Napoli, L. Solero, and F. Caricchi, Compact permanent-magnet generator for hybrid vehicle applications, IEEE Trans.
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Fig. 21. Theoretical output voltage versus load current at 2000 r/min.

Manuscript received April 14, 2008; revised August 05, 2008. Current
version published January 08, 2009. Corresponding author: S. Javadi (e-mail:
s_javadi_arani@yahoo.com).

Saeid Javadi was born in Aran and Bidgol, Iran, on March 21, 1969. He
received the B.S. degree in communication engineering and the M.S. degree
in electrical power engineering from Amirkabir University of Technology,
Tehran, Iran, in 1992 and 1999, respectively. He is pursuing the Ph.D. degree
in the Department of Electrical Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran. His research interests are numerical and analytical analysis of
electromagnetic fields, and electrical machines.

Fig. 22. Theoretical efficiency versus load current at 2000 r/min.

[9] F. Caricchi, F. Crescimbini, O. Honorati, G. L. Bianco, and E. Santini,

Performance of coreless-winding axial-flux permanent-magnet generator with power output at 400 Hz, 3000 r/min, IEEE Trans. Ind. Appl.,
vol. 34, pp. 12631269, Dec. 1998.

Mojtaba Mirsalim was born in Tehran, Iran, on February 14, 1956. He received
the B.S. degree in EECS/NE and the M.S. degree in nuclear engineering from
the University of California, Berkley, in 1978 and 1980, respectively, and the
Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from Oregon State University, Corvallis,
in 1986.
Since 1987, he has been at Amirkabir University of Technology, where he
has served five years as the Vice Chairman and more than seven years as the
General Director in Charge of Academic Assessments, and currently is a Full
Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering where he teaches courses
and conducts research in energy conversion, electrical machine design, and hybrid vehicles, among others. His special fields of interest include the design,
analysis, and optimization of electric machines, FEM, renewable energy, and
hybrid vehicles. He is the author of more than 100 international journal and conference papers and three books on electric machinery and FEM. He is Founder
and Director of the Electrical Machines and Transformers Research Laboratory
(http://www.ele.aut.ac.ir/~emtrl)