One of the main drawbacks of switched reluctance machines (SRM) is the vibration and high acoustic noise compared to other electrical motors.... Show moreOne of the main drawbacks of switched reluctance machines (SRM) is the vibration and high acoustic noise compared to other electrical motors. The root cause of the high level of acoustic noise is radial forces with high harmonic content. These harmonics may trigger resonant modes in the stator and cause the machine to create high vibration and acoustic noise. To better understand the factors influencing vibration and acoustic noise in an SRM, this dissertation first develops a multi-physics model in ANSYS Workbench environment and carries out a comprehensive analysis of multiple variations in stator and rotor geometries. Based on this understanding, this dissertation identifies distinct factors affecting noise in the machine, which are affected by electromagnetic design and power electronic control. From the electromagnetic perspective, geometrical optimizations in the stator and rotor structures are evaluated to understand the impact on NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) performance. This background is used to develop a fast geometry-sensitive analytical approach to reduce acoustic noise in the machine. While optimizing the geometry for a silent machine design, different design of experiments (DoE) methods and response surface (RS) optimization methods are also compared and presented. Furthermore, material analysis is included in structural design, where high flux material effect on vibration and acoustic noise is observed. The second topic of the NVH analysis is power electronic and switching solutions. In this study, multiple basic and advanced switching techniques have been considered and optimized to reduce acoustic noise under a preset efficiency constraint. Further, a time efficient model of SRM is introduced with vibro-acoustic noise perspective by developing a computationally cost effective SRM modeling. By using this analytical time-efficient NVH model, a current shape optimization is implemented, and results are discussed. Finally, experimental validations are provided for NVH and psychoacoustics analysis for different operating conditions and current control methods. Show less
