This paper explores the potential of Digital Twin (DT) technology for Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors (PMSMs) and establishes a foundation for its modeling and applications. While DTs have been widely applied in complex systems and simulation software, their use in electric motors, especially PMSMs, remains limited. This study examines physics-based, data-driven, and hybrid modeling approaches and evaluates their feasibility for real-time simulation, fault detection, and predictive maintenance. It also identifies key challenges such as computational demands, data integration, and the lack of standardized frameworks. By assessing current developments and outlining future directions, this work provides insights into how DTs can be implemented for PMSMs and drive advancements in industrial applications.

A switched reluctance motor has a very simple structure which becomes its key signature and leads to various advantages. However, because of its double saliency and switching principle, the motor is also known to have a relatively high torque ripple, and this hinders its use as a high-performance drive. In this paper, a method to reduce torque ripple while maintaining average torque is introduced. Two elements are used to achieve this, namely, a non-uniform air-gap on the rotor-pole face and one hole in each non-uniform region, which maintains the saturation level of the air-gap. This approach preserves the mechanical simplicity of the motor and is easy to implement. Simulations and experiments were performed to verify the effectiveness of the proposed design.

In this paper, the optimization and characteristics analysis of a three-phase 12/8 switched reluctance motor (SRM) based on a Grey Wolf Optimizer (GWO) for electric vehicles (EVs) application is presented. This research aims to enhance the output torque density of the proposed SRM. Finite element method (FEM) was used to analyze the characteristics and optimization process of the proposed motor. The proposed metaheuristic GWO combines numerous objective functions and design constraints with different weight factors. Maximum flux density, current density, and motor volume are selected as the optimization constraints, which play a significant role in the optimization process. GWO performs optimization for each iteration and sends it to FEM software to analyze the performance before starting another iteration until the optimized value is found. Simulations are employed to understand the characteristics of the proposed motor. Finally, the optimized prototype motor is manufactured and performance is verified by experiment. It is shown that the torque can be increased by 120% for the same outer volume, by using the proposed method.

The shift-by-wire (SBW) system in vehicles aims to increase performance, safety, and comfort during driving. Switched reluctance motors (SRMs) are simple, resilient, and require only minimum maintenance; these factors make it a good option for use as an SBW actuator. Inherently, SRM generates a higher torque ripple than other AC machines, which can lead to a deterioration of its function. In this paper, a non-uniform air-gap rotor structure combined with the careful positioning of holes near the pole surface is proposed to reduce the torque ripple. The finite element method (FEM) is employed to analyze the electromagnetic characteristics of the design. The proposed motor is manufactured, and experiments are done to verify the performance. The design alone can reduce the torque ripple by 7% and flatten the torque waveform. The experimental result shows that the proposed motor can achieve the desired performance. The estimated torque ripple from the experiment is 26.65%.

Interior permanent magnet synchronous motors (IPMSMs) are widely utilized due to their high power density. However, noise and vibration issues are often encountered in these motors. While researchers have extensively investigated individual aspects such as noise, vibration, and heat generation in PMSMs, there has been a lack of comprehensive studies examining the interrelationships among these factors. In this paper, a novel approach is proposed for predicting vibration by considering the radial force in the air gap as the exciting force, while also accounting for the changes in the permanent magnet (PM) characteristics caused by heat generation during motor operation. The method involves decomposing and identifying vibration components associated with each vibration mode and predicting noise based on the sound radiation efficiency of each mode. By constructing a vibration map based on current and temperature at a specific frequency, the components most affected by current variations and PM characteristics can be identified. This allows for the proposal of design improvements aimed at reducing vibration. Furthermore, by comparing the vibration map with the noise map, it is confirmed that vibration serves as a source of noise and influences its generation. However, it is found that vibration and noise are not strictly proportional. Overall, a comprehensive analysis of the correlations between vibration, noise, and other factors in IPMSMs is presented in this study. The proposed method and findings contribute to the understanding of the complex dynamics involved and provide valuable insights for the design of quieter and more efficient motor systems.

This paper presents a characteristics analysis and performance comparison of high-speed two-phase 4/2 and hybrid single-phase 4/4 switched reluctance motors (SRMs). Although the motors are advantageous as high-speed drives, both conventional structures have high torque ripple as a result of the presence of the torque dead zone. In this paper, solutions to the torque dead zone problem for each motor are discussed. For the 4/2 SRM, a wide-rotor stepper-type is adopted, while for the 4/4 SRM, the structure is changed to a hybrid by adding permanent magnets (PMs). Both motors have a non-uniform air gap to modify their inductance profile, which leads to the elimination of the torque dead zone. A finite-element method was used to analyze the characteristics of each motor. Then, the manufactured motors were tested through experiments, and lastly, their performance was compared.