Abstract
Additively manufactured soft magnetic Fe-3.7%w.t.Si toroidal samples with solid and novel partitioned cross-sectional geometries are characterized through magnetic measurements. This study focuses on the effect of air gaps and annealing temperature on AC core losses at the 50 Hz frequency. In addition, DC electromagnetic material properties are presented, showing comparable results to conventional and other 3D-printed, high-grade, soft magnetic materials. The magnetization of 1.5 T was achieved at 1800 A/m, exhibiting a maximum relative permeability of 28,900 and hysteresis losses of 0.61 (1 T) and 1.7 (1.5 T) W/kg. A clear trend of total core loss reduction at 50 Hz was observed in relation to the segregation of the specimen cross-sectional topology. The lowest 50 Hz total core losses were measured for the toroidal specimen with four internal air gaps annealed at 1200 °C, exhibiting a total core loss of 1.2 (1 T) and 5.5 (1.5 T) W/kg. This is equal to an 860% total core loss reduction at 1 T and a 510% loss reduction at 1.5 T magnetization compared to solid bulk-printed material. Based on the findings, the advantages and disadvantages of printed air-gapped material internal structures are discussed in detail.
Highlights
Published: 24 February 2021Metal additive manufacturing (AM) technology has matured, with its capabilities currently outperforming conventional manufacturing methods in several applications
This paper investigates investigates the the effect effect of of printed printed air air gaps gaps on on the the total total core core losses losses of of addiadditively manufactured 3.7% silicon steel toroidal samples
The material characterized in this study is well-applicable for developing optimized additively manufactured soft magnetic components and novel electrical machine designs
Summary
Published: 24 February 2021Metal additive manufacturing (AM) technology has matured, with its capabilities currently outperforming conventional manufacturing methods in several applications. The main advantage of SLM is the capacity for the cost-effective production of complex metal part topologies with high spatial accuracy This enables the implementation of next-generation, topologyoptimized components (with reduced weight, cooling channels, reduced inertia, increased heat exchange, etc.) with minimal preparation steps (new molds, jigs, tools, staff training) and manual work required [4]. In addition to the printing structural, thermal and electrical components, the additive manufacturing of magnetic materials has gained significant interest over recent years, focusing mainly on realizing 3D-printed, topology-optimized electromechanical components and electrical machines. Since their inception, the design of electrical machines (EMs) has remained largely unchanged. Most of the machines exhibit a planar design, which can Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations
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