Mechanical Design of Reconfigurable Active Magnetic Bearing Test Rig

In this study, considerations of a mechanical design of a reconfigurable active magnetic bearing (AMB) test rig and some of its interchangeable modules are reviewed. The manufacturing of modules, assembly, measurements of mechanical accuracies and their influence on electrical and control requirements of the active components are analyzed. Numerical simulations for 10 kW 30000 rpm high-speed rotor of induction motor are performed for studying purposes of rotor dynamics and mechanical stresses of various changeable rotor sleeve parts. Impor- tant part of high-speed AMB system are mechanical backup bearings. Additional sub-modules are designed for changeable backup bearings for further rotor dropdown experiments. Also, reference sensors required by the AMB control system are fitted into own sub-module in order to enable testing of various sensor designs. Experimental measurement are performed in order to study rotor dynamics and mechanical accuracies of modular test rig design. Some operational results during commissioning phase are presented and discussed. The benefits and challenges of using a modular design are discussed. The scope of this paper is in mechanical design, therefore no detailed description of designed AMBs and control system is presented.