Lossless Magnetic Bearing By Means Of Smoothed Flux Distribution

For high speed and long-term rotor such as an energy storage flywheel, eddy current in the laminated steel sheet causes rotating loss. In this paper, a new type of magnetic bearing is proposed which has smooth flux distribution. The rotating loss is expected to be negligible, while it has high force factor due to high bias flux produced by permanent magnets. To confirm the operaton of the proposed magnetic bearing, a simple experimental setup was fabricated and tested. The results showed smooth rotation with a low vibration level. Free-run test was carried out to clarify the rotation loss. The test results are compared with the standard magnetic bearing of the same size.