Extending the service life of plain bearings for linear permanent magnet machines

Description

Direct linear drives offer a high dynamic response in actuation force and can thus address requirements on control of oscillatory systems. In addition high force densities of the electromagnetic drive are a key requirement to realize compact solutions. For that reason magnetic designs shift from systems with an air-gap winding to slotted solutions. While the surface thrust force rises, the normal or radial force on the mover rises as well. Finding the solution solely in double sided stator arrangements or tubular designs is not convincing as inevitable eccentricities deteriorate the bearing situation and increase friction. This increases wear and significantly affects the systems efficiency, dynamic performance and above all bearing life-time. This paper gets to the root of the problem of limited plain bearing service life and proposes an active bearing force compensation to reduce wear and thus avoid untimely bearing failure. The theoretical approach is outlined and analyzed in experiment in detail on a prototype installation. Measurements on the test-rig prove the feasibility, show a possible solution for an application and demonstrate how this approach can extend the service life of bearings and improve the systems performance simultaneously.

Period	03 Sept 2024
Event title	26th International Conference on Electrical Machines ICEM'25
Event type	Conference
Location	ItalyShow on map