Analytical model for the optimal design of a brushless DC wheel motor

Abstract

Purpose

Analytical models are often used in the first steps of the design process. They are associated with optimisation methods to find a solution that fulfil the design specifications. In this paper, the analytical model of an electric motor is built and proposed as a benchmark to highlight the optimisation methods the most fitted to analytical models.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper studies the optimal design of a brushless DC wheel motor. First, the analytical model is presented. Each equation used for the sizing is described, including the physical phenomenon associated, the hypotheses done, and some precautions to take before computing. All equations are ordered to ease their resolution, due to a specific procedure which is then described. Secondly, three optimisation problems with an increasing number of parameters and constraints are proposed. Finally, the results found by the sequential quadratic method point out the special features of this benchmark.

Findings

The constraint optimisation problem proposed is clearly multimodal as shown in the results of one deterministic method. Many starting points were used to initialise the optimisation methods and lead to two very different solutions.

Originality/value

First, an analytical model for the optimal design is detailed and each equation is explained. A specific procedure is presented to order all equations in order to ease their resolution. Secondly, a multimodal benchmark is proposed to promote the development of hybrid methods and special heuristics.

Citation

Brisset, S. and Brochet, P. (2005), "Analytical model for the optimal design of a brushless DC wheel motor", COMPEL - The international journal for computation and mathematics in electrical and electronic engineering, Vol. 24 No. 3, pp. 829-848. https://doi.org/10.1108/03321640510612952