CAREER: An Inclusive Approach to Diversity Inspired Design on Novel 3D Printed Electric Motors

Electric motors are widely used in all economic sectors. Improvements in efficiency and power density of electric motors can also reduce the amount and types of pollutants emitted into the environment. Manufacturing design modifications aimed to improve the performance of electric motors can be a nightmare with conventional manufacturing techniques. 3D printing technologies offer unique versatility in size, shape and diversity of materials, promoting flexibility in motor design that is presently unavailable with conventional manufacturing technologies.

To create the next generation of high performance electric motors, 3D printing can be used to strategically deposit material during motor manufacturing similar to the way spiders strategically deposit silk in key areas to optimize web design. Spiders use diversity in web silks to build a more structurally sound web. The variability of the silk properties is the strength of the web and enable it to perform its intended task more efficiently.

Likewise, 3D printing allows motor designers to manufacture lightweight, robust motors. This proposed project aims to stretch the imagination beyond conventional electric motor design to inform creation of new design rules and materials by adopting aspects of the inclusion based diversity in design used by spiders. The proposed project extends these concepts to strengthen the pipeline of talent in engineering as well.

An integral part of the proposed project includes faculty-mentored undergraduate research experiences, as well as, development of inexpensive, project-based, pre-college basic physics courses for both in-person and virtual delivery. Virtual delivery will facilitate participation of students from underserved domestic communities and those on other continents.

Electric motor performance is dependent upon its design, properties of its materials and the processes used in manufacturing. Conventional manufacturing techniques place a ceiling on power density and inhibits production of more compact motor designs. Moreover, the inclusion of intricate design features that enhance motor performance is complex with conventional (subtractive and powder metallurgy) techniques. 3D printing (additive manufacturing) can potentially overcome many of the challenges that currently limit realization of many novel electrical machine designs.

This proposed project will consider the capabilities of 3D printing, which mimic the intuits of a spider, which include material diversification, consideration for resources and environment as well as optimization of energy input without sacrificing functionality. The specific research goals of the proposed project are to rethink the use of homogeneous electrical steel in the design of stators and rotors and explore the capabilities of non-homogenous electrical steels for multi-material 3D printed magnetic cores.

Topology optimization techniques are excellent options for exploring this uncharted territory; however, a model of the electric motor is required for accurate computation of the machine performance characteristics. Subdomain models will be developed to include local and spatial material heterogeneities. Each subdomain will include variations in thermal, mechanical, electrical and magnetic properties of the material (magnetic, conductive and dielectric).

Exploration of optimization algorithms, including social spider optimization, genetic algorithms, and gradient methods, is required to select the algorithm that best handles multiple objectives, multiple variables, and multiple physics. Regression analysis, sensitivity analysis and analysis of variance will extract new design rules. Additive manufacturing processes in design of electric motors have not been adequately explored in literature or the engineering industry.

The research activity will provide a broad knowledge base and advance the development of electric machines that capitalize on the benefits of additive manufacturing without sacrificing performance.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.