Structural Analysis of Slitted Rotor for 10,000 rpm Switched Reluctance Machine

Switched reluctance machines (SRMs) are increasingly being investigated for high-speed and high-temperature applications, as their rotors do not have permanent magnets or windings. Solid rotor SRMs are a viable option for high-speed and high-temperature applications. However, rotor core losses are quite high in solid rotor SRM. Recently, slitted rotor SRM has been proposed to reduce rotor core loss significantly compared to the solid rotor SRM. The slits are made in the active portion of the rotor perpendicular to the shaft axis to reduce the core losses. While this improves the electrical performance, the shaft rigidity and integrity are evaluated in this paper. Stress analysis and deformation due to the forces acting on the rotor at different speeds and load conditions are presented. The natural frequencies of the slitted rotor and corresponding mode shapes are determined using model analysis. The first four natural frequencies are 885 Hz, 2363 Hz, 3592 Hz, and 4308 Hz. Further, a comparative study between slitted and solid rotors specifically designed for a 5 kW, 10000 rpm SRM is presented, offering insights into their respective performance characteristics.