Comprehensive Evaluation of Inter-Turn Short Circuit Faults in PMSM Used for Electric Vehicles

As a wheel traction motor used for electric vehicles (EVs), due to the requirement of high power/torque density and the poor working condition, it is more prone to cause severe inter-turn short circuit (ITSC) faults. In this paper, the ITSC faults characteristics of a permanent magnet synchronous machine (PMSM) used for wheel traction motors in EVs are deeply and comprehensively researched. The influence of fault intensity on machine's parameters and performance are researched at different fault resistances through finite element method (FEM). Besides, factors that affect the amplitude of short circuit current are researched by mathematic formula and simulation, including load state, rotation speed, fault position and branch inductance. Then, the loss and thermal characteristics of the PMSM under different conditions are analyzed. In the last, experiments are conducted to validate the simulation results.