Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Chuanbing Rong

Michael W Degner

Wanfeng Li

Feng Liang

Franco Leonardi

Leyi Zhu

Chun Tang

Jun Kikuchi

A rotor for an electric machine includes a core comprised of stacked laminations that define pockets between a hub portion and a pole portion. Each of the pockets are configured to receive magnetic material and define center cavities between regions of magnetic material to eliminate a flux leakage path between the magnetic materials. A cured mixture including an epoxy and a magnetic powder is disposed within the center cavities. The magnetic material may include sintered magnets and a cured mixture.

Adhesive mixture including hard magnetic material for e-machine rotor

A three-dimensional magnetic printer includes at least one induction head assembly including an induction heater to heat magnetic material to form an alloy melt and at least one nozzle operable to eject the alloy melt, a coating apparatus, and a base aligned with the at least one nozzle. The induction head assembly deposits at least one alloy melt layer and the coating apparatus forms at least one insulating layer onto the base in accordance with a predetermined pattern to form a three-dimensional article.

Method for three-dimensional printing of magnetic materials

A permanent magnet formed by additively manufacturing magnetic phases and buffer phases is disclosed. The buffer phase(s) may improve performance, enhance mechanical properties and allow the magnet to better tolerate stresses such that defects such as cracking do not occur or are less likely to occur. The buffer phase may be a magnetic or non-magnetic material.

Reduction of cracks in additively manufactured Nd—Fe—B magnet

A method of processing an anisotropic permanent magnet includes forming anisotropic flakes from a hulk magnet alloy, each of the anisotropic flakes having an easy magnetization direction with respect to a surface of the flake and combining the anisotropic flakes with a binder to form a mixture. The method further includes extruding or rolling the mixture without applying a magnetic field such that the easy magnetization directions of the anisotropic flakes align to form one or more layers having a magnetization direction aligned with the easy magnetization directions of the anisotropic flakes, and producing the anisotropic permanent magnet from the layers having the magnetization direction such that the anisotropic permanent magnet has a magnetization with a specific orientation.

Processing of anisotropic permanent magnet without magnetic field

A rotor of an electric machine includes a rotor core defining a magnet channel extending axially between opposing ends of the rotor core. A permanent magnet is disposed in the channel and has opposing ends and opposing major sides. The magnet includes a central piece of anisotropic magnetic material having a first magnetically easy crystallographic axis, and a corner piece of anisotropic magnetic material joined to the central piece and having a second magnetically easy crystallographic axis that is oblique to the first easy axis.

Permanent magnet of multiple pieces having different easy axes

An inductor that is configured to store energy in a magnetic field includes a wire and a core. The wire is configured to deliver electrical current to the inductor to generate the magnetic field. The core is disposed radially about the wire. The core comprises magnetic particles that are suspended in a non-magnetic matrix. The magnetic particles are arranged such that a magnetic permeability of the core increases in a direction that extends radially outward from the wire along a cross-sectional area of the magnetic core from a first region that is adjacent to the wire to a second region that is adjacent to an outer periphery of the magnetic core.

Electrical inductor device

A power system has a power-electronic module that includes a housing defining a looped reservoir, a ferro-magnetic medium sealed within and filling the looped reservoir, and a conductor surrounded by the ferro-magnetic medium. The conductor is coiled within and along the looped reservoir, and has terminals extending out of the reservoir such that the ferro-magnetic medium and conductor form an inductor that opposes changes in magnitude of current flowing through the conductor.

Power magnetic components packaged in otherwise unutilized space of power electronics

A rotor of an electric machine includes a rotor core with one or more permanent magnets having opposing ends. The rotor core defining a magnet channel extending axially between opposing ends of the rotor core. The permanent magnet is disposed in the channel and extends axially through the rotor core. The magnet includes a planar layer of magnetically hard-phase material that includes rare-earth metal and includes a planar layer of magnetically soft-phase material that does not include rare-earth metal. Both of the hard and soft layers extend between the opposing ends. The soft-phase material has a major face disposed against a major face of the hard phase material.

Permanent magnets with soft material layers

An electric machine that is configured to propel a vehicle includes a stator and a rotor. The stator has windings that are configured to generate magnetic fields. The rotor has a plurality of magnetic blocks that interacts with the magnetic fields to produce rotational motion. Each of the plurality of magnetic blocks is segmented into a plurality of permanent magnets. Adjacent permanent magnets within each magnetic block are separated from and secured to each other via an intermediate electrically insulating material. The intermediate electrically insulating material is comprised of magnetic particles that are suspended in an adhesive matrix.

Electric machine for a hybrid or electric vehicle

According to an embodiment, a composite permanent magnet includes a matrix of magnetically hard phase grains having an average grain size of 10 nm to 50 &#x3bc;m; and magnetically soft phase grains embedded within the matrix, and having an average grain size of at least 50 nm, each grain having an elongated shape with an aspect ratio of at least 2:1. According to another embodiment, a composite permanent magnet includes a matrix of magnetically hard phase grains having an average grain size of 10 nm to 50 &#x3bc;m; and magnetically soft phase grains embedded within the matrix, and having an average grain width of at least 50 nm, an average grain height of 20 to 500 nm, and an aspect ratio of at least 2:1. According to yet another embodiment, a method of forming a composite permanent magnet is also provided.

Composite magnet with magnetically hard and soft phases

A method of manufacturing a stator is provided. The method may include stamping steel into laminations each having an inner edge area defining a residual stress associated with a magnetic permeability. The method may also include exposing the laminations to a changing magnetic field such that, for each of the laminations, a density of resulting eddy currents is greatest near the inner edge area to heat the same relative to central areas of the lamination to decrease the residual stress and core loss.

Localized induction heat treatment of electric motor components

A method of manufacturing a stator is provided. The method may include stamping a fully-processed steel into a set of laminations having hardened outer edge areas. The method may further include flash annealing the laminations to concentrate thermal energy in the inner and outer edge areas relative to central areas of the laminations to drive a hardness of the inner and outer edge areas toward a hardness of the central areas to relieve residual stress and decrease iron loss of the laminations.

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Canton, MI, United States of America

Chuanbing Rong